Water Resources 1
fresh water on Earth's land surface; found in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands
What is surface water?
Water stored beneath the Earth's surface in sediment and rock formations
What is groundwater?
When a river is dammed, an artificial lake, or _____ is formed behind the dam
What is a reservoir?
structure built across a river to control the river's flow
What is a dam?
pollution discharged from a single source
What is point-source pollution?
the amount of space between the particles that make up a rock
What is porosity?
The ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it
What is permeability?
Most of the water in the world is used for __________.
What is agriculture?
word that means safe to drink
What is potable?
What type of pollution is most often difficult to identify/clean up?
What is nonpoint-source pollution?
The area of land that is drained by a river is known as this
What is a watershed?
An underground body of rock or sediment that contains groundwater
What is an aquifer?
a method of providing plants with water from sources other than direct precipitation
What is irrigation?
involves designing a landscape outside your home that requires minimal water use
What is xeriscaping?
_____ can occur when power plants and other industries use water in their cooling systems and then discharge the warm water into a lake or river.
What is thermal pollution?
An area in which water travels downward to become part of an aquifer
What is a recharge zone?
Most of the fresh water that is available for human use exists _________.
What is underground?
Single largest use of domestic water in the U.S.
What is toilet flushing?
The process of removing salt from salt water; allows some communities to rely on the oceans to provide fresh water.
What is desalination?
At least 85 percent of ocean pollution--including pollutants such as oil, toxic wastes, and medical wastes--comes from where?
What is land?
top of the zone of saturation; fluctuates up and down depending on weather and removal/replenishment rates
What is a water table?
As water resources become ____________, water becomes more expensive.
What is depleted? (or scarce)
A type of desalinization in which salt water is passed through semipermeable membranes to filter out fresh water.
What is reverse osmosis?
During secondary treatment of wastewater, this component is necessary in the process to allow for the decomposition of organic materials by bacteria.
What is aeration?
Four types of water pollutants and their sources.
What are...
-Infectious agents (pathogens) from human and animal waste
-Organic chemicals, industry, farms, households
-Inorganic chemicals, industry, households, surface runoff
-Heavy metals, unlined landfills, household chemicals, mining refuse, industrial discharges
-Thermal, electric power and industrial plants
-Sediments, land erosion