Water is a very precious resource on our earth because it is so limited. Even though the earth is 75% water, about 97% of that is saltwater which we cannot use as we found out in our distribution of water activity. Even still, much of the freshwater is found in icecaps and glaciers, also water we cannot utilize. .
Many people do not conserve water, using it liberally much without much thought. In my water use activity, I found that my household uses approximately 3183 liters of water in three days. If that is just one house, imagine how much water the entire world uses! .
Freshwater is a precious resource that we need to survive. Plants use water for photosynthesis and we use water to regulate our body temperature, to keep our bodies hydrated and for recreational purposes, amongst other things. Many people who care about the use, the quality and the consumption of water have conflicts. These include environmental groups, the government, businesses and people involved in agriculture. .
As we found out in the foul water and the purification of water lab activities, much water we have access to is impure and filthy. Many different substances are found in water, such as agricultural runoff and even by-products of the water disinfection. However, there are different ways to clean the water so it is clean and safe to drink. This can include oil-water separation and sand filtration as well as the use of different chemicals used in water plants to clean the water. .
Water has different physical properties such as being unreactive, a good solvent, allows growth, high heat capacity, low viscosity and when it is a solid, it is less dense than when it is a liquid. Most of these properties have an advantage and disadvantage to them as well. For instance, water is a good solvent. The advantage to this is that it allows waste to dissolve in the water and it carries nutrients to through the bloodstream.
