Why is water quality important?

Many things depend on water for survival such as plants, animals and people. If the quality of water is poor, then people and animals wouldn’t be able to drink and plants wouldn’t grow. Clean water is essential for life!

Can you list two different bodies of water?

Bodies of water include lakes, rivers, streams and oceans.

What is one way that people can negatively affect water quality?

They can pour chemicals or dangerous substances into the water. They can also throw their trash in the water.

If a farmer sprays pesticides on plants and it rains the same day, what do you think will happen to the quality of water in the area?

The water in this area will contain the pesticide chemicals. Because some of these chemicals are not safe for living things to consume, the presence of pesticides in the water would negatively affect water quality.

Can you think of one thing people can do to keep the bodies of water clean?

People can recycle their plastics or other materials that have the potential to pollute waters. Industrial plants are often near bodies of water and release chemicals into the water. People at these plants can work to improve the way they dispose of these chemicals so that they don’t end up in the water.

What is the purpose of a water filter?

A water filter is used to help remove unwanted things (such as contaminants or impurities) from water that people drink. Water filters help ensure that water quality is good before water is consumed.

Why did Dr. Jeff mention the presence of dead zones when talking about water quality?

Dead zones are areas where algae blooms grow. These blooms grow because polluted runoff reaches the ocean. Poor water quality can cause these blooms to form.

How did the team describe the three stages of a water filter?

The first stage separates out large particles from getting into water. The second stage has fine pieces of carbon. This helps absorb impurities in the water. The last stage consists of a fine mesh that takes out extremely small particles from the water.

How is water distributed on earth in terms of freshwater and saltwater?

97% of all the water on Earth is saltwater while only 3% is freshwater. This means bodies of water like rivers and lakes are part of the 3% while oceans make up the 97%.

What happens when water reaches a water treatment plant?

Water undergoes three phases of filtration. First, it is sent to a machine that filters out solids or other types of debris. Then, the water is sent to an underground tank where bacteria feed on contaminants. Lastly, the water is moved to either a body of water, such as an ocean or river, or to a cleaning tank, where it is further purified for other uses.

What effect would lack of available clean water have on the distribution of water in a community, neighborhood, or even a city?

If water that will be used for drinking or other purposes is of poor quality, then this will affect how much water is available to be distributed throughout an area. That is, there would be less clean water available for distribution, which would affect how much water is available for people to use.

Water Quality & Distribution

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What you will learn from this videoWhat you will learn

97 percent of Earth's water is in oceans.
Plants and animals depend on clean water to survive.
Humans can negatively affect water quality even if they live far away from it.

Discussion Questions
- Before Video
  Why is water quality important? ANSWER
  - Many things depend on water for survival such as plants, animals and people. If the quality of water is poor, then people and animals wouldn’t be able to drink and plants wouldn’t grow. Clean water is essential for life!
  Can you list two different bodies of water?ANSWER
  - Bodies of water include lakes, rivers, streams and oceans.
  What is one way that people can negatively affect water quality? ANSWER
  - They can pour chemicals or dangerous substances into the water. They can also throw their trash in the water.
  If a farmer sprays pesticides on plants and it rains the same day, what do you think will happen to the quality of water in the area? ANSWER
  - The water in this area will contain the pesticide chemicals. Because some of these chemicals are not safe for living things to consume, the presence of pesticides in the water would negatively affect water quality.
  Can you think of one thing people can do to keep the bodies of water clean? ANSWER
  - People can recycle their plastics or other materials that have the potential to pollute waters. Industrial plants are often near bodies of water and release chemicals into the water. People at these plants can work to improve the way they dispose of these chemicals so that they don’t end up in the water.
  What is the purpose of a water filter? ANSWER
  - A water filter is used to help remove unwanted things (such as contaminants or impurities) from water that people drink. Water filters help ensure that water quality is good before water is consumed.
- After Video
  Why did Dr. Jeff mention the presence of dead zones when talking about water quality? ANSWER
  - Dead zones are areas where algae blooms grow. These blooms grow because polluted runoff reaches the ocean. Poor water quality can cause these blooms to form.
  How did the team describe the three stages of a water filter? ANSWER
  - The first stage separates out large particles from getting into water. The second stage has fine pieces of carbon. This helps absorb impurities in the water. The last stage consists of a fine mesh that takes out extremely small particles from the water.
  How is water distributed on earth in terms of freshwater and saltwater?ANSWER
  - 97% of all the water on Earth is saltwater while only 3% is freshwater. This means bodies of water like rivers and lakes are part of the 3% while oceans make up the 97%.
  What happens when water reaches a water treatment plant? ANSWER
  - Water undergoes three phases of filtration. First, it is sent to a machine that filters out solids or other types of debris. Then, the water is sent to an underground tank where bacteria feed on contaminants. Lastly, the water is moved to either a body of water, such as an ocean or river, or to a cleaning tank, where it is further purified for other uses.
  What effect would lack of available clean water have on the distribution of water in a community, neighborhood, or even a city? ANSWER
  - If water that will be used for drinking or other purposes is of poor quality, then this will affect how much water is available to be distributed throughout an area. That is, there would be less clean water available for distribution, which would affect how much water is available for people to use.
Vocabulary
- Glaciers DEFINE
- Marine Biologist DEFINE
- Water Quality DEFINE
- Surface Runoff DEFINE
- Watershed DEFINE
- Storm Drain DEFINE
- Algae DEFINE
- Sediment Filter DEFINE
- Filtration DEFINE
Reading Material
DIY Activity Guide
Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan
Teacher Guide
Assessment
Online Quiz Game Paper Quiz Exit Ticket