Chapter 10 2011 Pages 237 245 Water Availability and Use

December 27,

The availability of water determines the location and activities of humans on earth. Renewable Water Supplies: Resources that are replenished regularly. Mainly surface water and shallow groundwater. Most plentiful in the tropics. Rain water is heavy in these regions. Regular in midlatitudes. Large Populations, Little Rain Measured in terms of renewable water per capita. Population density and total water volumes dictate supplies for human use. Generally highest in countries with moist climates and low population densities. Much of the western United States has insufficient water. Agriculture the Biggest Water Consumer Water can be used over and over only if it's not contaminated. Water Withdraw: The total amount of water taken from a water body. Can be returned into circulation in a reusable form. Water Consumption: The loss of water due to evaporation, absorption, or contamination. Natural cleansing and renewing functions of the hydrologic cycle replace the water if natural systems are not overloaded or damaged. Water has increased about twice as fast with the population growth in the past century. Worldwide, agriculture uses about 70% of total water withdrawal. In many parts of the world, flooding of the field and unlined irrigation canals are a very common type of irrigation. Industry uses about of water withdrawals, worldwide. Cooling water for power plants uses the most water. Typically accounting for 5075% of the industrial withdrawal. Freshwater Shortages Statistics say, by 2025, 2/3 of the world's people will be living in waterstressed countries. Local water supplies can be enhanced by cloud seeding or desalination. Cloud Seeding: The distribution of condensation nuclei in humid air to help form raindrops. Desalination: The process in which salt is extracted from the water to make drinkable. A Lack of Clean Water World Health Organization considers an average of 264,000 gallons per person per year to be a necessary amount of water for modern domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses. Causes of water shortages include natural deficits, overconsumption by agriculture or industry,

and inadequate funds for purifying and delivering good water. Agriculture Reducing Groundwater Supplies Half of American population and 95% of rural population depend on groundwater for drinking and other domestic uses. Overuse of supplies dries up wells, natural springs, and even groundwaterfed wetlands, rivers, and lakes. Pollution of aquifers can happen when contaminates are dumped on recharge zones, leaks through abandoned wells, or when toxic waste is deliberately injected. Water is being extracted from aquifers faster than natural recharge can occur in some parts of the United States. Local Level: Causes Cone of Depression in the water table. Boarder Scale: Can deplete a whole aquifer. The Ogallala Aquifer Under eight of the great plains from Texas to North Dakota. Excessive pumping for irrigation has caused the wells to dry up. Water withdrawal allows aquifers to collapse. Subsidence: Sinking of the ground surface. The San Joaquin Valley in California has sunk more than 10 m in the past 50 years due to excessive ground pumping. Saltwater Intrusion: Along coastlines and areas where saltwater deposits are left from ancient oceans. Overuse of freshwater reservoirs allows saltwater to intrude into aquifers used for domestic and agricultural purposes. Dams, Reservoirs, and Canals Redistribute Water Foundation of civilization because they store and redistribute water for farms and cities. More than half of the world's 227 largest rivers have been dammed or diverted. Dams are used for flood control, water storage, and electricity production. Questioning of Dams Local residents often suffer economic and cultural losses. In some cases, builders have been charged using public money