C6.3.4 - Drinking Water

Question 1

Where does tap water come from?

Answer 1

Rivers
Reservoirs
Aquifers
Waste water

Question 2

Why is tap water safe?

Answer 2

Insoluble and soluble substances within the tap water are removed at treatment areas to ensure the water is safe to drink

Question 3

What does seawater contain high concentrations of?

Answer 3

Dissolved seawater

Question 4

What is desalination?

Answer 4

The process of removing salt from water

Question 5

What is used for small scale desalination?

Answer 5

Reverse osmosis using special ultra filters to filter out the salt

Question 6

What is used for large scale desalination?

Answer 6

Simple distillation

Question 7

When might desalination be worth it?

Answer 7

When water supply is low

Energy resources cost too low

Question 8

Describe the process of how tap water is cleaned.

Answer 8

The water passes through a screen to catch larger objects such as twigs or leaves. It then lands in a settlement tank where soil and sand are filtered out. Aluminium sulfate and lime are added to the water to get rid of mud and dirt. Then, the water passes through a fine sand filter to remove any more mud particles. Finally, a small amount of chlorine is added to kill any bacteria