What Would We Do Without Water?

Teachers Resource Guide

The Importance of Water

What is water?
Potable water, or clean drinking water, is essential to life on earth - not a single creature can survive
without it. We use water in countless ways - some obvious and some less obvious.
Worldwide, 70% of all freshwater is used for agricultural purposes, 20% is used by industry and
10% is used for domestic purposes (Global Agriculture, 2015). The water that is used in agriculture today is
three times greater than the amount used 50 years ago. As a result of so much freshwater going to
agriculture and industrial uses, less and less water is available for domestic use (Global Agriculture, 2015).
What is water footprint?
Using more water than we need to survive is wasteful. Water is wasted in numerous ways at home,
at school and outdoors. Our water footprint is the term used to describe the amount of water we use as
individuals. The average person in the United States uses 80-100 gallons of water every day (USGS, 2016).
By calculating our water footprint, we can see where we use most of our water, and places where we can
save it. See Figure 1 (City of Ames, n.d.) below for ways to save water.

Figure 1: Ways to Conserve Water

(Retrieved from http://www.cityofames.org/government/departments-divisions-i-z/
water-pollution-control/conservation/tips/renter-conservation-tips)
Water is Matter
Matter is what all physical things are made of. Anything that takes up space and has mass is matter.
Matter can be found in three states: solid, liquid or gas (Bagley, 2016). This is also true for water.
Each state of matter has a unique set of properties. Properties describe how something looks, acts or
feels. Please refer to table 1 below to view properties of water as a solid, liquid and gas.
Solid (Ice) Liquid (water) Gas (Water Vapor)

Holds its shape Takes the shape of its Fills entire enclosed
Is hard container containers
Can be picked up Can be poured Nearly invisible
Can be cut or broken
Table 1: Properties of Ice, Water and Water Vapor
 All matter can move from one state to another. It may require extreme temperatures or extreme
pressures, but it can be done (Studios, n.d.). For the purpose of this lesson, we will observe how temperature
changes matter. Figure 2 below explains how heating or cooling matter leads to changes of state.

Figure 2: Temperature Effect on Matter

The changes that matter undergoes as it moves from one state to another also have names:
Melting: Changing from solid state to liquid state as a result of heating.
Evaporation: Changing from liquid state to gas state as a result of heating.
Condensation: Changing from gas state to liquid state as a result of cooling.
Freezing: Changing from liquid state to solid state as a result of cooling.

Water Sources and Issues in North Carolina

What is the history behind North Carolinas water?
In 1788, the first public water system in North Carolina was located in Salem, now known as
Winston-Salem (Smith, 2017). The expansion of water systems began slowly, it wasnt until 1888 that more
systems developed and only 12 cities owned either private or public companies. Currently there are about
6,151 public water companies throughout North Carolina, these systems use surface water from lakes,
streams and other bodies of water. With all these private and public companies, it is surprising that most of
North Carolina, more than 50 percent, receives their water from groundwater. Groundwater is held
underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock. Water supply wells are used instead of getting
water from city companies.

Figure 5: Groundwater Model retrieved from

Figure 4: Surface Water Model retrieved from
http://www.pureeffect.com/blog/tag/groundwater-treatment/
http://www.bws.bz/our-operations/water-treatment/
What are some examples of water crises that North Carolina faces?
Water is a resource that can easily be contaminated. Recently there was a water crisis in Chapel
Hill. A water main line was detected to have a loss of pressure, causing pipes to burst, also there was a high
percentage of fluoride tested in the water (CBS North Carolina News, 2017). Water that was once potable
became unsafe for an estimated two days.
Other water incidents that occurred in North Carolina include hog farming and the coal ash dump.
Hog farming involves pork production and North Carolina is ranked the 2nd largest hog-farming state. As
the production of pork increases, the chances of contamination rises. At these sites, hog waste gets stored in
lagoons to be used as fertilizers. This is threatening the water supply because when the farms water system
is being pumped out to water the land there is mist, perceived as rain, that travels from these lagoons to the
surrounding areas (Devries, 2014) . These areas include peoples houses and bodies of water nearby.
Ultimately, this gets into streams, which then contaminates the groundwater causing it to become unsafe.
Coal ash occurs from burning coal to produce energy (Vice News, 2015). We need energy,
therefore, we continue to burn through coal. However, this process causes the ashes to fall into bodies of
water which then contaminates the groundwater that could be used for human and animal consumption. The
ashes contain about fifteen toxic carcinogens, including heavy metals, that are not easily filtered through the
waters natural system of rocks and soil (Vice News, 2015).

Water Issues and Solutions in Africa

What is the Global Water Crisis?
Many find it difficult to believe that there is a shortage of water on our planet that is made up of 70
percent water. However, of this 70 percent, only 2.5 percent of it is freshwater and only 1 percent is easily
accessible (National Geographic Society, n.d.). The amount of water accessible has not changed much over
time, however the population on Earth has grown tremendously. In many parts of our world with access to
clean water, it is being over-consumed and inefficiently used (National Geographic Society, n.d.).

What is Water Scarcity?

According to The Water Project, Inc. (n.d.), water scarcity is either the lack of enough water
(quantity) or lack of access to safe water (quality). Today in the developing world, close to 1 billion people
do not have access to clean water (The Water Project, n.d.). According to National Geographic Society
(n.d.), by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity. There are two
types of water scarcity: economic water scarcity and physical water scarcity. Economic water scarcity
occurs when water is accessible, but it takes resources such as time and money to access it. Physical water
scarcity occurs when there physically is no water to be found (The Water Project, n.d.). As the Earths
population continues to grow, the demand for water and the occurrence of water scarcity will continue to
increase. See Figure 4 (Water Scarcity, 2014) displaying water scarcity worldwide:
 Figure 6: Global Physical and Economic Water Scarcity
(Retrieved from http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml)

How is Water Scarcity Impacting Africa?

A large portion of Africa suffers from economic water scarcity. Many of its inhabitants must spend
many hours traveling to a water source, which in turn takes away the time that should be spent working,
earning money, and attending school (The Water Project, n.d.). Many surface water sources such as rivers
and lakes are unclean and polluted, which often lead to disease and diarrheal illnesses that cause
dehydration. As a result, many young children die (The Water Project, n.d.). According to The Water
Project, Inc. (n.d.):
Groundwater is the best resource to tap to provide clean water to the majority of areas in Africa,
especially rural Africa, and groundwater has the benefit of being naturally protected from bacterial
contamination and is a reliable source during droughts.

Figure 7: Water in South Africa

(Retrieved from http://blogs.nelson.wisc.edu/es112-301-southafrica/water-2/)

Water Conservation
What does water conservation mean?
Water conservation effectively means avoiding wastage of potable water and using water efficiently. Water
is a finite resource and the supplies on Earth today are no more than what was here at the beginning of the
planet (Water Conservation: It all Starts with you, 2016).
On average, how much water do we use within a day?
We use about 80 to 100 gallons of water per person, each day. We use water all day long in many different
locations. Below are three relatable places that children may use water throughout their day. Along with
these categories lists ways that they may use water and how they can implement conservation methods
within these three locations.

Places we use water Ways that we use water Ways that we can conserve water

Home Shower, bath, brushing teeth,
washing hands, washing face,
ice cubes, washing machine,
dishwasher, flushing the
toilet, leaks
Shower/bath: Decreasing the amount of time
youre in the shower. Showers typically use
less water than baths.
Brushing teeth: Turning the water off while
youre brushing
Washing Machine/Dishwasher: Run the
machines when they are completely full.
Leaks: Make it a habit to check for leaks
every week to avoid wasting water.

School Water fountain, washing
hand, watering plants,
flushing the toilet
Water fountain: Bring refillable water bottles to
school.
Watering plants: Leave a bucket outside to
collect water- use the rainwater to water your
plants

Outdoors Swimming pool, sprinklers, Sprinklers: Set up your sprinkler so that it is

washing car, watering plants
watering your grass while youre also enjoying
the fun!
Washing Cars: Use a commercial car wash
that recycles water or wash your car on the
lawn and youll water your grass at the same
time.
 Resources

Bagley, M. (2016, April 11). Matter: Definition & the Five States of Matter. Retrieved
April 17, 2017, from http://www.livescience.com/46506-states-of-matter.html
Belize Water Services Limited. (2013). Water Treatment. Retrieved April 18, 2017, from
http://www.bws.bz/our-operations/water-treatment/
CBS North Carolina (Producer). (2017, February 3).Chapel Hill, Carrboro declare state of
emergency over water shortage[Video file]. Retrieved April 15, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbgVlfQlHNU
City of Ames, IA. (2016, December 28). Renter Conservation Tips. Retrieved April 18, 2017, from
http://www.cityofames.org/government/departments-divisions-i-z/water-pollution-control/conservati
on/tips/renter-conservation-tips
Devries , M. (Director). (2014, December 17). Spy Drones Expose Smithfield Foods
Factory Farms [Video file]. Retrieved April 17, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayGJ1YSfDXs
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https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water
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Koong, J. (2013, May 31). Groundwater Remediation Systems. Retrieved April 18, 2017, from
http://www.pureeffect.com/blog/tag/groundwater-treatment/
National Geographic Society. (n.d.). Freshwater Crisis. Retrieved April 17, 2017 from
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/freshwater/freshwater-crisis.html
Smith, D. (2017, January 5). A History of Water in North Carolina. Retrieved April 15, 2017, from
https://www.thewootencompany.com/blog/2017/1/5/a-history-of-water-in-north-carolina
Studios, A. R. (n.d.). Changing States of Matter. Retrieved April 17, 2017, from
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_changes.html
The Water Project, Inc. Global Water Shortage: Water Scarcity & The Importance of Water.
(n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2017, from https://thewaterproject.org/water-scarcity/
The Water Project, Inc. Water In Crisis - Spotlight Africa: Rural and Urban Issues. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 17, 2017, from
https://thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-rural-urban-africa
USGS (2016). USGS Water Science School. Retrieved April 17, 2017, from
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-home-percapita.html
Vice News (Director). (2015, February 18). Toxic Waste Spill in North Carolina: Coal
Ash (Part 1) [Video file]. Retrieved April 17, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYVTutmAmI4&t=483s
Water. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2017, from
 http://blogs.nelson.wisc.edu/es112-301-southafrica/water-2/
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http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/ws/wtrcnsv.html
Water Scarcity. (2014, November 24). Retrieved April 10, 2017, from
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What is the national average water usage per person? (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from
https://www.reference.com/world-view/national-average-water-usage-per-person-e5768
E4c5cb14b34