Watery World Flashcards
Give an example of how water is provided to a city
Las Vegas, Mojave Desert, 25miles from Colorado River (water source)Hoover dam created Lake Mead, a reservoir, provides 90% of water10% of water from groundwaterUses up water, threatening other places and animals
Give an example of a place that relies on a reservoir
Bristol, UKReservoir created in 1950, holds 20,000l, destroyed 2,000 acres, flooding Moreton and a roman siteNow pressure on supply due to increased population
Name a place that uses groundwater
Mexico CityThe aquifers support 15.6 million people but is under stress from an increased population
Name the water supply problems in the UK
Water Quality: Flooded drains, sewage pipes and chemical plants pollute water. 1.7% is below quality Grants to not use fertiliser
Spatial Variability: Low rainfall in South but high population, North is opposite. Water pumped to South
Seasonal Imbalance: Dry summers so high water use. Hosepipe bans and more reservoirs
Loss through broken pipes: Pipes are old so high demand causes them to break. Fix pipes before they break
Name the water supply problems in Spain
Water Quality: Pesticides and fertiliser pollute water. Make sure farmers don’t pollute water
Spatial Variablility: More rain in North. Water pumped to the South
Seasonal Imbalance: Almost no rain in summer, wet winters. Bushfires use water for putting out. Reservoirs, hosepipe bans
Loss through broken pipes: Water pipes close to surface expand and contract because of heat. New pipes build deeper.
Name water supply problems in a LIC
Mozambique
Lack of clean piped water: 36% of homes have a tap. 1bn people don’t have access to clean water, collecting water can take 3 hours a day
Water Pollution: Mineral Mine (point source): Rivers contaminated by waste. Farming (non-point source): Fertilisers and pesticides run into water supply, can afferct 100-1000km away. Deforestation (non-point source): Stops roots holding soil so is washed into rivers.
Water-borne disease: Diarrhoea: 900mn suffer a year, 2mn die. Cholera: Caused by bacteria, in 2008-9 3,000 died in Zambia
How is the Colorado river basin managed
1928-36: Hoover Dam built
1936-60: Davis, Imperial, Laguna, and Morelos Dam built
1960: Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell made, people realise dams upstream affect downstream. Policy created
1963: Water allocated through the Central America Project, water lost due to evaporation, Disputed continue
Effects: Less water but more demand, US Government want water so cities can develop, Farmers wan’t water for irrigation, Mexico wants more than the little that is left
Name 5 schemes countrys use to manage their water supply
Boreholes: LIC, cheap to drill holes
