Science - Ch. 11 - Water Systems

Question 1

*in Walkerton, one of their wells became contaminated because these 3 things happened at once:
*What was the bacteria called?
(7 died, 2000 ill)

Answer 1

2 The amount of chlorine used was not being monitored. (not enough)

*#1 A normal farming activity (manure) resulted in bacteria seeping into the ground and washing into the well water

*Escherichia coli

Question 2

Recharge (*think of rain barrel)

Answer 2

Refill

Question 3

What are the natural causes of water table changes?

Answer 3

flooding: water table to rise
droughts: water table to gradually drop
earthquakes: water table to drop + affect groundwater’s potability

Question 4

Examples of ways human activities affect the water supply

Answer 4

• human-made dam collapsing
• overuse or misuse of water
• water diversion and export

Question 5

Examples of overusing or misusing water

Answer 5

• overuse of wells: there will be less water if the groundwater is not properly recharged and a lot of it is being used by wells.
• farming and industry practices: they use a lot of water for their operations but do not discharge as much water as extracted.
• water diversion and export: (water bottle industry) removes large quantities of water & discharges less than extracted. When exported, the water is not returned to the watershed it came from.

Question 6

Discharge

Answer 6

release or pour out

Question 7

3 types of contents of the contaminates of water. Give examples for each.

Answer 7

• biological: both visible and microscopic organisms (ex. bacteria, viruses, algae)
• chemical: dissolved substances that come from natural processes or human activity (ex. salt, pesticides, fertilizer)
• physical: all materials that do not dissolve in water (ex. plants, animal waste, garbage)

Question 8

What is Giardia? What illness can it cause?

Answer 8

a microscopic parasite often found in the feces of beavers and other animals that can cause an illness called “beaver fever”

Question 9

water treatment methods (3) What + how?

Answer 9

• septic systems: self-contained wastewater treatment facility. Separates the solid and lighter materials to leave water that can go through the holes to seep into the soil into the ground water supply.
• wetland technology: a wetland is land that is saturated with water for long periods of time (ex. swap). Water-loving plants that grow here can filter and purify water. The plants and microorganisms remove and recycle nutrients + roots and soil filter out contaminates.
• the wastewater treatment plant: a physical plant and network of underground pipes that gets the waste to the plant

Question 10

Examples of things that effect our drinking water (8)

Answer 10

• air pollution
• power stations
• factories
• runoff from city streets
• run-off from farmland
• habitat destruction
• waste water
• oil spills

Question 11

chlorine

Answer 11

chemical used to disinfect water

Question 12

contaminants

Answer 12

content that is harmful to humans, animals, and the environment

Question 13

septic tank

Answer 13

tank in which wastewater from all indoor sources (ex. toilets, sinks, and bathtubs) enter to be cleaned

Question 14

waste water

Answer 14

water that has been used

Question 15

When do the levels of the water table drop or rise?

Answer 15

The level of the water table will drop as the amount of groundwater decreases.

The top of the water table will rise closer to the ground’s surface, this means that the water table might reach the surface and lead to flooding.

Question 16

Where do most Canadians obtain their drinking water from?

Answer 16

Most Canadians obtain their drinking water from a lake, river, or reservoir.

Question 17

What is the wetland technology?

Answer 17

Water-loving plants that grow in wetlands can filter and purify water.

Question 18

What is the wastewater treatment plant?

Answer 18

A network of underground pipes that get to the physical plant. For example, for a city with a population of about 50 000, a wastewater treatment facility may cost over $40 million to build and maintain.

Question 19

What is 5th the step in the water treatment system?

Answer 19

5. the drinkable water is distributed to all the business and homes in the community.

Question 20

What is the 1st step in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 20

1. wastewater leaves your home through the pipes and is pumped into the wastewater treatment system.

Question 21

What is the 2nd step in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 21

2. wastewater passes through screens to remove large particles

Question 22

What is the 3rd step in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 22

3. wastewater enters the grit chamber that removes small particles like coffee grounds.

Question 23

What is the 4th step in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 23

4. wastewater passes into a primary treatment tank. Heavy solids sink to the bottom forms into sludge. The material that floats gets skimmed off the top.

Question 24

What is the 5th step in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 24

5. The grey water enters the aeration tank. It contains microorganisms and bacteria that digest the organic waste.

Question 25

What is the 6th step in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 25

6. The wastewater passes into another settling tank. The microorganisms settle to the bottom as sludge. Some of it is returned to the aeration tank.

Question 26

What is the 7th step in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 26

7. chlorine is added into the wastewater to disinfect it. Most of the chlorine is used up before step 8.

Question 27

What is the 8th step in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 27

8. The cleaned and treated water is discharged back into the environment.

Question 28

How many steps are in the wastewater treatment system?

Answer 28

8 steps are in the wastewater treatment system.

Question 29

Explain the statement, “The water that flows into your sink or bathtub has flowed through your local watershed.”

Answer 29

All water that falls to Earth flows through a watershed. Tap water is water that is removed from an area of the watershed, such as a river or lake (for us it is Lake Ontario). It has flowed through the local watershed.

Question 30

Describe four threats to our drinking water sources.

Answer 30

run-off from city streets and farmland, waste water, oil spills, pollution

Question 31

List the steps for the water treatment plant (4/6)

Answer 31

• wastewater leaves your home through the pipes and is pumped into the wastewater treatment system.
  1. screening out large solids
  2. addition of a chemical so that solids clump and settle out
  3. filtration through a membrane of sand and gravel
  4. addition of chlorine to kill micro-organisms +fluoride may be added to prevent tooth decay.
• the drinkable water is distributed to all the business and homes in the community.