Water Sources and Uses

University:
California State University, Northridge
Course:
EOH 356B | Environmental Health II
Academic year:

2024
Views:

412

Pages:

1
Author:

Jamal Simon

WATER SOURCES AND USES Objective: 1. To list the largest global sources of water. 2. To list the largest uses of water in the U.S. 3. To list the major uses of water in the average U.S. home. SOURCES : The earth contains about 326,000 cubic miles of water. Most of it is in the oceans (about 97%). However, water goes through phase changes (solid, liquid, gas), and its movement is ultimately driven by the sun. For example, the oceans ultimately supply the following 3 sources: • • • ice caps and glaciers (about 2.1 %) lakes, rivers, and ground water (about .7 %) atmospheric moisture (about .001 %) USES : The U.S. supplies billions of gallons/day in water, but most of it is lost to: • • • evaporation and transpiration unusable flood flow reserves (for navigation, wildlife, etc.) Average U.S. water use has been steadily increasing, although not all of it has been for drinking. Typical uses include: • • • • • thermoelectric power: (about 47%) irrigation: (about 34%) industrial: (about 11%) public supplies: (about 7 %) rural (domestic, livestock): (about 1 %) Average home uses include: • • • • • toilet: (about 38%) bathing: (about 35%) laundering: (about 13%) kitchen (drinking, etc.): (about 12%) other (lawns, car wash, etc.): (about 3%) Various fittings can save about 6-12 % in the average home (from toilets, showers, and laundry).

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