Dams and ground water

By: Alexander Valdes7383946

And Erick Fleitas6936720

http://www.bestofvegas.com/Tours/Hoover-Dam-Express-Las-Vegas-Tour/images/hoover-dam-express-2.JPG

Dams

• A structure built across a river to control the rivers flow.

• When a river is dammed, a artificial lake or reservoir is formed behind the dam.

• The water in the reservoir can be used for flood control, drinking water, irrigation, recreation, and industry.

Dams (cont.)

• Can also be used to generate electricity hydro electricity) which use the power of the flowing water to turn the turbine which generates electricity.

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/images/2008/12/22/hydrokinetic.jpg

Dams (consequences)

• When the land behind the dam is flooded people often get displaced from there homes.

• animal lifestyles can be changed and entire ecosystems destroyed.

• 50 million people around the world have been displaced by dam projects.

Dam (consequences)

• http://murmeli.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/sarovar.jpg

5 things you need to know about dams

• When they create a reservoir behind them it can create drinking water

• It can also destroy ecosystems and displace many people from there homes.

• It can generate hydroelectricity through the power of flowing water.

• Dams are built to control a rivers flow• Are very helpful to people who need the

process of irrigation like farmers for there cropland.

Ground water

• Groundwater: water that sinks into the soil and is stored in slowly flowing and slowly renewed underground reservoirs called aquifers; underground water in the zone of saturation, below the water table.

• Some precipitation infiltrates the ground and percolates downward through voids (pores, fractures, crevices, and other spaces) in soil and rock. The water in these spaces is called groundwater, one of our most important sources of fresh water.

• Groundwater found within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of the earth’s surface contains more than 100 times all the water found in the world’s rivers, streams, freshwater lakes, and reservoirs combined.  

http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/6A7FB7B2-4406-4C62-A1D7-C980DDFAF247/a5f8e.gif

http://web.arc.losrios.edu/~borougt/

GroundWaterContamination2.gif

5 things you need to know about ground water

• Its water that sinks into the soil into underground reservoirs called aquifers.

• One of our most important sources of fresh water.• It infiltrates the ground downward through voids like

crevices and holes in the soil and rock.• Ground found between one kilometer of the earths

surface contains more than 100 times all the water found in the world’s rivers, streams, freshwater lakes, and reservoirs combined.

• It can easily be contaminated as shown in slide 8 That’s why sometimes we need to check the water and send it through cleaning stations. 

References

• Miller Book 15.4-15.6

• Holt Environmental science book pg.280