Water Cycle Boogie!

Water is literally the life blood of all living things. As humans we can go for 3-4 days without water. Now 3 days is possible, but you would be a tad grumpy by then. The record I know of is 7 days with some very special circumstances. Anyway, water is a critical part of our lives, but I have found that many people know very little about where our water comes from. So in this posting, I am going to send you out to be a water detective.

First with your kids, do a little research on where your water comes from. Are you on city or town water? Do you have a well? Do you have a water catchment system? Once you have discovered that information, use a little math to calculate your water usage. It might be enlightening.

Next lets figure out what watershed you live in. Go to this website and search around. Knowing what watershed you live in can help you explore on local maps to see what water sources are in your area and may effect your water supply. Here in California water rights are a constant issue in local politics. Some areas of the country are in either long or short term droughts. Do you live in one of those areas?

If you have a topographical map of your area, trace your watershed on the map. You might be surprised to see what areas are included in your watershed.

Until next time, enjoy November, and if you have any questions or suggestions about topics to explore, please email me! Have fun exploring!

asinglefootstep@gmail.com

Nature Nugget:

Here is some information about our water resources. Just in case you're wondering:

The Oceans contain 97.5% of the water on the planet.

That leaves 2.5% of all the water left as fresh water.

Of that 2.5%, 74% is frozen in ice caps and glaciers.

The remaining 26% of that 2.5% is in ground water.

Of that 26% of the water left, 98.5% is in the ground and the remaining 1.5% is surface water.

In that 1.5% left, this is the water we can see or interact with is water in the biosphere, atmosphere, soil moisture, and lakes and rivers. Not much hmmm?

Websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle Wikipedia entry.

http://www.und.nodak.edu/instruct/eng/fkarner/pages/cycle.htm Another good site.

http://www.toddecological.com/ Information on a water purifying system called a living machine.

http://www.drought.gov/portal/server.pt/community/drought_gov/202 Drought monitor.