Watersheds and Water Quantity

Most of the water on Earth is...

• freshwater
• saltwater
• brackish water
• frozen

Where does the United States have less available surface water?

• south
• north
• east
• west

Which of these provides surface water?

• aquifers
• rivers
• water table
• all of these

Which of these provides groundwater?

• lakes
• rivers
• runoff
• aquifers

Which of these can damage a watershed?

• building a neighborhood
• replanting trees
• restoring wetlands
• all of these

All watersheds ...

• are very large
• flow north to south
• drain steep terrain faster than flat terrain
• consist only of surface water

Groundwater

• is unlimited
• recharges slowly
• can be replaced quickly
• is unimportant

Aquifers...

• are usually made of non-porous materials
• are found at the surface of the Earth
• are an important source of water for people
• have not been damaged by people

What are the two biggest threats to our groundwater?

• fertilizer pollution and overgrowth of plants
• overuse and groundwater pollution
• soil erosion and construction
• species loss and drought

What is a water table?

• underground part of an aquifer trapped between two impermeable rock layers
• saturated underground area where water fills all porous areas
• water that refills an aquifer
• the surface of a lake