Water+Use

Overview
In this lesson, you will learn about Canada’s water resources and related issues. 

Lesson
Water Resources Imagine a typically sized barrel. In Canada, a pail full of fresh water from that barrel would represent the fresh water located in the lakes, rivers, underground, and in glaciers (about 20% of the world's fresh water supply, but only 7% renewable). So relatively speaking we have plenty of water, more than enough for each person in Canada. Why then are communities in Canada still having water problems despite having so much fresh water? If there is a river, creek or lake by your school, follow its flow from your school to the next river or lake and eventually to the ocean. You will notice that your local river is connected to many other rivers and lakes and, of course, the oceans. These connections create a system of waterways, and if we affect one part of the system, the rest of the system will be affected too! The fresh water supply in Canada is being abused. The water resource issues facing Canada are: -overuse of groundwater supply due to urbanization and farming irrigation -pollution from a variety of sources (e.g,. farming, industries, sewage, power plants) -selling of our abundant water supply to other countries, especially to the United States -destruction of wetlands, which are natural water filters and habitats for a variety of animals and plants

Assignment
1. What are the major issues facing Canada’s water resources? 2. Read the Water Use and and answer the following questions: <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">a) Where do Canadians rank in terms of water usage? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> b) How much fresh water, per-capita-per-day, is needed for human survival? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">c) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">How much does <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">the average Canadian use per day? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> d) What is the difference between water use and water consumption? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> e) What sector uses the most water? What sector consumes the most water? Provide some details.