Water and Waste
Water is a seemingly abundant resource on the planet but that perception would be incorrect. Although 70% of the Earths surface is covered by water less than 1% of that is potable fresh water that people can drink and water crops with. The rest is unusable with about 97% of it in the oceans which are too salty for these purposes.
The average American uses about 100 gallons of water per day depending on how you calculate water usage. The majority of that water is used in the bathroom for bathing and flushing toilets. In the United States you can simply turn the faucet on when you need water but others in many parts of the world are not so fortunate. Have you ever thought about where all of that water comes from or where it goes after it leaves your house? How do communities ensure that the water supply is safe? How do you ensure that the water you send down the drain does not harm the environment?
Review how wastewater is treated (the water that you send down the drain):
Additionally review some information on drinking water:
Recently researchers have started to look at the impact that common pharmaceutical and personal care products have on the water supply. Read up on what this means to you and the environment:
In your posts this unit answer the following questions:
Be sure to review the Discussion Board Grading Rubric provided in the Course Syllabus.
For help with citations refer to the APA Quick Reference Guide.
Use this reference when referring to your text:
Trefil J. & Hazen R.M. (2013). The sciences: An integrated approach. Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.