Water – Notes and Handouts

Water Facts Almost 9% of Canada’s total area is covered by freshwater There is enough freshwater on the earth to cover Canada and the US to a

depth of 1.8 kilometres Approximately 60% of Canada’s fresh water drains north while 85% of the

population lives along the southern boarder Canada holds 20% of the worlds fresh water supply There are up to 100 000 chemicals in commercial use worldwide that end of

making their way into the water cycle Toilets use over 40% more water than needed Many homes lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking and

drinking Less than 3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment

plant is used for drinking purposes One out of every three Canadians depend on tht Great Lakes for their water.

A Quick Summary of the Water CycleWhere does all the Earth’s water come from? Primordial earth was an incandescent globe made of magma, but all magmas contain water. Water set free by magma began ot cool down the Earth’s atmosphere, until it could stay on the surface as a liquid. Volcanic activity kept and still keeps introducing water in the atmosphere, thus increasing the surface-and ground-water volume of the Earth

The water cycle has no starting point. But, we’ll begin in the oceans, since that is where most of Earth’s water exists. The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in the oceans. Some of it evaporates as vapor into the air. Ice and snow can sublimate directly into water vapor. Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere, along with water from transpiration, which is water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil. The vapor rises into the air where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds. Air currents move clouds around the globe, cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky as precipitation. Some precipitation falls as snow and can accumulate as ice caps and glaciers, which can store frozen water for thousands of years. Snowpacks in warmer climates often thaw and melt when spring arrives, and the melted water flows overland as snowmelt.

Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land, where, due to gravity, the precipitiation flows over the gournd as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enteres rivers in vallleys in the landscape, with streamflow moving water towards the oceans. Runoff, and ground-water seepage, accumulate and are stored as freshwater in lakes. Not all runoff flows into rivers, though. Must of it soalks intot he ground as infiltration. Some water infiltrates deep inot the groud and replenishe aquifers (saturated subsurface rock), whch store huge amounts of freshwater for

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long periods of time. Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into surface-water bodies (and the ocean) as ground-water discharge, and some ground water finds openings in the land surface and emerges as freshwater springs. Over time, though, all of this water keeps moving, some to reenter the ocean, where the water cycle “ends”…or is it “begins”?

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The following statements describe the hydrologic cycle as illustrated above. Each statement has a number that corresponds to the number in the illustration above. Examine the illustration and write the word(s) that best fit the blanks. Select the word(s) from the following list. Each word may be used only once.

evaporatedevaporateprecipitationrun offwindriverscondensationleaves

wellsliquidsnowsurfacedewgasatmosphereoceans

cloudswater tablehydrologicground waterrainrootssinks

1. The __________________ are great storehouses of water. They hold about 97% of theworld’s water.2. The heat of the sun causes water to __________________ from the ocean. It becomeswater vapour which is an invisible __________________.3. The moisture-laden air is blown by the __________________ toward the land.4. As air rises, it cools. It eventually reaches the point where it can no longer hold all of itsmoisture in gaseous form. Some of the water vapour changes into a__________________ around particles of dust, to form tiny droplets of water. Whenwater vapour changes into water, the process is called __________________. We can

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see the results of this process in the atmosphere in the form of __________________ thatare carried by the wind.5. Many droplets of water join together and fall to the earth as __________________.6. If temperature conditions are suitable, the water vapour may change directly into a solidform. This produces __________________.7. When the rain reaches the ground, or snow melts, the water can follow one of four paths:a. evaporate back into the __________________b. __________________along the surface of the earthc. sink into the earth and become __________________d. be released into the atmosphere from the leaves of plants by the process oftranspiration8. The water that evaporates back into the atmosphere may become some form of__________________again at another location.9. The water that __________________into the ground is called ground water. Iteventually reaches the __________________. The water table is the top part of a zonethat is soaked or saturated with water. The level of the water table is of great importanceto people and communities that get their water from __________________.10. Plants and trees draw water and nutrients from the soil through their ________________.This moisture is transported up to the leaves bringing nutrients with it. Water vapour isgiven off to the atmosphere through pores in the __________________. This process iscalled transpiration.11. Sometimes during cool evenings and early mornings, water vapour condenses as dropletson surfaces such as leave, spider webs, cars, and other cold surfaces. This moisture iscalled __________________. Although this form of condensation does not remove muchwater from the atmosphere, it brings water to many life forms.12. Much of the rain and snowmelt runs off across the earth’s surface forming a drainagesystem that may include tiny streams and large __________________.13. Lakes and swamps form in places where the ground water reaches the__________________.14. Much of the surface runoff and ground water makes its way back to the oceans where itagain may be __________________ into the atmosphere to start the__________________ cycle all over again.

“Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” Huh?! There is a lot of water on planet Earth. BUT…97% of it is in the oceans2% of it is locked in glaciers

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leaving approximately 1% for all of the land based plants, animals, and 6.5 billion humans to survive on

How much water do you use?Bath A "full tub" varies, of course, but 136 litres is good average amount.

Tip: Taking a shower instead of a bath should save a good bit of water.

Shower Old showers used to use up to 19 litres of water per minute. Water-saving shower heads produce about 7.5 litres per minute.Tip: Taking a shorter shower using a low-flow showerhead saves lots of water.

Teeth brushing <1 gallon. Newer bath faucets use about 3.8 litres per minute, whereas older models use over 7.5 litresTip: Simply turn the faucet off when brushing teeth.

Hands/face washing

3.8 litresTip: Simply turn the faucet off before drying your hands and face. If you don't mind a brisk wash, don't run the faucet until it gets hot before using it. Installing a faucet-head aerator will also reduce the water flow rate.

Face/leg shaving

3.8 litresTip: Simply turn the faucet off when shaving.

Dishwasher 22.7 – 60.5 litres. Newer, EnergyStar models use 22.7 litres or less per wash cycle, whereas older dishwashers might use up to 60.5 litres per cycle.Tip: EnergyStar dishwashers not only save a lot of water but also save electricity.

Dish washing by hand:

About 30 – 102 litres. This all depends on how efficient you are at hand-washing dishes. Newer kitchen faucets use about 5.7 – 7.5 litres per minutes, whereas older faucets use more. Tip: Efficient hand-washing techniques include installing an aerator in your faucet head and scraping food off, soaking dishes in a basin of soapy water before getting started, and not letting the water run while you wash every dish. And it's best to have two basins to work in--one with hot, soapy water and the other with warm water for a rinse.

Clothes washer 94.6 litres/load for newer washers. Older models might use about 151.5 litres per load.Tip: EnergyStar clothes washers not only save a lot of water but also save electricity.

Toilet flush Most new toilets use 6 litres per flush, but many older toilets used about 15 litres.

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Glasses of water you drank

8 oz. per small glass (not counting water for Fido or your cats). Also, note that you will be using water for cooking.

Outdoor watering

7.5 litres per minute, depending on the force of your outdoor faucet. This may not sound like too much but the large size of lawns and yards means outdoor water use can be a significant use of water.

Water Facts Almost 9% of Canada’s total area is covered by freshwater There is enough freshwater on the earth to cover Canada and the US to a

depth of 1.8 kilometers Approximately 60% of Canada’s fresh water drains north while 85% of the

population lives along the southern border Canada holds 20% of the worlds fresh water supply There are up to 100 000 chemicals in commercial use worldwide that end up

making there way into the water cycle Toilets use over 40% more water than needed Many homes lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking and

drinking Less than 3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment

plant is used for drinking purposes One out of every three Canadians depend on the Great Lakes for their water

The Water System

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Water IssuesDrinking Water Safety Issues

More than 24 million Canadians receive municipal drinking water taken from lakes, rivers and groundwater sources. More than four million Canadians depend on private wells for their drinking water.

There are no federal regulations for drinking water quality in Canada. Drinking water is instead subject to provincial guidelines. In many cases, the province moves responsibility for drinking water quality to local municipalities, some of which do not have the resources to deal with water challenges.

Between 1974 and 1996, there were more than 160 reported waterborne disease outbreaks. It is estimated that only one-tenth of such outbreaks are reported.

In May of 2000, over 2,000 people became ill in Walkerton, Ontario when E. coli and other bacteria contaminated the town’s water supply. It was the most serious case of water contamination in Canadian history and cost at least $64.5 million, including about $4,000 on average per household in the town as a result of the contamination.

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Health Canada estimates that the costs for treating waterborne illnesses each year are around $200 million.

While cities typically use several different processes to treat water, and the time it takes to treat the water is counted in hours, rural water treatment centers use only a couple of processes and count time in minutes.

Even well operated, state-of-the-art treatment plants cannot ensure that drinking water is free of microbial pathogens.

More than 1 trillion litres of untreated sewage are dumped into Canadian water every year by 21 cities across the country (which equals approximately 3.25 billion litres per day).

According to a 1996 report by the government of Canada, well water is most often contaminated by fecal coliform bacteria and nitrates. Recent surveys suggest that 20 to 40 percent of all rural wells may be affected by fecal and nitrate contamination.

Sewage Waste Human and animal wastes contain germs that spread disease through water. 1.5 billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water 4.5 billion do not have adequate sanitation (ways of disposing of sewage

safely)Industrial Waste -Chemical by-products of manufacturing often reach our water bodies and

therefore pose a problem to our health 9 million Canadians and 33 million Americans depend on Great Lakes-St

Lawrence River Basin for drinking water 1960s - so much laundry detergents, phosphorous, and nitrogen poured into

Lakes -Lake Erie was declared “dead” 1990s - Lake Erie considered “alive” again 1970s - over 360 industrial chemical compounds found in great Lakes - >100

were toxic Various programs stemmed from the International Joint Commission (1987)

including the Great Lakes Remedial Action Plan (1989), Great Lakes 2000 (1994), and the Great Lakes Basin 2020 Action Plan in order to help solve the problems of industrial waste.

Agricultural Waste Irrigation washes away soil sediments and with it, all of the pollutants within

the soils. Nitrogen and phosphorous in water bodies cause eutrophication - the

growth and decomposition of excess vegetation that depletes oxygen in the water.

How Water is Misused in Canada

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Read pages 448-453 of Making Connections and summarize in your own words how Canada’s water resources have been misused. In the last column, provide some opininons on how the problem could be avoided or solved.

Misuse Description of issue Possible Avoidance or Solution

Pollution

Loss of Wetlands

Water Diversion

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