Water Systems & Water Distribution
Water System & Water Distribution on Earth
Water Distribution QUIZ in the end! (scroll down)
*the number in brackets represent the percent of distribution on Earth
Solid water (2%) Examples: Snow, Ice, Glacial ice
Glacial ice: masses of thick ice in motion.
Glaciers: a mass of ice and overlying snow the movies slowly down a mountain slope under the influence of gravity.
3 types of glaciers:
Alpine Glaciers: These glaciers move downhill when snowfall is heavy. As they get to lower elevations, the glaciers melt.
Piedmont Glaciers: These glaciers form at the foot of mountains located in the cold temperature.
Continental Glaciers: These glaciers form in extremely cold climates. They are the biggest glaciers on Earth. (e.g. Greenland, Antarctica)
Ice sheet (polar icecap) : an ice sheet is a large glacier that covers the land.
Ice shelf: the floating ice
Icebergs: large sections of an ice shelf that breaks off
Firn: upper part of a glacier
Glacial ice: the bottom part of a glacier
Liquid (96.999%)
Clouds: Clouds are collections of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere.
Creeks, streams, and rivers: They are formed when rain runs off the ground.
Lakes: lakes are the bodies of water surrounded by land.
Highest lake: Lake Titicaca (3,800 above sea level)
Lowest lake: Dead Sea (400m below sea level)
Groundwater: Groundwater is the underground water. Groundwater is formed when rainwater and snow seeps into soils and rocks.
Parts of the groundwater:
Groundwater zone: the area where water fills all the air spaces in soil.
Impermeable layer: waterproof layer
Aquifer: the underground water reservoir
Water table: the upper surface of the groundwater
In heavily populated areas, groundwater is pumped to the surface to be used as drinking water. This causes a lower water table that might lead to water shortages.
Salt water:
Salinity: how much salt is dissolved in water. Ocean water has an average of 3.5 percent.
Freezing point: -1.8
Fresh water:
Fresh water can be found in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, human-made reservoirs (artificial lakes and water towers) and wetlands (e.g. marshes, swamps)
Water cycle: Water cycle is the non-stop circulation of water. The sun provides the thermal energy that drives the whole cycle.
Watershed: an area of land where all the water eventually drains into one main water body. Main watersheds in North America: Arctic, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay, and Pacific. Mountain ridges divide the watersheds.
Gas (0.001%) Water vapour
Evaporation: the process by which water becomes water vapour. This can be done by plants, animals, and the bodies of water.
Cloud: as water vapour is carried upwards into the atmosphere, it becomes colder and condenses into droplets of water that form clouds.
Warm air can hold more water vapour than cold air.
Water’s Influence on Weather and Climate
Hurricane: Hurricanes are a severe type of storm that starts out as a thunderstorm over warm ocean waters.
Heat capacity: ability of a material to absorb heat.
Water has a high specific heat. It heats up slower and cools down slower than land. Compare to inland areas, coastal areas have:
extensive water masses keep both summer and winter temperatures moderate.
Provide large large amounts of moisture to the air
Frost free period: The warmer air from the lakes keeps nighttime temperatures on the above freezing longer into fall than in areas further inland.
In late fall each year, the cold weather system (Alberta) and storm system (U.S Midwest) reach the Great Lakes, causing high winds and large amounts of precipitation.
Water effects on the globe:
Because of the greater proportion of water surface south of the equator, the moderating effect on the hemisphere’s climate is greater than on the northern hemisphere’s climate.
Northern hemisphere: 14.3 °C
Southern hemisphere: 7.3°C
The process of water moderation:
During the day and in the summer: land gets hotter than nearby water. When the warm air rises, the cooler air from the ocean or a large lake blows in to replace the rising air. The coast area thus maintains a lower temperature than areas farther inland.
During the night and the winter: The sir over the land cools faster than the air over the water. The warmth from the ocean or lake provides heat to the cooler land.
Microclimate: microclimate is an ares with a small, localized climate variation that differs from the larger climate area around it.0
Coastal storms examples:
Name: Hurricane Katrina
Place: northern-central coast of Gulf of Mexico
Time: August 2005
Speed: 119 km/h
Result: extensive destruction and flooding
Name: Hurricane Hazel
Place: Toronto, Ontario
Time: October 1954
Result: 214 mm of rain in three days, destroyed 20 bridges, 81 people were killed.
The Effects of Ice on Water Systems
Glacial periods: a period of global cooling occurs, Earth’s temperature decline, and ice begins to accumulate. This results in glaciers and ice sheets expanding in size.
Last glacial period ended 10 000 years ago. Ice sheets covered almost all of Canada.
Interglacial periods: a period of warming occurs, Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets begin to disappear.
Earth is now in an interglacial period 11 000 years ago.
Receding / retreating: glaciers shrink in size
Weather effects on glaciers: glaciers go through short periods of shrinking and growing caused by unusual weather lasts several months or years.
Greenhouse effect: heat that would normally be reflected back into space from Earth is blocked inside the atmosphere due to the carbon dioxide released by human activities.
Natural and Human Factors Affecting Our Water Supply
Recharge: refill discharge: release or pour out
Natural occurrences affect water and humans
Obtaining Water Quality
Contaminants: the contents that are harmful to humans, other animals, and the environment.
The three types of contaminants are biological contaminants - visible and microscopic organism, chemical contaminants - dissolved substances that come from natural processes, and physical contaminants - all materials that do not dissolve in water,
To assure well water is clean:
Filtered before drinking to remove contaminants
Tested regularly to ensure that it is safe to drink
Boiling water before drinking cannot kill many chemical contaminants and physical contaminants, so it is only used as an emergency method.
Basic water treatment stages:
Water comes into systems (filter out large solids, plants, and fish)
Water is pumped into a tank, where chemicals are added (smalls solids)
Water passes through a filter (take out tiny solids)
Chlorine or fluoride are added (to kill microorganisms)
(water is drinkable now) water is pumped out to storage sites (e.x. Water towels, underground reservoirs) then piped out to the community.
Managing Our Water System
The process of wastewater:
Sinks + drains + toilets ➡ Pipes ➡ Pipe system ➡ Pumping station ➡ Treatment plant
The reason why we can’t put wastewater back directly into bodies of water: Contaminating drinking water supply of human and other animals.
Methods for treating wastewater:
Septic system
Definition: a self-contained wastewater treatment facility
Users: rural homes
Wastewater from indoor sources (toilets, sinks, and bathtubs) - septic tank (bacteria begin to break down) - solid material settles to the bottom; lighter material floats to the surface; liquid layer - flows into perforated pipes - water seeps into soil and more bacteria digest and break down.
Wetland technology
Plants and microorganisms: remove and recycle nutrients;
Roots and soil: filter out contaminants
Water treatment
Leave home - pipes - treatment plant
Preliminary treatment: pass through screens to remove large particles
Preliminary treatment: enter the grit chamber to remove small particles
Primary treatment: sludge at the bottom - material that floats get skimmed
Secondary treatment: bacteria and oxygen are added
Secondary treatment: microorganisms settle at the bottom as sludge, some can be reused
Final treatment: chlorine is added
Discharge back into the environment
Protecting our drinking water
Air pollution: affects water through water cycle. Air - precipitation - Earth’s surface
Power stations: discharged warm water kill some aquatic animals, lead to excessive plant growth, and change the ecosystem
Factories: add dangerous chemicals or warm water can harm or kill aquatic plants and animals
Run-off from farmland: fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides can kill aquatic plants and animals
Run-off from city: oil, chemical (salt), harm aquatic plants and animals
Habitat destruction: removes the place where plants and animals can live
Waste water: contain excess nutrients that promote the growth of aquatic plants and animals.
Oil spills from ships: harm animals in, on, and near the water.
Benefits of water conservation for rural homes:
Having enough water when they need
Not contaminating the septic system
Benefits of water conservation for people with municipal water distribution:
Ensuring water supply
Recharge groundwater
Treatment plants to work efficiently
Putting less demand on water distribution and collection systems
Underground pipe system is old
Saving money
Lower water bills
Ways to reduce water
Water efficient machines are redesigned to use less water
Drip irrigation for farms, golf courses, and carwashes
Using a water meter to pay for amount of water used recorded
Offering rebates if homes replace old toilets with water-efficient toilets
Requiring install water-efficient toilets (by building codes)
Restricting water during drought periods
Issues relating to water’s sustainability
Reasons of many people go against bottled water:
Bottled water costs about $1 for a 500-ml container. Tap water costs just pennies a litre.
Tap water across Canada is of good quality and can be consumed safely.
Favours of bottling water
Industry creates job opportunities
Bottled water can be shipped to the areas that do not have have treated water supplies
Bottled water can be life-saving in emergencies when a supply of safe drinking water is not available.
Facts from social media:
Bias: an obvious opinion about an issue
Impartial: fair and unbiased
By knowing what biases a reporter or broadcaster might have, you can better judge the content of the information presented.
Water Sustainability through Science and Technology
Bioremediation: the technique of using living organisms to clean up contamination in land and water.
Disadvantage:
It takes a long time to complete
Need to hire professionals which are expensive for small companies
Phytoremediation: the technique of using plants as the environmental clean-up
Desalination: Desalination is the process that removes salt from water, producing pure water and solid salt.
Disadvantage: Need to discharge waste water that contains a heavy concentration of salt into the ocean, which can be toxic for saltwater organisms.
Advantage: it’s stable and reliable.
One desalination method is reverse osmosis, where a fine membrane is used to only allow water particles through. The salt water is pushed through the membrane, allowing the water to go through but leaving the salt behind.
Water For People
Water For People
The idea of Water For People was created in the 1980s, by three people, Ken Miller, Wayne Weiss, and John B. Mannion, who wanted everyone to have access to clean drinking water in the entire world.
The Water For People was officially founded in 1991.
Water For People was born out of the American Water Works Association (AWWA).
The headquarters of Water For People is in Denver, Colorado, United States.
Main Purpose of the Organization
Water For People work with local governments, businesses, and individuals, helping and supporting them to get clean healthy water and sanitation for now and in the future.
Water for People want to create a world where every person has access to reliable and clean water and sanitation.
Sustainable Development Goals Alignment
The purpose of the Water For People is consistent with the fourth goal, clean water and sanitation. The one of the purposes of the organization is bringing clean water to everyone.
The purpose of Water For People also shares the similarity of the third sustainable development goal: good health and well-being. The workers also teach local people the correct water using manners to improve health.
Service Areas and Why They Are There
Water for People services in a part of Asia, including India.
Water for People also services in the Central and South American countries that include Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Peru.
Lastly, it services Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda in Africa.
Whether Water for People choose to work in an area depends on the following main factors:
clear need for improved water supply and/or sanitation;
community motivation;
costs;
availability of a trustworthy NGO partner;
the support of local government;
a safe environment
Overall progress
Water For People have finished 127 sustainability projects out of the total 216 projects. The organization has achieved 59% of all the planned progresses.
In 2019, Water For People achieved a high sustainable level in Bolivia.
Current projects
Water For People has been supporting Kamwenge District Local Government in Western Uganda to deliver Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services since 2013.
In 2019, over 63.5% of families can now access water services.
Water For People have made great progress toward water, sanitation and hygiene services for everyone, forever in Patharpratima and Sagar blocks, in West Bengal, India. This is one of the achievements:
Established committees that are responsible for cleanings, occasionally maintenance and tax collection.
References
Water For People. (2020, August 5). Nonprofit in Denver. https://www.waterforpeople.org/mission-and-history/
Water For People. (2021, January 5). Everyone Forever Tracker | Water & Sanitation Data. https://www.waterforpeople.org/the-data/
Water For People. (2020a, June 19). Clean Water in Africa, Latin America, and India. https://www.waterforpeople.org/where-we-work/
Colorado, D. (n.d.). Water For People International Trade and Development. Linked In. Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.linkedin.com/company/water-for-people
Water For People. (2020b, July 28). Islands of Success- Towards water, sanitation and hygiene services for everyone, forever in Patharpratima and Sagar blocks, West Bengal, India. The WASH Room. https://thewashroom.waterforpeople.org/resources/islands-of-success-towards-water-sanitation-and-hygiene-services-for-everyone-forever-in-patharpratima-and-sagar-blocks-west-bengal-india/
Water For People. (2020a, January 3). 2019 Monitoring Progress in Kamwenge. The WASH Room. https://thewashroom.waterforpeople.org/resources/2019-monitoring-progress-in-kamwenge/
Sandner, L., & Alexander, N. (2008). Investigating science and technology 8: Teacher's resource. Toronto, Ont.: Pearson Education Canada.
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