Water Fair Questionnaire
2014 IRON COUNTY WATER FAIR STUDY GUIDE
The Hydrologic Cycle
Water covers more than two-thirds of the earth (about 70%). Ninety-seven percent (97%) of the world’s water is either salty water (like the ocean) or undrinkable. The other three percent (3%) of the water is fresh water, but only one percent (1%) of it can be used for drinking, agriculture, manufacturing, food processing, sanitation, and other household and personal needs. Two percent (2%) of the fresh water is locked in ice caps and glaciers. Now, in Utah, the Great Salt Lake is a salty body of water that has an inlet but no outlet.
Water molecules are made up of two chemical elements: hydrogen and oxygen. 67 percent (67%) of the molecule is hydrogen. The chemical formula is H2O, two hydrogen and an oxygen. We generally think of water as a liquid, but it can also be a solid and a gas. The solid form of water is ice and the gas form is water vapor. Therefore, water is the only common substance found naturally in all three common states of matter.
There is no new water received each year, but water is a renewable resource. There is as much water in the world today as there was thousands of years ago. Actually, it’s the same water. Water that comes out of your tap could be the same molecule that dinosaurs drank, or that Columbus sailed across.
Earth’s water is recycled through an endless process called the Hydrologic Cycle (or Water Cycle). The sun is the energy source that powers the water cycle. The diagram on the next page illustrates that cycle.
Each year the water cycle returns 95,000 cubic miles of water to the Earth’s atmosphere through the processes of evaporation and transpiration. Water in the atmosphere is called water vapor. Solar energy from the sun converts the water from liquid to gas. The greatest source of water vapor is evaporation from oceans, particularly those in warm parts of the world. Another source of water vapor comes from transpiration. Transpiration is the process that allows water vapor to escape into the air through pores on the leaves of plants.
As water vapor rises into the air, it cools into a liquid or condenses onto solid particles, such as dust or salt in the air, forming clouds. This process is called condensation. If the air is cool enough and filled with moisture, clouds produce precipitation which falls to the ground in the form of snow, rain, sleet, or hail.
Iron County is located in between the Basin and Range Region and the Colorado Plateau geologic regions. Both of these regions receive little rainfall. The average precipitation per year in Iron County is 10.5 inches. Utah is the second driest state in the nation. The State’s annual average precipitation is 13 inches.
A watershed is an area of land that drains into a body of water. When precipitation hits the ground it either flows into streams and rivers or sinks into the ground. The water we use comes from these two sources. We call it surface water and groundwater. Any water flowing or standing on the surface of the earth is referred to as surface water. Most surface water comes from runoff from rainstorms or melting snow. In Utah, it takes twelve inches of snow to make one inch of water. Water that comes from wells and springs is called groundwater. Now remember of the 3 percent of the earth’s fresh water only one percent is useable. While 96.5% of that usable fresh water is found underground, 2.7 percent (2.7%) is found in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams, and the remaining 0.8 percent (0.8%) is found in soil and in the atmosphere. When water is on the ground it evaporates and starts the cycle all over again.
Our Water Supply
Groundwater is stored in sand and rock formations in underground reservoirs called aquifers. The aquifer we use in Iron County is called the Cedar Valley Aquifer. All of our drinking water in Cedar Valley comes from groundwater either from springs or wells. As aquifers are depleted, the act of putting water back into them is called recharging. Surface water in Iron County comes from the mountains by streams and tributaries. The largest stream in the Cedar Valley is Coal Creek which has an average constant flow of 24,200 acre-feet or 8 billion gallons per year. The waters from Coal Creek are used mainly for irrigation, but are also pumped up to the Lake on the Hill for recreation and a secondary irrigation system that is used throughout Cedar City at parks, the cemetery and the golf course. When farmers are not using the waters from Coal Creek they are diverted into large gravel pits where the water replenishes and recharges the aquifer.
An acre foot of water is the amount of water needed to cover a football field with water one foot deep. In gallons, that is 325,851. It takes a family of five approximately one year to use one acre foot of water.
How Do We Use Water?
In the State of Utah, all of the water in the state is owned by the citizens of Utah. Cities, water district, industries, agriculture (farmers/ranchers) users and individuals need a water right to use any water in the state. These water rights are regulated by the state’s water engineer. Groundwater and surface water combined help supply the water needed by the citizens of Iron County. Seventy-two percent (72%) of Utah’s water is used for agricultural irrigation. Sixteen percent (16%) is used as culinary water. Culinary water is water that is treated for drinking, and then distributed to homes and businesses. All surface water needs to be treated so that it is safe for drinking. One chemical that is added to culinary water to control waterborne diseases is chlorine. In Utah, 72 percent (72%) of the water people drink is groundwater.
In 2012, water use per household per day in Iron County was 200 gallons. About 67 percent (67%) of Utah’s water is used outside to water lawns and plants, fill swimming pools, wash cars, etc. For example, a slow dripping faucet (1 drop per second) wastes four gallons of water per day. A leaky toilet could waste up to 200 gallons of water a day. So, look around your home for leaks or water fixtures that waste water.
When we take a shower, we use less water than taking a bath. Yet, every five minutes we are in the shower, we use 15-30 gallons. So, the longer we stay in the shower, the more water we use. So we could save 3 gallons or more for each minute we shorten in our shower.
It takes a lot of water to produce the food we eat. For example, to produce one serving of corn it takes 61 gallons, one serving of watermelon 100 gallons, and one cola soft drink 10 gallons.
Much of the water that we use inside our homes goes down the drain when we are finished using it. This water is taken to wastewater treatment plants where it is cleaned up and put back into the aquifer.
The water we store in the reservoirs can also be used for recreation. Boating, water skiing, camping and picnicking are just some of the activities that can be found at most of the reservoirs. All the reservoirs are stocked with fish for fishing. The main reason we build reservoir, though, is to store water for use in our communities.
Water and Our Bodies
Seventy percent (70%) of the human body is water. This water is found in all of the different cells that make up our bodies. Our bodies need water to digest food, cool skin, bathe eyes, soothe throats, lubricate joints, expel wastes, and aid chemical processes. Each day, we should drink at least 64 ounces of water. Human beings can survive only three days without water.
As you can see, water is an important part of our lives and we need to understand it in order to use it wisely. WATER IS LIFE - DON’T WASTE IT!
WATER FACTS STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW FOR TRIVIA CONTEST
✏ Water covers more than 2/3 of the earth (70%).
✏ Only 1% of water is available for human use:
97% is salty and undrinkable.
2% is ice.
✏ Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen: H2O the molecule is 67 percent hydrogen.
✏ All water goes through an endless process called the hydrologic cycle.
This cycle returns 95,000 cubic miles of water to the atmosphere each year.
✏ Evaporation = water from earth’s surface changes to water vapor
Transpiration = water vapor escaping into the air from plants
Condensation = water vapor cools into a liquid onto solid particles forming clouds
Precipitation = Water that falls to the ground
✏ Solar Energy powers the water cycle.
✏ Average precipitation per year in Iron County is 10".
✏ Water comes from groundwater and surface water.
✏ 96.5% of usable fresh water is found underground.
2.7% in lakes and streams.
0.8% in soil and the atmosphere.
✏ Groundwater is stored in aquifers.
✏ Surface water is found in rivers, lakes, streams, and reservoirs.
✏ An acre foot of water is enough to cover an acre of land a foot deep of water (about the size of a football field). An average family of five uses approximately an acre-foot of water in one year.
✏ 72% of Utah’s water is used for agriculture.
16% is used as culinary water.
✏ All of the water we drink is groundwater.
✏ Iron County residents use 200 gallons per person per day
67 percent of this water is used outside.
✏ A dripping faucet = 4 gallons wasted per day
Every 5 minutes in the shower = 15-30 gallons.
✏ It takes 61 gallons of water to produce one serving of corn.
100 gallons for one serving of watermelon.
10 gallons for one cola soft drink.
✏ 70% of the human body is water.
✏ Humans can only live three days without water.
✏ We should each drink ½ gallon of water a day.
✏ Cedar Valley is considered a closed basin where the underground water is considered to be on giant bathtub.
✏ All drinking water in Cedar Valley comes from ground water, either springs or wells.
75% of the water in Cedar Valley is used by farmers.
✏ Iron County is located in between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range (or Great Basin) Region.
✏ The Cedar Valley Basin covers about 220 square miles from the vicinity of Rush Lake in the north to the community of Kanarraville in the south and includes Cedar City on its eastern edge
QUESTIONS
The Hydrologic Cycle
Water covers more than two-thirds of the earth (about 70%). Ninety-seven percent (97%) of the world’s water is either salty water (like the ocean) or undrinkable. The other three percent (3%) of the water is fresh water, but only one percent (1%) of it can be used for drinking, agriculture, manufacturing, food processing, sanitation, and other household and personal needs. Two percent (2%) of the fresh water is locked in ice caps and glaciers. Now, in Utah, the Great Salt Lake is a salty body of water that has an inlet but no outlet.
Water molecules are made up of two chemical elements: hydrogen and oxygen. 67 percent (67%) of the molecule is hydrogen. The chemical formula is H2O, two hydrogen and an oxygen. We generally think of water as a liquid, but it can also be a solid and a gas. The solid form of water is ice and the gas form is water vapor. Therefore, water is the only common substance found naturally in all three common states of matter.
There is no new water received each year, but water is a renewable resource. There is as much water in the world today as there was thousands of years ago. Actually, it’s the same water. Water that comes out of your tap could be the same molecule that dinosaurs drank, or that Columbus sailed across.
Earth’s water is recycled through an endless process called the Hydrologic Cycle (or Water Cycle). The sun is the energy source that powers the water cycle. The diagram on the next page illustrates that cycle.
Each year the water cycle returns 95,000 cubic miles of water to the Earth’s atmosphere through the processes of evaporation and transpiration. Water in the atmosphere is called water vapor. Solar energy from the sun converts the water from liquid to gas. The greatest source of water vapor is evaporation from oceans, particularly those in warm parts of the world. Another source of water vapor comes from transpiration. Transpiration is the process that allows water vapor to escape into the air through pores on the leaves of plants.
As water vapor rises into the air, it cools into a liquid or condenses onto solid particles, such as dust or salt in the air, forming clouds. This process is called condensation. If the air is cool enough and filled with moisture, clouds produce precipitation which falls to the ground in the form of snow, rain, sleet, or hail.
Iron County is located in between the Basin and Range Region and the Colorado Plateau geologic regions. Both of these regions receive little rainfall. The average precipitation per year in Iron County is 10.5 inches. Utah is the second driest state in the nation. The State’s annual average precipitation is 13 inches.
A watershed is an area of land that drains into a body of water. When precipitation hits the ground it either flows into streams and rivers or sinks into the ground. The water we use comes from these two sources. We call it surface water and groundwater. Any water flowing or standing on the surface of the earth is referred to as surface water. Most surface water comes from runoff from rainstorms or melting snow. In Utah, it takes twelve inches of snow to make one inch of water. Water that comes from wells and springs is called groundwater. Now remember of the 3 percent of the earth’s fresh water only one percent is useable. While 96.5% of that usable fresh water is found underground, 2.7 percent (2.7%) is found in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams, and the remaining 0.8 percent (0.8%) is found in soil and in the atmosphere. When water is on the ground it evaporates and starts the cycle all over again.
Our Water Supply
Groundwater is stored in sand and rock formations in underground reservoirs called aquifers. The aquifer we use in Iron County is called the Cedar Valley Aquifer. All of our drinking water in Cedar Valley comes from groundwater either from springs or wells. As aquifers are depleted, the act of putting water back into them is called recharging. Surface water in Iron County comes from the mountains by streams and tributaries. The largest stream in the Cedar Valley is Coal Creek which has an average constant flow of 24,200 acre-feet or 8 billion gallons per year. The waters from Coal Creek are used mainly for irrigation, but are also pumped up to the Lake on the Hill for recreation and a secondary irrigation system that is used throughout Cedar City at parks, the cemetery and the golf course. When farmers are not using the waters from Coal Creek they are diverted into large gravel pits where the water replenishes and recharges the aquifer.
An acre foot of water is the amount of water needed to cover a football field with water one foot deep. In gallons, that is 325,851. It takes a family of five approximately one year to use one acre foot of water.
How Do We Use Water?
In the State of Utah, all of the water in the state is owned by the citizens of Utah. Cities, water district, industries, agriculture (farmers/ranchers) users and individuals need a water right to use any water in the state. These water rights are regulated by the state’s water engineer. Groundwater and surface water combined help supply the water needed by the citizens of Iron County. Seventy-two percent (72%) of Utah’s water is used for agricultural irrigation. Sixteen percent (16%) is used as culinary water. Culinary water is water that is treated for drinking, and then distributed to homes and businesses. All surface water needs to be treated so that it is safe for drinking. One chemical that is added to culinary water to control waterborne diseases is chlorine. In Utah, 72 percent (72%) of the water people drink is groundwater.
In 2012, water use per household per day in Iron County was 200 gallons. About 67 percent (67%) of Utah’s water is used outside to water lawns and plants, fill swimming pools, wash cars, etc. For example, a slow dripping faucet (1 drop per second) wastes four gallons of water per day. A leaky toilet could waste up to 200 gallons of water a day. So, look around your home for leaks or water fixtures that waste water.
When we take a shower, we use less water than taking a bath. Yet, every five minutes we are in the shower, we use 15-30 gallons. So, the longer we stay in the shower, the more water we use. So we could save 3 gallons or more for each minute we shorten in our shower.
It takes a lot of water to produce the food we eat. For example, to produce one serving of corn it takes 61 gallons, one serving of watermelon 100 gallons, and one cola soft drink 10 gallons.
Much of the water that we use inside our homes goes down the drain when we are finished using it. This water is taken to wastewater treatment plants where it is cleaned up and put back into the aquifer.
The water we store in the reservoirs can also be used for recreation. Boating, water skiing, camping and picnicking are just some of the activities that can be found at most of the reservoirs. All the reservoirs are stocked with fish for fishing. The main reason we build reservoir, though, is to store water for use in our communities.
Water and Our Bodies
Seventy percent (70%) of the human body is water. This water is found in all of the different cells that make up our bodies. Our bodies need water to digest food, cool skin, bathe eyes, soothe throats, lubricate joints, expel wastes, and aid chemical processes. Each day, we should drink at least 64 ounces of water. Human beings can survive only three days without water.
As you can see, water is an important part of our lives and we need to understand it in order to use it wisely. WATER IS LIFE - DON’T WASTE IT!
WATER FACTS STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW FOR TRIVIA CONTEST
✏ Water covers more than 2/3 of the earth (70%).
✏ Only 1% of water is available for human use:
97% is salty and undrinkable.
2% is ice.
✏ Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen: H2O the molecule is 67 percent hydrogen.
✏ All water goes through an endless process called the hydrologic cycle.
This cycle returns 95,000 cubic miles of water to the atmosphere each year.
✏ Evaporation = water from earth’s surface changes to water vapor
Transpiration = water vapor escaping into the air from plants
Condensation = water vapor cools into a liquid onto solid particles forming clouds
Precipitation = Water that falls to the ground
✏ Solar Energy powers the water cycle.
✏ Average precipitation per year in Iron County is 10".
✏ Water comes from groundwater and surface water.
✏ 96.5% of usable fresh water is found underground.
2.7% in lakes and streams.
0.8% in soil and the atmosphere.
✏ Groundwater is stored in aquifers.
✏ Surface water is found in rivers, lakes, streams, and reservoirs.
✏ An acre foot of water is enough to cover an acre of land a foot deep of water (about the size of a football field). An average family of five uses approximately an acre-foot of water in one year.
✏ 72% of Utah’s water is used for agriculture.
16% is used as culinary water.
✏ All of the water we drink is groundwater.
✏ Iron County residents use 200 gallons per person per day
67 percent of this water is used outside.
✏ A dripping faucet = 4 gallons wasted per day
Every 5 minutes in the shower = 15-30 gallons.
✏ It takes 61 gallons of water to produce one serving of corn.
100 gallons for one serving of watermelon.
10 gallons for one cola soft drink.
✏ 70% of the human body is water.
- Our bodies need water to digest food, cool skin, bathe eyes, soothe throats, expel wastes, aid chemical processes, and lubricate joints.
✏ Humans can only live three days without water.
✏ We should each drink ½ gallon of water a day.
✏ Cedar Valley is considered a closed basin where the underground water is considered to be on giant bathtub.
✏ All drinking water in Cedar Valley comes from ground water, either springs or wells.
75% of the water in Cedar Valley is used by farmers.
✏ Iron County is located in between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range (or Great Basin) Region.
✏ The Cedar Valley Basin covers about 220 square miles from the vicinity of Rush Lake in the north to the community of Kanarraville in the south and includes Cedar City on its eastern edge
QUESTIONS
- People in Utah use a lot of water that is pumped from wells. What is this water called?
- Water can change from a liquid to vapor or steam. What is this water cycle process called?
- What chemical is generally added to water to control waterborne diseases in drinking water?
- How much water is an acre foot?
- What is the average annual precipitation in Iron County?
- Water is sometimes pumped back into an aquifer. What is this process called?
- Name two reasons our bodies need water.
- What is the process called when water changes from a vapor to a liquid or solid state, such as within a cloud?
- Generally, how many days can a person live without water?
- What percent of Iron County's water is used for culinary water?
- Give two uses why dams and reservoirs are built on rivers and streams in Utah.
- How much of the earth's surface is covered with water?
- How much of the earth’s water can be used for human needs?
- When we take a five-minute shower, how much water do we generally use?
- What percentage of the human body is water?
- Who owns the water in Utah?
- What percentage of people in Utah drink groundwater?
- A slowly dripping faucet in our homes wastes water. During a day, about how much water can be wasted?
- Iron County is located in between which two geologic regions?
- What aquifer is found in Iron County?
- How much NEW water is made each year in the world?
- About how much water is used to produce one serving of watermelon?
- About how much water is used to produce one serving of corn?
- An acre-foot of water is approximately 326,000 gallons. How long does it take a family of five to use this much water?
- About how much water is used to make one cola drink?
- What two chemical elements make up the water molecule?
- In Utah, about how many inches of snow does it take to make one inch of water?
- What is the name of the water cycle process where water vapor is transmitted through the pores of leaves?
- What is one source of water from the ground?
- Name two forms of precipitation.
- What is the current rate of water usage per person per day in Iron County (in gallons)?
- What is the largest stream in the Cedar Valley?
- What is water in rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs called?
- Utah is called the second-driest state in the nation. What is Utah's average annual precipitation?
- What do you call solid or liquid water that falls to the earth's surface?
- What is the largest source of usable fresh water?
- Where does most of the water in streams and rivers in Utah come from?
- What energy source drives the water cycle?
- What do we call the endless cycle that water on earth goes through?
- What name is given to water that is treated and mainly used indoors for drinking?
- Where do water and wastes from sinks, bathtubs and toilets go?
- How much of earth’s water is locked in ice caps and glaciers?
- When we think of water, we most generally think of it as a liquid. Name two other forms that water may take.
- How much of earth’s water is salty and undrinkable?
- How much water do we generally need to drink each day?
- What is the area where groundwater is stored beneath the earth's surface called?