Geography 210: Physical Geography and Environmental Issues

Water Supply, Use, and Management

Dr. Bryan Mark & Fletcher Chmara-Huff AU 2006 LECTURE #4

This is WATER week

Water on Earth
Where is it, and in what form?

Fresh water on the continents (S&S 15)

How does water get (re)cycled? What impacts the availability of usable water?

Issues of water management & supply

Stream flow and flooding

Local water issues Wetlands: form, function, remediation

FIELD TRIP FRIDAY!!! Dress appropriately

The USEPA National Wetlands OfficeIts Role in Wetland Policy and Protection
Doreen M. Vetter
Special Assistant for Water Office of the Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Whats special about H2O?

Friday October 6, 2006 1:30-2:30 pm Heffner Wetland Building Lobby Olentangy River Wetland Research Park

Heat capacity Universal solvent High surface tension Exists in all 3 phases at normal Earth surface temperatures Solid H2O is lighter than the liquid H2O Sunlight penetrates water

Global water supply & distribution

Hydrological Cycle

97% in oceans 2% in glaciers 1% elsewhere

Groundwater Lakes Rivers, streams Atmosphere (0.001%)

Reservoirs Fluxes

Abundance is not the problem, delivering enough when its needed is.

Freshwater vs. saltwater

Water usage: A global perspective

97.5 % of all water on Earth is saline Remaining 2.5 percent is freshwater

~75% in Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets ~24% as fossil groundwater. Only 0.26% is accessible

Water usage accelerating, globally

1975: 700 km3/y 2002: 6000 km3/y demand for water to sustain, feed, and employ the world's people is projected to double by 2025.

lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams

0.007% water on Earth is renewable and available for use on a sustainable basis.

Compared to other minerals, water is inexpensive Usage is 1000 x that of all other mineral production Usage is now a significant fraction of that available Usage is on-sustainable in many regions of the world

Domestic water use

Our society consumes 50100 gallons per person, per day. This pie chart shows how an average home in Akron, OH uses water (src: USGS).
Figure 15.28, S&S p. 538

Future water shortage

> 50% of humanity will face water shortages within 50 years, UN report, January 2003
"water-stressed" countries

US will overuse available surface water resources by 13% in 2020, USWRC $400 billion /year global industry Privatization Water, The Next Oil?

Desalinization: A viable option?

Hydrologic cycle

Removes salt from water Filtration: forcing saline water through salt-impermeable membranes Each m3 of sea water contains 40kg (88 lb) of salt Salinity = 4%. >500 desal plants now exist. Cost-prohibitive 10x that of existing water supply in US Requires large amounts of energy. Environmental issue What to do with the very salty water coming out of the desal plant?

Desalinization plant in Saudi Arabia

the hydrologic cycle of water from the oceans and the continents to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration; back to the ocean and continent surfaces through precipitation and eventually returning to the oceans through surface runoff (rivers) after storage (lakes, ground water, ice sheets) Figure 15.1, p. 513

Quantifying water supply

US Water Budget

Water Budget: model balancing inputs & outputs Simple annual budget : (Precipitation Evaporation Infiltration = Runoff)
Useful in water resource management Supply is NEVER greater than runoff

Large year to year variations in precipitation rate & stream flow

Even humid regions can have drought

Average annual precipitation (in)

Precipitation is variable

Potential evapotranspiration (in)

Large year to year variations in precipitation rate

Droughts happen
That sucks

Continental fresh water:

location & management issues
1. 2.

Loss of land fertility Crop failure Famine Potential Water Resource Management

Ground water Surface water

Groundwater & surface water flow system

2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

Groundwater

Precip falling on land: 1. Evapotranspiration 2. Runoff 3. Infiltration Percolation through soil water, unsaturated zone, water table

Water table

Occurs below the water table, where the soil is saturated Aquifer = undergrnd zone where water can be extracted at useful rate Depletion by wells causes drawdown a cone of depression in the water table As many wells exploit an aquifer, their cones of depression merge to create a general lowering of the water table

S&S Figure 15.12, p. 519

Ground Water Contamination

Surface-Groundwater interactions

S&S Figure 15.13, p. 520

Groundwater issues

The Ogallala Aquifer

~1/2 Americans use groundwater as primary drinking water accounts for 20% of US water usage Overdraft: when discharge (output) > recharge (input) Problems: land subsidence, salt water intrusion

Composed of water bearing sands and gravel, i.e. groundwater filled during melt of ice sheet in last ice age. current 20 x overdraft, -> 1.74 feet per year (1,082,631 acre ft). Ground North Plains Groundwater water Conservation District mining (http://www.npwd.org)

Subsidence:
Groundwater level changes as a result of pumping in the TexasOklahoma High Plains region.

Salt water intrusion

Depletion of groundwater causes a cone of depression in the water table and can lead to salt water intrusion if along a coastal site

2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

Surface Water

Sources of stream flow

the relative magnitude of discharge of major rivers in the United States

S&S Figure 15.17, p. 524

Measuring stream discharge (Q)

Hydrograph

Q=A*V

Urbanization effect

Hydrograph fluctuations

normal range base flow

Flooding

Most universally experienced natural hazard. Floodplain Urbanization and flooding Land use planning

Water Use and Management

In stream uses

Off-stream use: removed from source, returned Consumptive use: removed, but not returned In-stream use: navigation, hydro power, habitats, recreation Water Resource Management Stream diversions

Conflicting demands throughout the year

Trends in U.S. usage (1950-95)

Trends by category
Major use: irrigation and thermoelectric Irrigation use leveled by ~1980 Industry use declined after ~1980 Public and rural supply use increased (POPULATION)

Surface water w/drawl >> ground water

Irrigation and land use

The Aral Sea is drying up and dying as a result of diversion of water for agriculture.

output > input

Center-pivot irrigation systems, source: KSU Geography

Landsat TM satellite image showing leaf chlorophyll reflectance in red, source: KSU Geography

2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

Water Conservation

The Aral Sea's volume has decreased by 75 percent , the equivalent of draining Lakes Erie and Ontario.

is the careful use and protection of water resources. Involves both quality and quantity. Improved agricultural irrigation could reduce w/drawl by 20-30%; how?
Price water to encourage conservation Use lined or covered canals to reduce seepage and evaporation

Comparison of agricultural practices in 1990 with what they might by by 2020.

Water Conservation: Domestic Use

2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

only 10% of national water usage Most consumed in bathroom & clothes washing Concentrated urban populations How to conserve?
Xeriscaping (i.e. no green lawns in AZ!)

Wetlands
1. 2. 3. 4.

Important ecologically and aesthetically Defined: areas inundated by water; or where land is saturated to a depth of a few cm a few days/yr Functions:
Water (and carbon) storage; groundwater recharge Natural filters (kidneys) Highly productive ecosystems (habitats) Flood control

5.

6.

7. 8.

Reduce downstream flooding Purify water Sites of concentrated nutrient cycling Groundwater recharge Nursery grounds for fish, shellfish, birds and other animals 45% of endangered animals depend on wetlands Coastal wetlands form barrier to storm surges Aesthetically pleasing

Why bother retaining/restoring wetlands?

Can wetlands be restored?

Dams and the Environment

Considerable environmental effects: Loss of land, cultural resources, biology Sediment storage behind dam Downstream changes in hydrology and sediment transport impact river environment and organisms

1% of US wetlands are lost every 2 yrs; est. 90% of total freshwater lost in 200 yrs Compensatory restoration required by National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 Legal success ecological success Self-design as ecosystem property: natural processes contribute to species introduction and selection

Case study: Dam removal in ME

Summary

Water enables life Water we can use is a tiny fraction of total on Earth Water supply & usage involves many interactions; a water budget is needed Water consumption will likely increase with population, even as w/drawl decreases slightly Water w/drawl conflicts with in-stream needs Groundwater use and overuse has resulted in problems Water use for agriculture is most significant area for conservation

Summary (cont.)

Wetlands are important components at the ecosystem level, benefiting people and other ecosystems Flooding is perhaps the most universal hazard in the world, enhanced by urbanization; best approached with land-use planning We are facing a growing water shortage

"Thousands have lived without love, not one without water." -- W. H. Auden