What do you know?
What can be done to save water?
Water can be saved by using less. For example, people can take showers instead of baths and turn the tap off when brushing their teeth. They can use small containers of water rather than a hosepipe to water gardens and wash cars.
Key Points
- Water supplies are not evenly The way that something is spread out over an area.. Some countries experience Differences caused by the seasons of the year, such as a lack of water in summer months. in the amount of water available.
- We can increase water supplies by building A large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply., recharging underground storage, creating water transfer schemes and usingThe removal of salt from sea water. This enables sea water to be turned into safe drinking water..
- We can decrease water When something is used, such as water or food. through education, the use of water-saving devices and Re-using wastewater for tasks that do not require perfectly clean water, eg pouring washing up water on to the garden..
How can we increase water supplies?
Game - Conserving water
Play a Planet Planners mission and manage drinking water by balancing the needs of the population with conservation strategies.
You can also play the full game
Video: Managing the UK water supply
Find out about how the UK water supply is managed
Bobby: Managing the UK water supply.
UPBEAT MUSIC
Hi, my name is Bobby. I’m a water network technician apprentice here at Severn Trent Water in the West Midlands.
On an average day my job involves looking for water leaks and fixing them.
Small, small, but it’s there, it’s there.
We need to find water leaks quickly, as water is a limited resource and some areas have more water than others.
In the north and west of England there are high levels of rainfall but a smaller population, so there is a water surplus.
However in the southeast of England, there is less rainfall but a higher population which creates a water shortage.
To balance out the water supply water is stored in reservoirs and transferred from areas with excess water to areas that don’t have enough. For example, parts of the Midlands receive water that is transferred from Mid-Wales via a 73-mile-long aqueduct.
LIVELY MUSIC
As climate change impacts the weather the pressure on our water supply increases everywhere.
We can all help by reducing our water usage. Small changes, like showering for four minutes or turning off the tap while you brush your teeth. That can save a lot of water.
LIVELY MUSIC
Right, now I’ve got to go find this leak.
LIVELY MUSIC CONTINUES
Water supplies are not evenly The way that something is spread out over an area.. Some countries experience Differences caused by the seasons of the year, such as a lack of water in summer months. in the amount of water available. Not having a safe, reliable and affordable supply of water. can be reduced by increasing supply. Ways to do this include:
Building A large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply. - reservoirs are lakes created by people. When Strong walls built to hold back water - usually a river. are built across rivers, for example, water collects behind the dam and provides a fresh supply. Examples include the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Africa, or the Kielder reservoir in Northumberland.
When something is refilled. For example, groundwater supplies can be recharged during rainy weather. underground storage - much of the world’s water supply comes from underground. Diverting water into Rocks that have holes, or pore spaces. These rocks allow water to flow through them. rocks underground during times of higher rainfall is a good way to store water. Phoenix, in the USA, relies on groundwater. There are seven ‘water banks’ beneath the city, which store water diverted from the Colorado river.
Process of underground water storage
A way of moving drinking water from areas that have more than they need to areas that have a shortage. - water is taken from areas of When there is more of something than is needed. An energy surplus means there is more than enough to go around. (higher rainfall and a smaller population) to areas of When there is not enough of something to meet a need. A deficit of something means there is not enough of it to go around. (lower rainfall and a larger population). The South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China transports water from rivers in the south of the country to drier regions in the north.
The removal of salt from sea water. This enables sea water to be turned into safe drinking water. - in countries where water is When there is not very much of something., desalinisation of seawater provides safe drinking water. This is expensive as it requires large amounts of energy. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has limited freshwater. Around 40 per cent of the country's drinking water comes from desalination.
Question
What is the main disadvantage of desalination?
Desalination requires a large amount of energy. This makes it an expensive process.
Quiz: Increasing water supply
How can we reduce water consumption?
Educating people about the importance of saving water helps to reduce When something is used, such as water or food.. If people understand the importance of water The prevention of the wasteful use of something, such as water., they are likely to use less. For example, people can get in the habit of turning off taps whilst cleaning their teeth.
There are many devices that reduce water use in the home, such as taps that To introduce air into something. When taps are aerated, air is introduced into the flow of water. This makes it feel like more water is flowing and so people tend to use less. water and A toilet with a double flush system which allows for a half flush and a full flush.. Modern A piece of equipment that performs a household task, eg a dishwasher., like dishwashers and washing machines, generally use less water than older models. Many homes are now fitted with A system for measuring how much water each household uses.. These calculate a bill based on how much water is used. People with water meters often think more about how much water they use.
Some water does not need to be perfectly clean. Re-using wastewater for tasks that do not require perfectly clean water, eg pouring washing up water on to the garden. systems gather ‘greywater’. This is rainwater or water that has already been used, eg for washing clothes. It is safe to use greywater to flush toilets or to water gardens, but it is not safe to drink.
Question
How can greywater be used?
Greywater can be used to flush toilets or water gardens. Never drink greywater or use it to prepare meals as it is not perfectly clean.
Quiz: Reducing water consumption
Quiz: Which water conversion method are you?
Play the Planet Planners game! game
Make decisions for the planet in this KS3 geography game.
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