Water Use and Management

~Water- essential for all living processes: dissolves nutrients and distributes them to cells, regulates body temperature, supports structures, and removes waste products; 60% of our _______ is water and 70% of the world's ________ is covered in it.
~The hydrologic cycle- the circulation of water as it ____________ from land, water, and organisms, enters the atmosphere, ___________ and precipitates to the earth's surfaces, and moves underground by _____________ or overland by runoff into rivers lakes and seas: Allows for a fresh supply of water, maintains a habitable climate and moderates world temperatures. Plants help add water vapor to the air through ___________.

*______________= when water moves from ______ to water vapor with out ever being liquid (occurs on bright, dry cold winter days)
*Saturation point= when a volume of air contains the most water vapor that it can at a given temperature
*Relative humidity= the amount of ______ _______ in the air expressed as a percentage in terms of the saturation point
*Condensation= when saturation point is exceeded and water molecules begin to aggregate
*_______ point= the temperature at which condensation (dew!) occurs
*Condensation __________= tiny particles that help facilitate the condensation process. ex.
*Cloud= accumulation of condensed water vapor in droplets or ice crystals

~Mountains have two different climates- the ______ shadow effect: the windward side is cool wet and cloudy; the leeward side is warm dry and sunny, ex. Himalayans (dry spot on mtn= rain shadow)

~_______ make up 86% of evaporation, 90% returns directly to the ocean: the other ten percent is carried onto the continents- once there some is incorporated into plants and animals, the rest seeps into the underground but all eventually returns to the ______.
~Evaporation and condensation help regulate the climate, as ________ redistribute the _______ and moisture
~Oceans= contain 90% of all bio mass and ______% of all the liquid in the world. They moderate the global temperature- warm water flows from tropics to poles and vice versa,
*____________ time= that length of time an individual molecule spends circulating in the ocean before evaporation, on average its ________ years
~Glaciers hold almost ______% of the earth's freshwater. These frozen rivers slowly move downhill. Antarctic glaciers contain 85 % of all the ice in the world. However unless the glaciers melt the water is hard to access!

GROUNDWATER:
~Ground water= holds the second largest amount of ______ water
*Infiltration= ____________ that doesn't evaporate and runs through fractures of the rocks in the soil
*Zone of __________= upper soil layers that hold both air and water, moisture for plant growth comes from here. The depth varies.
*Zone of ___________= lower levels where all soil air spaces are filled with water. The top of the zone is called the ________ table and it is neither flat nor stationary. Aquifers: _________ layers of sand etc. below water table
-Artesian well: water gushes out without being ________

Should We Remove Dams?

YES!
*Storage reservoirs drown free-flowing rivers. Set the rivers free!
*They can submerge ________, farms, and cemeteries and important __________ sites
*Block fish migration- esp. ________ migration routes impeded
*Can change aquatic habitats that were important to species
*____________ of reservoir behind dam builds up requiring dredging.
*Nutrients carried within the silt and clay are lost to down stream ___________ that would normally be deposited during floods.
*Dam _________ could devastate communities living downstream.

NO!
*Stores water, and generates ________
*Creates jobs for workers
*Help economic development
*Allows arid and unfarmable lands to grow crops through _________ of water

Main problem with dams are their inefficiency!!! Dams lose water through ____________, and seepage through porous _______~~~> wasting more water than they make available.
* Accumulating sediments can _________ reservoirs and make dams completely useless~~~> lose a lot of valuable nutrients. Silts can be replaced with commercial __________ costing more than 100 million bucks a year!

LOSS OF FREE-FLOWING RIVERS

Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park: San Francisco wanted to dam the Tuolumne River in the park to produce hydroelectric power and provide water for the city. Some people liked it because it supported clean water and power. John ________ opposed the dam project (He founded the Sierra Club and Yosemite Park!! Wahoo!) He said that Hetch Hetchy valley's beauty should be protected. The people fought a hard fight but the dam builders won.

Other famous dam disasters include the James Bay Project in ________ which diverted 3 rivers into the Hudson Bay. The year after it was built 10,000 _________ drowned trying to follow their migration routes. :( Also mercury is seeping into the water from the bedrock and entering the food chain. Waa. Presently the ___________ are building a dam on the Three Gorges section of the Yangtze river right on an active________. Dam__!

WATER MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION
*Goal: prevent _______ damage and store water for future use instead of building dams and reservoirs.
Watershed-> also known as a "catchment" is all the land drained by a stream or river. Retaining _________ in watersheds help hold back rainwater and decrease downstream floods.
*More environmentally sound farming and forestry techniques can help reduce runoff.
*Retaining crop ______ on fields can reduce flooding
*Minimizing _______ and forest cutting on _______ slopes protect watersheds
*Conserving wetlands helps preserve natural water storage capacities and aquifer recharge zones.

Small dams can be just as useful as big dams:
Small dams on tributary streams have the ability to hold back water before it turns into a big flood. These dams can form ponds, and they provide useful wildlife habitats! Small dams can be built with simple equipment and local labor.
***More than 60 million people in 33 states obtain their drinking water from national forest lands***


DOMESTIC CONSERVATION
How can we help stop water shortages?
Take shorter ________!! Stop leaks!! Efficiently wash your cars, dishes, and clothes!!! What about appliances? Use _____-volume showerheads, and efficient dishwashers and washing machines!! **If you plant native ground cover in a "natural lawn" or make a rock garden, landscape in harmony with the surrounding environment- xeriscaping (choosing plants that require little _________) can be great instead of constantly watering and feeding a dry, arid garden.***
:0) Our biggest domestic water use is _______ flushing!! eeeew. We use about 13,000 gallons of drinking quality water annually to flush toilets. People are now creating low-volume and waterless toilets.


RECYCLING AND WATER CONSERVATION
*In 3rd world countries _______% of all the agricultural water used is lost to leaks in irrigation canals, application to areas where plants don't grow, runoff, and evaporation. People have been trying to turn to new farming techniques such as leaving crop residue on fields and ground cover on drainage ways, using mulches, and low-volume irrigation in order to reduce water losses. And its been working!


PRICE MECHANISMS AND WATER POLICY
In the past, water policies were been against conservation. Some parts of the US were based on riparian use rights= people who lived near a ________ could use as much as they wanted as long as they didn't taint its quality or the limit others who wanted to access to the water down stream. In many places, like ________, water used to be very cheap. People didn't have any incentive to repair leaks, or restrict usage. The _________ of 1988 changed all of these practices...
*The US is currently saving 38 million gallons a day compared to per capita rates 20 yrs ago. However, we have 10% less water because of the growing population!
*Drip _________= AWESOME! It applies water ________ to plant ________, but its very expensive. Used on only 1% of farmland worldwide.
*Charging higher proportion of costs to users of public water projects~~~> encourages conservation!