Download Ch 11.3 - My CCSD

IN: What are some problems we face
with water shortages here in Southern
Nevada?
Terms to Learn & Objectives
 Terms:
Ground water
water table aquifer
porosity
Permeability
point-source pollution
sewage treatment plant
 Objectives:
*Describe the characteristics of an aquifer.
*Describe the stages of treatment for water at a
sewage treatment plant.
*Explain how ground water can be both a renewable
and a nonrenewable resource.
Ground water
 Water located within the rocks below the Earth’s
surface is an important resource and plays a role in
erosion and deposition.
 Water accumulates in an area know as the zone of
saturation the top of which is the water table.
 The water table rises and falls with the seasons
so it can be renewed naturally.
 Sometimes we use the water
faster than it can renew itself.
Rock Layers
 Porous rocks have open spaces between the
individual rock layers.
 Permeable rocks’ pores are connected and so water
can pass through.
Aquifers
 A rock layer that stores and
allows the flow of water is called
an aquifer.
 Usually the rock layer above an
aquifer must be porous and
permeable such as sandstone
or limestone.
What kind of rock covers
Nevada?
 Hint, Nevada was once covered with an ocean.
Groundwater Erosion and
Deposition
 Ground water can dissolved certain types of rock
such as limestone forming caves.
 Sometimes the water drips and forms stalactites on
the ceilings of caves, or stalagmites on the floors.
Using Water Wisely
Cleaning Polluted Water
 Sewage treatment plants are factories that clean the
waste materials out of water that comes from the
sewer or drains.
 Primary Treatment removes
solid material such as paper
and plastic or oil on top.
 Secondary Treatment aerates
the water and it is treated
with bacteria and chlorine.
 Point-source Pollution: comes from one particular
point, such as a sewer pipe.
 Nonpoint-source pollution: comes from runoff from
general sources.
Where the water goes
What’s goin’on?
 Lake Mead is shrinking.
 Levels are becoming
a major concern.
The Southern Nevada Water
Authority
 Patricia Mulroy is heading the plan to build the
pipeline from White Pine County
to Las Vegas
The Plan
 SNWA has plans to
build a pipeline to Las
Vegas from the aquifer
in White Pine county.
The Opposition
Great Basin Water Network (GBWN) - Stop Nevada
Water Grabs!
What do you think?