Water, Water, Everywhere

ENS102D

3/13/06

Review

• Water supports the anthropic principle

• Water is geologically important

• Water is biologically important

• Water is ecologically important

• Water is culturally important

• Water is socially important

Principles of sustainability as related to water

• Ecosystems use sunlight as their main source of energy

• Ecosystems are built upon interrelationships not independence

• Ecosystems dispose of wastes and replenish nutrients by recycling

• Ecosystems, regulate the size of member populations

• Ecosystems, maintain (bio)diversity

How do we use water?• What is the major way that each uses water?

• typical American household• business (like 3M)• Automobiles• a typical MN farm• a cattle feedlot• Cities (like MSP or Arden Hills)• Land developer building a housing subdivision in

MN• A University like Bethel

So where does our water come from?

• Use your text and one of the the computers and see if we cannot find answers to this question?

Where does our water come from?

So where does our water come from?• Groundwater

• Surface Water

• Precipitation + Atmosphere

• Rivers - Mississippi

• Reservoirs + Lakes

• Minneapolis - from Mississippi

Watersheds

• Principle # 1 interrelationships– The watershed concept

• http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/

Watershed Quality Varieshttp://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/state.cfm?statepostal=MN

Watershed Diagram

What is a watershed?

Watersheds

• Component # 1 Surface Water

Withdrawl exceeds recharge

The Aral seaAll water naturally open to the atmosphere (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, streams, impoundments, seas, estuaries, etc.) and all springs, wells, or other collectors which are directly influenced by surface water.

Watersheds

• Component #2 Groundwater

Withdrawl exceeds recharge

The Ogallala Aquifer as an example: level is dropping at the rate of 2 meters per yearWater found beneath the surface of the ground.Groundwater is primarily water which has seeped down from the surface by migrating through the interstitial spaces in soils and geologic formations.

Where does our water come from?

• Water System ID Water System Name Principle County Served Population Served Primary WaterSource Type

• MN1620001 ARDEN HILLS RAMSEY 9750 Purchased surface water

• MN1620005 LITTLE CANADA RAMSEY 8600 Purchased surface water

• MN1620008 MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY 12550 Ground water

• MN1620009 NEW BRIGHTON RAMSEY 24000 Ground water

• MN1620011 NORTH SAINT PAUL RAMSEY 14000 Ground water

• MN1620013 ROSEVILLE RAMSEY 35800 Purchased surface water

• MN1620030 VADNAIS HEIGHTS RAMSEY 10514 Ground water

• MN1620024 WHITE BEAR LAKE RAMSEY 25000 Ground water

• MN1620025 WHITE BEAR TOWNSHIP RAMSEY 10800 Ground water

http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/sdwis/sdwis_query.html

• Violations

– http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/icr/index.html