Water Resources Quiz

Water Resources: Dams, Contamination, Drinking Water Treatment, Agriculture, and the Dust Bowl

• There are different types of dams including embankment, concrete, gravity, buttress, and arch dams, with the most common type being embankment dams.
• Dams serve different purposes including hydroelectric power, flood control, water supply, irrigation, recreation, and groundwater recharge.
• Key variables that contribute to total power output/generation from dams include the speed, temperature, quantity, and elevation of water.
• Dams and reservoirs have several impacts and disadvantages, including disrupting the natural course of water, killing wildlife, displacing animals and local communities, and causing deforestation and habitat loss.
• Water contamination can occur from different sources, including municipal, industrial, agricultural, natural/geogenic, organic and inorganic chemicals, nutrients, pathogens, sediment, debris, and thermal contaminants.
• Contamination can enter a water source through point sources (e.g., industrial effluent) or non-point sources (e.g., agricultural fertilizers).
• Nitrogen yields from agricultural production can cause eutrophication, leading to excessive algae growth and oxygen depletion in water bodies.
• Non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) are liquids that do not easily dissolve in or mix with water and can have human and ecological impacts.
• The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1948 and 1972 established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the water of the United States and regulating standards for surface water.
• The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974 focuses on protecting the quality of drinking water in the US through minimum standards and state programs to protect underground sources of drinking water.
• The drinking water treatment process involves filtration, disinfection, removal of contaminants, and corrosion control, among other specific processes.
• Agriculture accounts for 92% of the global water footprint, 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, and uses 50% of the earth’s habitable land, and is heavily dependent on chemical and fossil fuel inputs. The Dust Bowl in the 1930s was a result of poor farming practices that led to soil erosion and economic losses.

Water Resources: Dams, Contamination, Drinking Water Treatment, Agriculture, and the Dust Bowl

• There are different types of dams including embankment, concrete, gravity, buttress, and arch dams, with the most common type being embankment dams.
• Dams serve different purposes including hydroelectric power, flood control, water supply, irrigation, recreation, and groundwater recharge.
• Key variables that contribute to total power output/generation from dams include the speed, temperature, quantity, and elevation of water.
• Dams and reservoirs have several impacts and disadvantages, including disrupting the natural course of water, killing wildlife, displacing animals and local communities, and causing deforestation and habitat loss.
• Water contamination can occur from different sources, including municipal, industrial, agricultural, natural/geogenic, organic and inorganic chemicals, nutrients, pathogens, sediment, debris, and thermal contaminants.
• Contamination can enter a water source through point sources (e.g., industrial effluent) or non-point sources (e.g., agricultural fertilizers).
• Nitrogen yields from agricultural production can cause eutrophication, leading to excessive algae growth and oxygen depletion in water bodies.
• Non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) are liquids that do not easily dissolve in or mix with water and can have human and ecological impacts.
• The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1948 and 1972 established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the water of the United States and regulating standards for surface water.
• The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974 focuses on protecting the quality of drinking water in the US through minimum standards and state programs to protect underground sources of drinking water.
• The drinking water treatment process involves filtration, disinfection, removal of contaminants, and corrosion control, among other specific processes.
• Agriculture accounts for 92% of the global water footprint, 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, and uses 50% of the earth’s habitable land, and is heavily dependent on chemical and fossil fuel inputs. The Dust Bowl in the 1930s was a result of poor farming practices that led to soil erosion and economic losses.

Water Resources: Dams, Contamination, Drinking Water Treatment, Agriculture, and the Dust Bowl

• There are different types of dams including embankment, concrete, gravity, buttress, and arch dams, with the most common type being embankment dams.
• Dams serve different purposes including hydroelectric power, flood control, water supply, irrigation, recreation, and groundwater recharge.
• Key variables that contribute to total power output/generation from dams include the speed, temperature, quantity, and elevation of water.
• Dams and reservoirs have several impacts and disadvantages, including disrupting the natural course of water, killing wildlife, displacing animals and local communities, and causing deforestation and habitat loss.
• Water contamination can occur from different sources, including municipal, industrial, agricultural, natural/geogenic, organic and inorganic chemicals, nutrients, pathogens, sediment, debris, and thermal contaminants.
• Contamination can enter a water source through point sources (e.g., industrial effluent) or non-point sources (e.g., agricultural fertilizers).
• Nitrogen yields from agricultural production can cause eutrophication, leading to excessive algae growth and oxygen depletion in water bodies.
• Non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) are liquids that do not easily dissolve in or mix with water and can have human and ecological impacts.
• The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1948 and 1972 established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the water of the United States and regulating standards for surface water.
• The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974 focuses on protecting the quality of drinking water in the US through minimum standards and state programs to protect underground sources of drinking water.
• The drinking water treatment process involves filtration, disinfection, removal of contaminants, and corrosion control, among other specific processes.
• Agriculture accounts for 92% of the global water footprint, 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, and uses 50% of the earth’s habitable land, and is heavily dependent on chemical and fossil fuel inputs. The Dust Bowl in the 1930s was a result of poor farming practices that led to soil erosion and economic losses.