Quiz 3 - Water Resources

environmental

Soil-Water Belt

The place where water is stored after being precipitation is absorbed by the soil

What happens to the soil-water belt when it becomes saturated with water?

When the point of saturation is reached, the water will run off the surface of the land and into streams

This water percolates down through the unsaturated sone to the saturated zone for groundwater storage

Unsaturated zone

The area between the soil–water belt and the water table, where pore spaces
are not saturated with water and are filled with air.

Saturated zone

The zone of rock below and including the water table where pore spaces are
completely filled with water

Aquiclude

An impermeable body of rock that may contain water but does not allow
transmission of water through it.

Water Table

The top of the saturated zone

Perched Water Table

a localized area of saturated sediment that is elevated above the regional water table by a zone of impermeable rock or sediment.

Aquifer

A sufficiently large saturated zone

What are some facts about groundwater?

1. Groundwater does not normally occur in underground streams, lakes, or veins

2. Groundwater is a renewable resource

3. Groundwater is found in soil and sands able to retain the water — much like a sponge holds water

4. Groundwater is a significant water supply source

Principle Aquifer

A regionally extensive aquifer or aquifer system that has the potential to be used as a source of potable water.

How many principal aquifers are there in the United States?

1. There are 65 principle aquifers

2. 20 of these aquifers account for 90% of the withdrawals (High Plains, Central Valley, and Mississippi River Valley)

What three states have the highest rates of total groundwater withdrawals?

1. Arkansas

2. Texas

3. Nebraska (The Ogalla Aquifer)

What are the main uses of groundwater withdrawal?

50% of groundwater is used for irrigation

63% for mining

98% for domestic (public supply)

How are aquifers classified?

Aquifer are classified by their lithology or the characteristics of the rock that makes up the aquifer. The kind of rock determines the permeability and porosity of the aquifer, which determines how much groundwater can infiltrate.

What are the characteristics of sand and gravel aquifers?

1. Most of these sand and gravel aquifers are unconfined

2. They are highly permeable, which makes them highly susceptible to pollution

3. They have high recharge rates (stress of pulling too much water and adding pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus

4. Local to 100s sq km

   1. High Plains, Central Valley, and Mississippi River Valley

What are the characteristics of sandstone aquifers?

1. Low to moderate permeability

2. The water is very mineralized in sandstone aquifers

3. Can be very thick (650 - 2000 m thick)

4. Most sandstone aquifers are confined

What are the characteristics of igneous/metamorphic aquifers?

1. Mostly in the eastern, northeastern, and central US

2. Low permeability (Fracturing in the bedrock portion and GW fills it which makes it harder to pull water from)

3. These aquifers have a large extent, so they are a key source of water

4. Ex: Snake River, Volcanic Rock (HI), Piedmont, and Blue Ridge

What are the characteristics of carbonate aquifers?

1. Common in the Eastern US

2. Limestone, dolomite, and marble

3. Karst topography

   1. Ex: Florida, NY, and New England, Piedmont, and Blue Ridge

4. Carbonate yields more water

What are some common issues with groundwater issues?

1. Overdraft

   1. Water is pumped at a rate that is faster than the water of the aquifer can be recharged. This decreases/lowers the water table.

   2. Shallow wells run dry because of this overdraft, and this also causes an increased cost in electricity to pump wells.

2. Saltwater Intrusion

   1. This occurs in coastal areas where fresh groundwater is sitting on top of denser saltwater.

   2. When this fresh groundwater is pumped, this lowers the water table, which allows saltwater to rise up in freshwater wells.

      1. Ex: This happened in Long Island Sound

3. Surface Collapse

   1. This happens because groundwater is normally slightly acidic, which is why it is constantly dissolving the limestone rock and creating sinkholes.

   2. When groundwater is removed, it leaves behind an open space and air that is no longer holding the ground up with the pressure from the water. This causes sinkholes to form where the overlying rock/soil on top of caves is too heavy.

      1. Ex: FL, TX, AL, MS, KT, TN, PN

4. Water quality

   1. There are multiple sources of contaminants, including metals, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and CECs that enter aquifers from surface water linkages.

5. Subsidence

   1. This is not directly related to the development of karst systems “sinking downward of earth’s surface”

   2. This happens due to the pumping of groundwater because as you remove the fluid between rock particles, then the particles will settle close to one another, and the combination of pressure from on top will cause the ground to sink.

What are the best and worst lithology for withdrawal in terms of aquifers?

The worst lithology for withdrawal from aquifers is the sandstone and carbonate rock aquifers.

The most withdrawals come from unconsolidated sand and gravel aquifers that have very high permeability.

What are some debates regarding the human right to water?

1. Economic vs. human rights perspective

   1. There is a debate between people who argue that, as all humans deserve to live, this naturally means that humans also deserve the right to water, as water is required for survival. However, water is a commodity which means that it is subject to discussion about its market value and cost recovery. Making water a human right would mean that water could not be treated as an economic good with a monetary cost, displacing people who sell water.

2. government and authority

   1. If water were formally included as a human right, this would require the government to be legally accountable for this distribution and the quality of the water. There are also private companies that supply water, and this would place a large amount of authority on them to supply water, while making no profit. This lack of profit would discourage private water companies from supporting the human right to water.

3. Implementation challenges

   1. If water were made a human right,t there is the question of if this would make a difference regarding the water crisis. There are plenty of free resources that are not evenly distributed amongst the world’s citizens and water could become one of these resources. There is also the debate on if water should be made free, or if if should just be more affordable so that everyone, regardless of income, can afford it.

4. ideological differences

   1. market based solutions v.s. public trust 6

What are some challenges to making water a human right?

1. There are geographical challenges. Not every place has the same amount of potable surface water or groundwater sources to use for water. These geographical differences also present a problem for distribution between places that have a large amount of usable water and those that do not.

2. Water Intensive Production:

   1. There are many industries, such as agriculture and mining, that are very water-intensive. If water were made a human right, then this would bring up the discussion of how much water can be used for these other industries, while maintaining a level of clean, potable water for human use.

3. Discrimination in Service:

   1. In the process of distributing water, once it was made into a human right, there comes the opportunity for distributors to deprive communities of water access based on their sex, race, class etc. Currently, water is not a formal human right, and this kind of discrimination happens on indigenous reservations at present.

4. Increasing Cost of Water

How do you define environmental justice?

Environmental Justice is the fair treatment of all people regardless of their race, color, nationality, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

What is a scenario that demonstrates the concept of environmental justice, in regards to water?

The best example of environmental justice in terms of water would be the handling of the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Flint, Michigan, is a low-income, majority African-American city in Michigan that was severely impacted by lead contamination in its drinking water. A third party manager had been appointed