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Water
Management
Subject
Area
This
activity is designed for the Grade 12 Geography-Environmental
Studies (GNS) and Grade 11 Physical Geography courses. This
activity can also be used in Regional and Urban Studies Geography
courses. Note: You may choose to assign the student Water Log
exercise up to one week in advance of this lesson, in order
to maintain lesson continuity.
Subject Application
This activity
should be utilized after students are familiar with the hydrologic
cycle and the relative amounts of the world's water system (95%-salt
water, 5%-fresh water [mainly ice or underground], and 0.01%-usable
water [not in ice or underground]. This lesson can be presented
as an Integrative Study in Grade 11 Physical Geography to apply
the physical principles of water to the issues of water management
in general, and specifically in urban water management and personal
water use. Similarly, this activity can be applied as a study
of the water supply system as a component of the Environmental
Issues and/or Built Environment Units of the Grade 12 Geography-Environmental
Studies and Regional or Urban Studies programs.
Learning Outcomes
Teaching,
learning and evaluation will focus on the student's ability
to:
- Develop
and express an understanding of the importance of water in
the natural environment and for societal uses;
- Measure
and analyze personal water use patterns;
- Develop
and express an understanding of water as a finite resource
which requires considered management.
Classroom Development
- Begin
with a class discussion of the question: Why is water important?
Have students discuss this question in groups and develop
a list response which will be written on the board. Discuss
the students' responses and reasoning, and generate a consensus
list of reasons why water is important.
- Have
students suppose how much water is required for the human
body to exist. Have students support their answers with their
own arguments ( On average humans need to consume 2 L of water
daily (more in hot climates)). The impact of this fact can
be demonstrated by passing around a 2 L bottle filled with
water. Discuss the availability of water in various parts
of the world with the students. You may wish to use parts
of the Mathematics activity "Life Expectancy and Access
to Safe Water" from the Transitional Years volume of
this document.
- Review
the hydrologic cycle and discuss the relative proportions
of the total world water supply. Total world water supply
proportions are as follows: 95%-salt water, 5%-fresh water
[mainly ice or underground], and 0.01%-usable water that is
not salt, ice, too deep underground, too remote, or too polluted].
The following demonstration approximates the world's water
supply:
a) Place 2 L of water in a container, representing the total
world water supply;
b) Remove enough water to fill a 500 mL beaker, representing
the total freshwater supply;
c) Using an eyedropper, remove 10 drops of water from the
beaker and place on a petri dish, representing the total usable
water supply.
Discuss the finite nature of available water resources illustrated
by this demonstration.
- Provide
students with the Environment Canada Fact Sheet: Water
Works! and the Student Question Sheet for Water Works!
(see Student Materials). The accompanying reading and questions
will explore the issue of water use in Canada and introduce
the need for conservation of this vital resource.
- Discuss
the class responses to the Water Works! reading. Provide
each student with a copy of the Water Log (Environment Canada).
Note: You should assign this part of the exercise up to one
week in advance of the beginning of the lesson. Challenge
students to measure their personal household water use for
comparison to the national per capita average as presented
in Water Works! Set a time limit, from a few days to
a full week, for the measurement period.
- Students
should calculate the average household rate of water consumption.
You may also choose to calculate a class average. Discuss
which household activities use the most water on average.
Methods to reduce water use could be discussed or left to
a subsequent lesson dealing specifically with water conservation
issues.
Background Information
The issues of Canadian water supply, water use, water pollution,
and future water management needs are well covered in The
State Of Canada's Environment (1991), Chapter 3 "Fresh
Water: Liquid Assets." A detailed overview of water conservation
is provided in Water-No Time To Waste: A Consumer's Guide
to Water Conservation (Environment Canada). A complete set
of 9 water related fact sheets are available, free, from Environment
Canada at (800) 668-6767.
Timing
- One
period (50 min) is required to discuss the need and uses for
water, the nature of the world's water supply, and to begin
the reading and questions assignment.
- One period
should be set aside to complete and discuss the reading assignment.
- The Water
Log will require up to one week to complete. This exercise should
be assigned ahead of time to maintain lesson continuity.
- One period
will be required to discuss the results of the student Water
Log and to identify water conservation options for households.
Resources
Environment Canada. The State Of Canada's Environment
(1991). Ottawa: Environment Canada, 1991.
Environment Canada. Water-No Time To Waste: A Consumer's
Guide to Water Conservation. Ottawa: Canada Communications
Group, 1990.
Environment Canada. Water Works! (Fact Sheet 4). Ottawa:
Canada Communications Group, 1990. Available from Environment
Canada at (800)668-6767.
Cross-disciplinary Links
The Family Studies programs can adapt this lesson as a household/consumer
management activity to study ways to reduce costs and protect
the environment. Calculation, presentation and comparison
of personal water use data may be covered in Mathematics programs.
Business/Economics classes may choose to discuss the economics
of water use in the home and in industry, and the pricing
structures of water versus various beverages.
Student
Questions
- Briefly
describe each of the 5 main withdrawal uses of water.
a) Thermal power generation
b) Manufacturing
c) Municipal Use
d) Agriculture
e) Mining
- Briefly
describe each of the 6 main stream uses of water.
a) Hydroelectric power generation
b) Water transport
c) Freshwater fisheries
d) Wildlife
e)
Recreation
f) Waste disposal
- Why
do you think the price of water in Canada is so low?
- What
is the relationship between the price of water and the amount
of water used?
- What
factors might account for the difference in the price between
water and other typical beverages?
- What
do you think would account for the recent surge in popularity
of bottled water?
- What
factors could explain the average daily household water use
(per capita) that you were able to discover?
- What
effect would an increase in the price of water have on the following
sectors:
a) Municipal water and sewage systems
b) Households
c) Industrial, commercial and agricultural users
- What
future actions will be required to effectively manage Canada's
water supply?
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