Case Study: Palm Beach County, Florida: Water Use, Conservation and Reuse What are some of the

benefits of using reclaimed water? Less expensive, can be used as fertilizer, makes fresh drinking water more available because it is not used for other purposes, can support the stability of wetlands 1: What are some of the factors that make water so special? High capacity for heat, universal solvent, high surface tension, solid form is lighter than liquid, sunlight penetration 2: What is the largest reservoir of water on Earth? Oceans What is the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth? Glaciers and ice caps 3: What is the residence time of water in the atmosphere? 9 days Groundwater and Streams 4: What is the water table? Upper surface of groundwater 5: What is a discharge zone? Places where groundwater flows or seeps out to the surface 6: What is an aquifer? What is a cone of depression? How is it created? Aquifer: underground source of water that can be obtained at a useful rate, cone of depression: lowered area of the water table because of the pumping from aquifers 7: What is an effluent stream? What is a stream that flows all year called? Effluent stream: water flow maintained during dry season, all year flowing perennial stream 8: What is an influent stream? What is a stream that doesnt flow all year called? Influent stream: stream above water table that flows due to rainfall, not flowing all year is called an ephemeral stream Water Supply: A U.S. Example 9: What is a water budget? How is it calculated? Model that balances inputs, outputs, and storage of water in a system, calculated by measuring precipitation, evaporation, and runoff

Precipitation and Runoff Patterns 10: What is the average water use for people in the U.S.? 100 gallons a day per person What is the average water use for people in Europe? 50 gallons a day per person What is the average water use for people in Sub-Saharan Africa? 5 gallons a day per person Groundwater Use and Problems 11: How many people in the U.S. use groundwater as a source of drinking water? Nearly half 12: What problems can groundwater overdraft cause? Damage to river ecosystems, and river subsidence 13: What is happening to the Ogallala Aquifer (High Plains Aquifer)? Some areas are using water at 20 times the speed it can renew Desalination as a Water Source 14: What is the percentage of salt in saltwater? 3.5% 15: To be used as a freshwater source, the salt content must be reduced to about 0.05% 16: What are some of the environmental impacts of desalination? Discharge can increase salinity and kill organisms, and can also cause wide fluctuations in slat content in local environments, damaging them Water Use 17: Describe the difference between off-stream use and in-stream use. Off-stream: water removed from its source for use In-stream: use of the water in its source for travel, power, recreation, and food 18: What is one of the issues with off-stream use in the Pacific Northwest? How much water can be removed without damaging the ecosystem 19: Describe what happened to the Aral Sea. Water was diverted and not well thought out, causing toxic increase in salinity Some Trends in Water use 20: What are the two biggest users of freshwater withdrawals? Irrigation and thermoelectric industry

Water Conservation 21: What are some of the suggestions for improved irrigation to conserve water? Price the water to encourage new methods, use lined canals, computer monitoring, irrigation at night Public Supply and Domestic Use 22: Domestic use of water (homes) accounts for 12% of total national water withdrawals. 23: What is Southern California (San Diego) doing to help with water shortages in the future? Using plans to divert the runoff from northern California 24: List 5 things that you can do at home to help conserve water usage * flush only when truly necessary * turn off water when absolutely not needed * sweep driveways and sidewalks * Minimal water use dishwashers and washing machines * use grey water Virtual Water 25: What is virtual water? The amount of water necessary to produce a product 26: How much water does it take to make a cup of coffee? 140 litres 27: How much water does it take to raise beef? 15500 m3 Wetlands 28: How do we define wetlands? Areas inundated by water or saturated to a depth of a few centimetres for at least a few days per year 29: Wetlands are very important, what are the natural service functions of wetlands? Flood control, habitat for rare species, aesthetic, filtration 30: How much of the original wetlands of the U.S. have disappeared? 90% Restoration of Wetlands 31: What did the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 require? If a wetland was destroyed, the developer must create another

Dams and the Environment 32: Explain the environmental impacts of dams Drying of surrounding areas, destruction of ecosystems, increase in sediment buildup 33: What are the PROS and CONS of the Three Gorges Dam? Cons: drowned cities, displaced 2 million people, extinct dolphin species, not recoverable. Pros: produce same amount of power as 18 coal burning plants, 34: What are some of the issues associated with removing of dams? Not reversible effects, sudden release of sediment, possibility of failing Global Water Shortage Linked to Food Supply 35: What are the environmental issues associated with global water shortage and food supply? Loss of ecosystems, heating of globe, loss of populations 36: Water is one of our most abundant resources, why are we concerned about its availability in the future? The population is rising to use more and more water, and our usage is causing large amounts of water to be unusable. Study Questions 1: Which is more important from a national point of view, conservation of water use in agriculture or in urban areas? Why? Conservation of water in agriculture because it supplies food for the urban areas which could contain chemicals from the water, it is the largest source of water use that could easily be conserved, and it would allow for much more use within the urban areas, removing the worry of conserving water but showing its importance