Geo Water Resources

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Hydrologic Cycle

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With solar radiation as the energy
source that drives the cycle, water moves into the atmosphere through evaporation, or transpiration from
plants. Condensation and precipitation lead to water (or ice) back to the Earth’s surface. Once on the
surface, water runs off to form streams and rivers that ultimately flow to the ocean. Some water percolates
into the subsurface to recharge the groundwater system. Like surface water runoff, groundwater also slowly
migrates through rocks to join the surface water system

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Most water resides

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in the oceans and is saline, or salt water.

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Most fresh water is

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locked up in continental
glaciers, such as those in Greenland and
Antarctica, and to a less extent mountain
glaciers.

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At any time, the water in the atmosphere is

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about 1/1000 of a percent,
while water in all rivers and lakes constitute
about 9/1000 of a percent of the total water
on Earth.

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The Water Cycle

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Earth's water is always in movement, and the natural water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Water is always changing states between liquid, vapor, and ice, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over millions of years.

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Is pure water colorless

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no it's blue tinted (NO not like the sky)

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Limnology

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the study of lakes and other freshwater systems) is the science that can provide improved understanding of lake ecosystem dynamics and information that can lead to sound management policies. As more studies are conducted on a variety of lake systems, the accumulated information leads to the development of general concepts about how lakes function and respond to environmental changes.

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condition of a lake at a given time is the result of

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interaction of many factors�its watershed, climate, geology, human influence, and characteristics of the lake itself.

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Characteristics of lakes

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-Climate
-Atmospheric inputs
-Geologic substrate and soils in the basin
-Physiography
-Land use
-Lake morphometry

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Climate

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Temperature, wind, precipitation, and solar radiation all critically affect the lake's hydrologic and chemical characteristics, and indirectly affect the composition of the biological community. Precipitation is the main factor affecting runoff and the delivery of nutrients and sediments. Temperature, wind, and energy from the sun affect lake stratification and mixing, plant growth, and evaporation.

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Atmospheric inputs

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The surface of a lake is directly exposed to atmospheric inputs. Not only wet precipitation, but also dry particles, can be major sources of certain contaminants to a lake. Each lake also receives indirect atmospheric inputs by way of the runoff from its watershed.

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Geologic substrate and soils in the basin:

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The soil type affects the potential for runoff and erosion. The physical characteristics of the substrate determine the extent, nature, and quality of ground-water inflows and outflows. These are primary factors affecting the lake's chemistry, because of transfers between water and sediments, and input of sediment, minerals, and nutrients from the watershed by runoff water flowing into the lake.

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Physiography:

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The area, surface topography, existence of upstream lakes and wetlands, altitude, and land slope of the lake's watershed affect surface-water runoff and the amount and nature of chemicals and sediments entering the lake. The physiography of the region affects the size of a lake's watershed and ground-water contributing area. The boundaries of a lake watershed and ground-water contributing area may not necessarily coincide. Interactions with land use by people can appreciably change how these factors affect runoff and the export of nutrients and sediment.

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Land use:

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he type, location, extent, and history of land cover/land use (such as agriculture, rural, and urban developed areas) can greatly affect the quantity of surfacewater and ground-water inflows and outflows, as well as the amounts and types of sediment, nutrients and chemicals (natural or synthetic) that are transported into the lake from the watershed.

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Lake morphometry:

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Size, shape, and depth characteristics of a lake are critical in determining currents and mixing of the lake, as well as its thermal and chemical stratification characteristics.

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Common environmental problems in lakes and probable causes

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-Algal blooms
-Sedimentation/turbidity
-Oxygen depletion
-Growth of aquatic plants (macrophytes)
-Water-level changes
-Species shifts

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Water-Quality Properties

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Color
Conductivity
Dissolved oxygen
Electrical conductivity
Hardness
pH
Saline water
Suspended sediment
Turbidity

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Turbidity

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s the amount of particulate matter that is suspended in water. Turbidity measures the scattering effect that suspended solids have on light: the higher the intensity of scattered light, the higher the turbidity. Material that causes water to be turbid include:

clay
silt
finely divided organic and inorganic matter
soluble colored organic compounds
plankton
microscopic organisms

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Hardness

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The amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water determines its "hardness." Water hardness varies throughout the United States. If you live in an area where the water is "soft," then you may never have even heard of water hardness.

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Suspended sediment

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uspended sediment is the amount of soil moving along in a stream. It is highly dependent on the speed of the water flow, as fast-flowing water can pick up and suspend more soil than calm water. During storms, soil is washed from the stream banks into the stream. The amount that washes into a stream depends on the type of land in the river's watershed and the vegetation surrounding the river.

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pH

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is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 - 14, with 7 being neutral. pHs of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base. pH is really a measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the water. Water that has more free hydrogen ions is acidic, whereas water that has more free hydroxyl ions is basic. Since pH can be affected by chemicals in the water, pH is an important indicator of water that is changing chemically. pH is reported in "logarithmic units," like the Richter scale, which measures earthquakes. Each number represents a 10-fold change in the acidity/basicness of the water. Water with a pH of 5 is ten times more acidic than water having a pH of six.

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Water temperature

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Water temperature is not only important to swimmers and fisherman, but also to industries and even fish and algae. A lot of water is used for cooling purposes in power plants that generate electricity. They need cool water to start with, and they generally release warmer water back to the environment. The temperature of the released water can affect downstream habitats. Temperature also can affect the ability of water to hold oxygen as well as the ability of organisms to resist certain pollutants.

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Specific conductance

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measure of the ability of water to conduct an electrical current. It is highly dependent on the amount of dissolved solids (such as salt) in the water. Pure water, such as distilled water, will have a very low specific conductance, and sea water will have a high specific conductance. Rainwater often dissolves airborne gasses and airborne dust while it is in the air, and thus often has a higher specific conductance than distilled water. Specific conductance is an important water-quality measurement because it gives a good idea of the amount of dissolved material in the water.

measure of the ability of water to conduct an electrical current. It is highly dependent on the amount of dissolved solids (such as salt) in the water. Pure water, such as distilled water, will have a very low specific conductance, and sea water will have a high specific conductance. Rainwater often dissolves airborne gasses and airborne dust while it is in the air, and thus often has a higher specific conductance than distilled water. Specific conductance is an important water-quality measurement because it gives a good idea of the amount of dissolved material in the water.

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Dissolved oxygen

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You can't tell by looking at water that there is oxygen in it (unless you remember that chemical makeup of a water molecule is hydrogen and oxygen). But, if you look at a closed bottle of a soft drink, you don't see the carbon dioxide dissolved in that - until you shake it up and open the top. The oxygen dissolved in lakes, rivers, and oceans is crucial for the organisms and creatures living in it. As the amount of dissolved oxygen drops below normal levels in water bodies, the water quality is harmed and creatures begin to die off. Indeed, a water body can "die", a process called eutrophication.

Although water molecules contain an oxygen atom, this oxygen is not what is needed by aquatic organisms living in our natural waters. A small amount of oxygen, up to about ten molecules of oxygen per million of water, is actually dissolved in water. This dissolved oxygen is breathed by fish and zooplankton and is needed by them to survive.

Rapidly moving water, such as in a mountain stream or large river, tends to contain a lot of dissolved oxygen, while stagnant water contains little. Bacteria in water can consume oxygen as organic matter decays. Thus, excess organic material in our lakes and rivers can cause an oxygen-deficient situation to occur. Aquatic life can have a hard time in stagnant water that has a lot of rotting, organic material in it, especially in summer, when dissolved-oxygen levels are at a seasonal low.

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Water Use

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Aquaculture
Domestic
Industrial
Irrigation
Livestock
Mining
Public supply
Thermoelectric power

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Aquaculture Water Use

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Aquaculture water use is water associated with raising creatures that live in water—such as finfish and shellfish—for food, restoration, conservation, or sport. In many lakes, rivers, and reservoirs around the country, recreational fishermen enjoy catching fish that have been raised in fish ponds and released to natural waters. Aquaculture production occurs under controlled feeding, sanitation, and harvesting procedures primarily in ponds, flowthrough raceways, and, to a lesser extent, cages, net pens, and closed-recirculation tanks.

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Domestic water use

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most important uses for water are at our homes. Domestic water use is water used for indoor and outdoor household purposes— all the things you do at home: drinking, preparing food, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, brushing your teeth, watering the yard and garden, and even washing the dog.
A domestic well in south Georgia serves the water needs of one household.. (Credit: Alan Cressler, USGS)

A domestic well in south Georgia serves the water needs of one household. Credit: Alan Cressler, USGS.

Water generally gets to our homes in one of two ways. Either it is delivered by a city/county water department (or maybe from a private company), or people supply their own water, normally from a well. Water delivered to homes is called "public-supplied deliveries" and water that people supply themselves is called "self supplied", and is almost always from groundwater.

The majority of America's population (about 86 percent) gets their water delivered from a public-supply system.

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Industrial water use

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Probably every manufactured product uses water during some part of the production process. Industrial water use includes water used for such purposes as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or transporting a product; incorporating water into a product; or for sanitation needs within the manufacturing facility. Some industries that use large amounts of water produce such commodities as food, paper, chemicals, refined petroleum, or primary metals.

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Irrigation water use

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(water for agriculture, or growing crops) is probably the most important use of water (except for drinking and washing a smelly dog, perhaps). Almost 60 percent of all the world's freshwater withdrawals go towards irrigation uses. Large-scale farming could not provide food for the world's large populations without the irrigation of crop fields by water gotten from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wells. Without irrigation, crops could never be grown in the deserts of California, Israel, or my tomato patch.
Irrigation circles, Colorado. Each green circle signifies the presence of a center-pivot irrigation system. (Credit: Dan L. Perlman, EcoLibrary)

Center-pivot irrigation circles, Colorado. Here, water is pumped from an underground aquifer and distributed through a giant sprinkler hundreds of feet (more than 100m) long that pivots around a central point.
Credit: Dan L. Perlman, EcoLibrary.

Irrigation has been around for as long as humans have been cultivating plants. Man's first invention after he learned how to grow plants from seeds was probably a bucket. Ancient people must have had strong backs from having to haul buckets full of water to pour on their first plants

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Livestock water use

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Water is needed to raise livestock, be it cows, chickens, horses, or rabbits. Livestock water use is water associated with livestock watering, feedlots, dairy operations, and other on-farm needs. This includes water for raising cows, chickens, horses, rabbits, fish, and pets, and also water used in the production of meats, poultry, eggs, and milk.

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Mining water use

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mining corporations need water to make bare rock give up its valuable minerals. Mining has played an important part in the development of this Nation. Even before the first European settlers set foot on this continent and mined coal to heat their homes, Native Americans were using coal to bake clay for vessels. The United States now produces a wide variety of mined commodities from gold to coal to "exotic" minerals used in everything from pharmaceuticals to jewelry to high-tech products

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Public-supply water use

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These are government or privately-run facilities that withdraw water from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wells and then deliver it to our homes, businesses, and schools. The majority of the population (about 86 percent) of the United States nowadays gets their water in this manner. You probably get your home drinking water this way (please fill out our survey). In the past, when the population was a lot more rural, people used to have to dig their own wells and create storage tanks for their water supply. But with large numbers of people living in bigger cities the public-supply systems do that work for us. All we do is turn on the tap ...oh, and pay the bills.

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Thermoelectric Power Water Use

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One of the main uses of water in the power industry is to cool the power-producing equipment. Water used for this purpose does cool the equipment, but at the same time, the hot equipment heats up the cooling water! Overly hot water cannot be released back into the environment—fish downstream from a power plant releasing the hot water would get very upset. So, the used water must first be cooled. One way to do this is to build very large cooling towers and to spray the water inside the towers. Evaporation occurs and water is cooled. That is why large power-production facilities are often located near rivers, lakes, and the ocean.

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Surface Water Quality

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Impervious surfaces
Runoff
Sediment fences reduce runoff
Sediment ponds to trap sediment

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Impervious surfaces and flooding

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Impervious surfaces can have an effect on local streams, both in water quality and streamflow and flooding characteristics. The picture to the right illustrates how water-quality problems can occur from development. Sediment-laden water from a tributary where construction is taking place is shown entering the Chattahoochee River, just west of Atlanta.

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Effects of impervious surfaces on streamflow

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A significant portion of rainfall in forested watersheds is absorbed into soils (infiltration), is stored as groundwater, and is slowly discharged to streams through seeps and springs. Flooding is less significant in these conditions because some of the runoff during a storm is absorbed into the ground, thus lessening the amount of runoff into a stream during the storm.

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Runoff

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When rain or snow falls onto the earth, it just doesn't sit there -- it starts moving according to the laws of gravity. A portion of the precipitation seeps into the ground to replenish Earth's groundwater. Most of it flows downhill as runoff. Runoff is extremely important in that not only does it keep rivers and lakes full of water, but it also changes the landscape by the action of erosion. Flowing water has tremendous power -- it can move boulders and carve out canyons (check out the Grand Canyon!).
Runoff of course occurs during storms, and much more water flows in rivers (and as runoff) during storms.

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definitions of runoff:

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That part of the precipitation, snow melt, or irrigation water that appears in uncontrolled surface streams, rivers, drains or sewers. Runoff may be classified according to speed of appearance after rainfall or melting snow as direct runoff or base runoff, and according to source as surface runoff, storm interflow, or ground-water runoff.
The sum of total discharges described in (1), above, during a specified period of time.
The depth to which a watershed (drainage area) would be covered if all of the runoff for a given period of time were uniformly distributed over it.

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Meteorological factors affecting runoff:

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ff:

Type of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, etc.)
Rainfall intensity
Rainfall amount
Rainfall duration
Distribution of rainfall over the watershedS
Direction of storm movement
Antecedent precipitation and resulting soil moisture
Other meteorological and climatic conditions that affect evapotranspiration, such as temperature, wind, relative humidity, and season.

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Physical characteristics affecting runoff:

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Land use
Vegetation
Soil type
Drainage area
Basin shape
Elevation
Slope
Topography
Direction of orientation
Drainage network patterns
Ponds, lakes, reservoirs, sinks, etc. in the basin, which prevent or alter runoff from continuing downstream

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Runoff and water quality

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significant portion of rainfall in forested watersheds is absorbed into soils (infiltration), is stored as groundwater, and is slowly discharged to streams through seeps and springs. Flooding is less significant in these conditions because some of the runoff during a storm is absorbed into the ground, thus lessening the amount of runoff into a stream during the storm.

As watersheds are urbanized, much of the vegetation is replaced by impervious surfaces, thus reducing the area where infiltration to groundwater can occur. Thus, more stormwater runoff occurs - runoff that must be collected by extensive drainage systems that combine curbs, storm sewers (as shown in this picture), and ditches to carry stormwater runoff directly to streams. More simply, in a developed watershed, much more water arrives into a stream much more quickly, resulting in an increased likelihood of more frequent and more severe flooding.

Drainage ditches to carry stormwater runoff to storage ponds are often built to hold runoff and collect excess sediment in order to keep it out of streams.

Runoff from agricultural land (and even our own yards) can carry excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus into streams, lakes, and ground-water supplies. These excess nutrients have the potential to degrade water quality.

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Sediment fences

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keep the exposed dirt and mud from construction sites out of the streets and streams.

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Sediment pond

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are now being built to trap runoff water. Sediment settles to the bottom of these ponds rather than accumulating in local creeks and streams.