Water Use

​Water Use

Multiple Choice

Where is most of Earth's freshwater located?

• Glaciers and groundwater

• Underground aquifers
• Oceans and seas
• Rivers and lakes

Open Ended

What are some ways that you use water in your life every day?

*from NPJ clean water journal
published 31 July 2019

​

Home

Open in new tab

Copy link

-Dan Brown

“Overpopulation is an issue so profound that all of us need to ask what should be done.”

Multiple Choice

Which aquifer feeds Southern Pines, NC?

• The aquifer that feeds Southern Pines, NC is the Red River aquifer.
• The aquifer that feeds Southern Pines, NC is the Blue Ridge aquifer.
• The aquifer that feeds Southern Pines, NC is the Black Creek aquifer.
• The aquifer that feeds Southern Pines, NC is the Green Valley aquifer.

overpopulation=water decline

-Demand has increased 4-fold
-From April 2021 to now, the Black Creek Aquifer has dropped in capacity about 20 ft.
-The population of Southern Pines has grown 8.1% since 2020. (WPR)





MO-248 Pinehurst 5A at Pinehurst,Nc Black Creek. (n.d.). Waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved November 22, 2023, from https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/351132079275301/#parameterCode=72019&period=P7D&showMedian=true

‌

Know the difference!!!

​Consumption

Withdrawal

Currently, the United States has the highest rate of withdrawal per capita.

*From the USGS

Largest water withdrawals from agriculture and power cooling.

*From the USGS

Public supply would be the overall water use by a city.

*From the USGS

Aquaculture is the farming of fish and shellfish.

Agriculture relies on irrigation.

-divergence of water

​

Agriculture

Water used to cool components
-ex: nuclear reactors

​

​Power Cooling

​Other ways water is used

Industry uses large amount of water during their manufacturing of products.

Open Ended

What are some ways water is used in your home?

Open Ended

Name some industries that you think might use water while making their products.

You would need 5,000 litres of water

​​1 kg of synthetic rubber

You would need 9,000 litres of water

1 kg of aluminum

​In order to make....

1 CAR

400,000 Litres

​In order to make....

• Between 2017 and 2021, car ownership has increased 3.6%.

• 278,063,737 are currently registered nationwide.

​

​In the U.S.

​*U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration

​If it takes 400,000 litres to make 1 car...

​...then that would be
111,225,494,800,000 LITRES

Multiple Choice

What is the highest use of water in the United States?

• Industrial and domestic

• Residential and mining

• Agriculture and power cooling

• Transportation and aqualculture

Multiple Choice

Why has our demand for water increased significantly over the last 100 years?

• Climate change, technological advancements, and increased awareness about the importance of water conservation.
• Improved water infrastructure, increased access to clean water, and advancements in water treatment technologies.
• Decreased availability of alternative sources of energy, increased pollution, and changes in government policies.
• Population growth, industrialization, and changes in lifestyle and consumption patterns.

So what can we do?

Rainwater harvesting

​The capturing and storage of rainwater for later use.

Cisterns

​​Reservoirs

​​Rain Barrels

​Ways we can collect and store rainwater.

We can also reuse grey water

This grey water (recycled water) can be used for reasons such as landscape irrigation.

​

​Some houses have grey water systems.

​We also have water treatment plants

​First, the water enters into a receiving area where trash is filtered out.

​Yes, actual trash.

​The water is spun in a centrifuge to remove large pieces of trash.

​More solid particles are removed as water is pushed through timed diaphragm pumps.

​Sludge that rises to the top is skimmed off by large arms that rotate in large wells.

​The water is then transferred to another basin containing 600 air diffusers that push diffused oxygen into the mixture. This is the biological treatment.

​The water is then pumped through another basin that moves through 3 filters made of silica sand. This is filtration.

​If there is any water containing further grit or sludge, it is pumped and redirected back the very beginning where it starts the whole process all over again.

The water is then moved through pipes where it goes through chemical treatment. While some places use chlorine, Moore County uses UV light.

​After being exposed to UV, the water is sent down a ladder. This reintroduces oxygen back into the water.

​This is important as the water, once treated, is released back into Aberdeen Creek. The dissolved oxygen that was put back in is for the fish to use.

​Multiple sites of collection send samples back to the lab where the are continuously tested to ensure that the water released is cleaner than the water in the creek.

Multiple Choice

What is not a method of rainwater harvesting?

• cistern

• reservoir

• water treatment plants

• rain barrels

Multiple Choice

What country has the highest water withdrawal per capita?

• India

• United States

• China

• United Kingdom

Multiple Choice

Why has the demand for water increased?

• Due to decrease in population
• Population growth, urbanization, industrialization, and changes in lifestyle and consumption patterns.
• Because of decrease in urbanization
• As a result of decrease in industrialization

Multiple Choice

How much has the demand for water increased?

• two-fold

• ten-fold

• not at all

• four-fold

Multiple Choice

What is grey water used for?

• Grey water is used for drinking purposes
• Grey water is used for filling swimming pools
• Grey water is used for washing clothes only
• Grey water is used for non-potable purposes such as irrigation, flushing toilets, and cleaning.