Case Study: Palm Beach County, Florida: Water Use, Conservation and Reuse
What are some of the benefits of using reclaimed water?
-People use it for private lawns and golf courses less expensive
-has traces of nitrogen and phosphorus are types of fertilizer
-leaves cleaner drinking water not to be used
-constructed wet lands
1: What are some of the factors that make water so special?
-Without it living would be impossible
2: What is the largest reservoir of water on Earth?
What is the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth?
-The ocean is the largest reservoir on Earth.
3: What is the residence time of water in the atmosphere? -The average residence time of water in the atmosphere is 9 days.
Groundwater and Streams
4. What is the water table?
-The upper surface of groundwater
5. What is a discharge zone?
Places where groundwater flows out in the surface
6. What is an aquifer?
An underground zone or body of earth material from which groundwater can be obtained at a useful rate
What is a cone of depression? How is it created?
Cone of depression is when water is pumped from an aquifer the water table is depressed around the well
7. What is an effluent stream?
A flow that is maintained during the dry season by groundwater seepage into the stream channel from the subsurface.
What is a stream that flows all year called?
Perennial stream
8. What is an influent stream?
A stream that is entirely above the water table and flows only in direct response to precipitation.
What is a stream that doesn’t flow all year called?
Ephemeral stream.
9. What is a water budget? How is it calculated?
Water budget is a model that balances inputs and outputs and storage of water in a system, It is calculated by precipitation_evaporation= runoff.
10. What is the average water use for people in the U.S.?
200 gallons a day per person
What is the average water use for people in Europe?
100 gallons a day per person
What is the average water use for people in Sub-Saharan Africa?
5 gallons a day per person
11. How many people in the U.S. use groundwater as a source of drinking water?
Half of the people in the united states
12. What problems can groundwater overdraft cause?
Damage to river ecosystems and land subsidence
13. What is happening to the Ogallala Aquifer (High Plains Aquifer)?
The water at this Aquifer is being used in a rate up to 20 times higher than the rate at which it is being naturally replaced. The water has declined and cost for pumping is higher.
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
-5%
16. What are some of the environmental impacts of desalination?
It can increase salinity in bodies of water and kill plants and animals and damage ecosystems.
17. Describe the difference between off-stream use and in-stream use.
Off-stream use is water that is removed from its source and then returned later on. In-stream use is water that is used for navigation, hydroelectric power generation, fish and wildlife habitats and recreation.
18. What is one of the issues with off-stream use in the Pacific Northwest?
19. Describe what happened to the Aral Sea.
Diverting water has transformed the inland water from a vibrant ecosystem to a dying sea. The volume of the sea was reduced by more than 50% and salt content increased to more than twice that of seawater causing fish and surrounding animals to die.
20. What are the two biggest users of freshwater withdrawals?
-Irrigation and thermoelectric industry.
21. What are some of the suggestions for improved irrigation to conserve water?
-Some suggestions for improved irrigation to conserve water are to use lined canals to reduce seepage
-use computer monitoring and schedule release of water
-use improved irrigation systems and to encourage development of crops that require less water or are more salt-tolerant.
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?
Building desalination plants
-considering raising the height of dams so more water can be stored for urban uses.
24. List 5 things that you can do at home to help conserve water usage
-Short showers
- Don't hose sidewalks
- Flush only when necessary (or change the water amount in toilets)
- Turn off water when not used (brushing teeth....)
- recycle water to use in plants
25. What is virtual water?
Virtual water is the amount of water necessary to produce a product
26. How much water does it take to make a cup of coffee?
40 gallons of water
27. How much water does it take to raise beef?
15,500m^3
28. How do we define wetlands?
Wetlands may be defined as areas inundated by water or saturated to a depth of a few centimeters for at least a few days per year.
29. Wetlands are very important, what are the natural service functions of wetlands?
Wetlands are important areas of groundwater recharge, are a natural sponge for water and are natural filters that help purify water.
30. How much of the original wetlands of the U.S. have disappeared? _50__%
31. What did the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 require?
Required the developer to obtain or create additional wetlands at another site to compensate the destruction or damage to wetlands by a particular project
32. Explain the environmental impacts of dams
Dams cause a loss of land cultural resources and biological resources.
It also is a potential flood hazard
33. What are the PROS and CONS of the Three Gorges Dam?
PRO-Worlds largest dam, produces a reservoir nearly 600km long. Produces 18,000 MW of electricity.
CONS-drowned cities, farm fields, sites and displaced homes
34. What are some of the issues associated with removing of dams?
Cost of removing a dam is 10 times more than creating it. Removal of dams fragment river ecosystems by producing an upstream-of-dam environment and downstream environment.
35. What are the environmental issues associated with global water shortage and food supply?
-Groundwater is being mined and is therefore being depleted
-bodies of water are drying up and large rivers do not deliver any water to the ocean
36. Water is one of our most abundant resources, why are we concerned about its availability in the future?
The population is increasing by every second and minute and we will need more water.
1. Which is more important from a national point of view, conservation of water use in agriculture or in urban areas? Why?
I believe that it is more important to have a conservation of water in agriculture areas. I think we need to be the most careful because we use so much water as well as is where all our food comes from. We waste so much and we waste about 60% of our water on it.
What are some of the benefits of using reclaimed water?
-People use it for private lawns and golf courses less expensive
-has traces of nitrogen and phosphorus are types of fertilizer
-leaves cleaner drinking water not to be used
-constructed wet lands
1: What are some of the factors that make water so special?
-Without it living would be impossible
2: What is the largest reservoir of water on Earth?
What is the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth?
-The ocean is the largest reservoir on Earth.
3: What is the residence time of water in the atmosphere? -The average residence time of water in the atmosphere is 9 days.
Groundwater and Streams
4. What is the water table?
-The upper surface of groundwater
5. What is a discharge zone?
Places where groundwater flows out in the surface
6. What is an aquifer?
An underground zone or body of earth material from which groundwater can be obtained at a useful rate
What is a cone of depression? How is it created?
Cone of depression is when water is pumped from an aquifer the water table is depressed around the well
7. What is an effluent stream?
A flow that is maintained during the dry season by groundwater seepage into the stream channel from the subsurface.
What is a stream that flows all year called?
Perennial stream
8. What is an influent stream?
A stream that is entirely above the water table and flows only in direct response to precipitation.
What is a stream that doesn’t flow all year called?
Ephemeral stream.
9. What is a water budget? How is it calculated?
Water budget is a model that balances inputs and outputs and storage of water in a system, It is calculated by precipitation_evaporation= runoff.
10. What is the average water use for people in the U.S.?
200 gallons a day per person
What is the average water use for people in Europe?
100 gallons a day per person
What is the average water use for people in Sub-Saharan Africa?
5 gallons a day per person
11. How many people in the U.S. use groundwater as a source of drinking water?
Half of the people in the united states
12. What problems can groundwater overdraft cause?
Damage to river ecosystems and land subsidence
13. What is happening to the Ogallala Aquifer (High Plains Aquifer)?
The water at this Aquifer is being used in a rate up to 20 times higher than the rate at which it is being naturally replaced. The water has declined and cost for pumping is higher.
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
-5%
16. What are some of the environmental impacts of desalination?
It can increase salinity in bodies of water and kill plants and animals and damage ecosystems.
17. Describe the difference between off-stream use and in-stream use.
Off-stream use is water that is removed from its source and then returned later on. In-stream use is water that is used for navigation, hydroelectric power generation, fish and wildlife habitats and recreation.
18. What is one of the issues with off-stream use in the Pacific Northwest?
19. Describe what happened to the Aral Sea.
Diverting water has transformed the inland water from a vibrant ecosystem to a dying sea. The volume of the sea was reduced by more than 50% and salt content increased to more than twice that of seawater causing fish and surrounding animals to die.
20. What are the two biggest users of freshwater withdrawals?
-Irrigation and thermoelectric industry.
21. What are some of the suggestions for improved irrigation to conserve water?
-Some suggestions for improved irrigation to conserve water are to use lined canals to reduce seepage
-use computer monitoring and schedule release of water
-use improved irrigation systems and to encourage development of crops that require less water or are more salt-tolerant.
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?
Building desalination plants
-considering raising the height of dams so more water can be stored for urban uses.
24. List 5 things that you can do at home to help conserve water usage
-Short showers
- Don't hose sidewalks
- Flush only when necessary (or change the water amount in toilets)
- Turn off water when not used (brushing teeth....)
- recycle water to use in plants
25. What is virtual water?
Virtual water is the amount of water necessary to produce a product
26. How much water does it take to make a cup of coffee?
40 gallons of water
27. How much water does it take to raise beef?
15,500m^3
28. How do we define wetlands?
Wetlands may be defined as areas inundated by water or saturated to a depth of a few centimeters for at least a few days per year.
29. Wetlands are very important, what are the natural service functions of wetlands?
Wetlands are important areas of groundwater recharge, are a natural sponge for water and are natural filters that help purify water.
30. How much of the original wetlands of the U.S. have disappeared? _50__%
31. What did the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 require?
Required the developer to obtain or create additional wetlands at another site to compensate the destruction or damage to wetlands by a particular project
32. Explain the environmental impacts of dams
Dams cause a loss of land cultural resources and biological resources.
It also is a potential flood hazard
33. What are the PROS and CONS of the Three Gorges Dam?
PRO-Worlds largest dam, produces a reservoir nearly 600km long. Produces 18,000 MW of electricity.
CONS-drowned cities, farm fields, sites and displaced homes
34. What are some of the issues associated with removing of dams?
Cost of removing a dam is 10 times more than creating it. Removal of dams fragment river ecosystems by producing an upstream-of-dam environment and downstream environment.
35. What are the environmental issues associated with global water shortage and food supply?
-Groundwater is being mined and is therefore being depleted
-bodies of water are drying up and large rivers do not deliver any water to the ocean
36. Water is one of our most abundant resources, why are we concerned about its availability in the future?
The population is increasing by every second and minute and we will need more water.
1. Which is more important from a national point of view, conservation of water use in agriculture or in urban areas? Why?
I believe that it is more important to have a conservation of water in agriculture areas. I think we need to be the most careful because we use so much water as well as is where all our food comes from. We waste so much and we waste about 60% of our water on it.