Water Flashcards

Question

What are the disadvantages of desalination?

Answer 1

- High initial cost - The process is very energy-intensive and expensive, only viable option in MEDCs - Desalination has environmental impacts e.g. salt waste can damage ecosystems - High carbon emissions

Answer 2

The transfer of water from one place to another, from an area of water surplus to an area of water deficit

Answer 3

Agriculture (69%) Industry (20%) Domestic (11%)

Answer 4

85% agriculture 8% domestic 7% industry

Answer 5

Sub-Saharan Africa gets 25l US gets 600l | SLURP

Answer 6

The river colorado originates from the state of Colorado and extends throughout Arizona, touching many states. The area that fuels the river is named the Colorado River Basin, in the South West of the USA.

Answer 7

Because this area is the driest area in the USA, with the most desert land and fast developing cities are growing e.g. Phoenix in Arizona, Los Angeles in California or Las Vegas in Nevada. The west USA has 60% of the US land, 40% of its population, but only 25% of it’s annual precipitation. This being made worse by Climate Change.

Answer 8

It is a multi-purpose water management scheme, where the Colorado river has been tamed and turned into a gigantic plumbing system which brings water to areas in the Colorado Basin which experience a frequent water deficit, e.g. Phoenix, and meets the industrial, agricultural and domestic needs for water. It also maintains population and economic growth, while generating electricity at the same time using dams.

Answer 9

**Dams/reservoirs** These structures such as the Hoover dam retain water in times of water surplus, and release it in time of deficit for irrigation. Water is pumped from the reservoirs such as Lake Mead and distributed to cities. **Canals/aqueducts/pipelines** These are man-made flows of water that divert water from the river colorado to other places to irrigate them and supply drinking water

Answer 10

Water may be pumped out of reservoirs or diverted from the river itself. The central Arizona Project is a large canal that transports water to cities like Phoenix. 1/10th of the river is diverted and into a pumping station, lifting the water 250 metres up into the hillside, then the water is channeled through artificial waterways to cities in the middle of Arizona Water travels almost 1000 metres in height throughout its journey, passing by many more pumping stations, via a 540 km Central Arizona Project. It supplies most of its water to Phoenix which relied on a quickly/deplenishing aquifer.

Answer 11

Water for Agriculture is being supplied by Dams, which release water into the Colorado River in times of water deficit, and mainly canals such as the All American Canal and the Colorado River Aqueduct supply water by crossing through California.

Answer 12

There is not enough water in the Colorado River Basin to hydrate the growing population. 80% of the Colorado River Basin’s water is used for agriculture, while only 12% is domestic use. Some treaties decided a century ago when the population distribution in the US still apply, for example California gets 13 times more water than Nevada, but now Nevada has large cities such as Las Vegas. The Colorado Basin states are redistributing water but each state wants more.

Answer 13

Legal pacts in 1922 and 1944 allocate more water to the states in the river's upper basin (Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico) and lower basin (Arizona, Nevada and California) and to Mexico, than now flows through the river, even in years without a drought. This is a problem because cities in the lower basin are growing quickly, and there is some very fertile land there as well that needs water. Farmers and cities have conflicts over the limited water supply such as the farmers in the Imperial Valley, California. Because of so many withdrawals of water by canals, reservoirs and aqueducts, the river rarely makes it to the Gulf of California. Mexico is unhappy as it has lost a significant amount of water, and has to invest in expensive desalination plants such as the one in Yuma.

Answer 14

- The Colorado River used to carry about 90 million tonnes of sediment a year down to its mouth. However, the majority of this now gets trapped behind dams, damaging the delta and wetland ecosystem at the river's mouth. Salinity in the lower Colorado has increased changing the ecosystem. - The number of fish shrimps and sea mammals have all reduced around the mouth of the river. - Evaporation rates have increased behind the river's many dams. About 15% of water is evaporated. - The deep water in the reservoirs behind the dams has reduced the temperature of the river in many areas.

Answer 15

**Pros** - Reduces flooding in summer and drought in winter - Electricity is produced - Water stored behind dam can be used for agricultural, domestic and industrial purposes **Cons** - Land is lost to flooding when dams are created - Sediment builds up behind dams, affecting HEP production - Less sediment in the rivers causes habitat to change for native fish, and sandbanks shrink, affecting land animal habitats as well - Mexico’s water supply is reduced as water is pumped out before it reaches them

Answer 16

The use of water is not sustainable, as water levels are already decreasing drastically throughout the rivers and reservoirs because so much water is being pumped out of the river. Solutions: - Shift water consumption to desalination - Water recycling - Imported water from other states - Water use quotas