Different Types of Water Sources You Should Know

Different Types of Water Sources You Should Know
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In this article,Let’s newsciencez.com learn more details below:Different Types of Water Sources You Should Know

Water is a vital element in each of our lives. Not only is it essential to our health, but also we use it for numerous household tasks. Every day we use water for cooking, bathing, cleaning, and drinking; but how often do we think about its source? Some sources of water are obvious, like lakes and rivers, while others, like glaciers, are a bit more removed from everyday experience. Understanding the sources of water available for human use reveals how limited freshwater actually is.

Types of Water Sources

1. Ground Water

types of water sources

 

Groundwater refers to any source of water that lies beneath the soil layer. Groundwater can exist in the soil itself or between rocks and other materials. Most communities obtain their water from underground aquifers, or rock formations capable of holding large amounts of fresh water.

Only 3 percent of the water on earth is considered freshwater, with a mere 30 percent of that small amount being found as groundwater. Pollution, seawater contamination, and overuse threaten this valuable resource.

2. Surface Water

types of water sources

 

Sources of surface water can include any above-ground collection of water such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and oceans.

Some sources of surface water are also fed by underground aquifers.

Surface water accounts for 80 percent of the water humans use.

3. Ice Cap Water

icebergs

 

Shockingly, it’s theoretically possible for us to retrieve some water from the polar ice caps and glaciers. These large bodies of ice float through the oceans, but they actually consist of freshwater. This makes them some of our most ideal resources—if we can develop reliable ways to tap into them.

Unfortunately, the glaciers are too far away for us to regularly utilize, and we have yet to come up with an effective way to meet them. The process of even reaching these territories is too much of an economical burden to be sustainable for long periods. In addition to this, the polar ice caps are crucial to regulating the Earth’s surface temperature. Going through the effort of melting them would ultimately throw our global temperatures out of balance and do more harm than good.

4. Stormwater 

Otherwise known as runoff or rainwater, stormwater is water that comes from heavy weather such as rain, snow, and hail. This water flows over the land and, in the process, collects a variety of pollutants such as engine oil, fertilizer, and pesticides. As it picks up these contaminants, it eventually gathers in different areas, potentially combining with some of our other water sources. For this reason, stormwater—and water from any other type of source—must undergo a series of tests that properly identify and filter out dangerous toxins. In addition, since the majority of this water flows back into the oceans, capturing it beforehand is a great way to increase our overall water supply on land. For this reason, many sustainability experts have researched different ways to collect this water and filter it before it washes away.

5. Wastewater

You might not initially think of it as an option, but wastewater is another type of water source in the world. This is the water we use for our household, manufacturing, and agricultural activities; it’s then disposed of through our drains and local sewage systems. Because this water has already been used, it may contain several potentially toxic elements that must be filtered out and disposed of before the water can be used again. Unfortunately, while recycling water is a common practice in various communities, most wastewater still gets dumped in local surface water resources. This contaminates them and makes it even more difficult to filter out all the contaminants. For this reason, conservation efforts to stop businesses from dumping wastewater into lakes and rivers are on the rise. Preventing this practice better maintains the amount of water for us to live off of.

6. Rainwater

rainwater

 

Rainwater is also an important source of water, although on a relatively small scale. Collecting rain from roofs or other hard-surfaced areas and storing it until it is needed can provide a valuable source of water for many purposes.

In conclusion, these are some different types of water sources you should know. Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational, and environmental activities. All living things require water to grow and reproduce.
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