APES ch.
9 -- Module 28: Human Use of Water Now and in the Future
Reading Guide for Friedland 3e
Pages 320-329
1. Intro paragraph: what percent of the world’s freshwater is used for agriculture, industry, and
households, respectively? Answer: 70 percent of the world’s freshwater consumption is used for
agriculture. The remaining 30 percent is split between industrial and household uses, the proportion of
which varies from country to country.
2. Read through the “Do the Math” example and then complete the “Your Turn” on page 321. Show your
work!! Answer: 3.59 x 10^13 L / 3.5 x 10^7 P = 1.03 x 10^6
13-7 = 6
3. Study figure 28.2. List from MOST efficient to LEAST efficient AND briefly describe the four irrigation
techniques. Answer: Furrow irrigation is easy and inexpensive, but has a low water use efficiency;
only 65 percent of the water is accessible by the plants. (b) Flood irrigation is easy and inexpensive,
with 70 to 80 percent water use efficiency (c) Spray irrigation is more expensive, but water use
efficiency is 75 to 95 percent. (d) Drip irrigation is useful for perennial crops because the hoses do not
have to be moved for plowing, and it has a water use efficiency of over 95 percent.
4. What are the benefits of hydroponic agriculture? Answer: Hydroponic operations can produce more
crops per hectare than traditional farms. They can also grow crops under ideal conditions, grow the
crops during every season of the year, and often grow the crops with little or no use of pesticides.
5. Describe 3 different ways that industry uses water. Answer: Generating electricity, cooling machinery,
and refining metals and paper.
6. What three household activities have the largest impact of water consumption in the U.S.? Answer: The
United States since households across the country are typically equipped with bathrooms, washing
machines, and cooking appliances. FIGURE 28.7 shows the fraction of indoor water use that goes to
each of these functions.
7. Water ownership is complicated!
a. Why is it harder to determine ownership of water than for many other resources? Answer: They
have no control over whether or not a particular year will bring an abundance of rain and snow.
b. Briefly describe 3 water conflicts (from this chapter or previous units). Answer: India’s plan to
divert water from rivers that flow from the Himalayas in India into Bangladesh. In both the 1967
Arab Israeli War and the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, disputes over water use added to the conflict. In
the water-poor Middle East, water rights have long contributed to political tensions.
c. How do economists suggest that we resolve these conflicts? Answer: Allow all interested parties
to openly compete for water and let market forces determine its price. In this way, they argue,
water could be owned, but the true value of water would be realized and paid for.
8. What methods have wealthier, developed countries made to conserve water? Describe one option for
each of the following activities:
a. Toilet flushing Answer: Toilets manufactured after January 1994 must use 6 L (1.6 gallons) or
less per flush, representing a 78 percent reduction in water use.
b. Bathing Answer: A 10-minute shower with an older showerhead might use 150 L (40 gallons) of
water, but revised federal standards for new reduced-flow showerheads call for a 10-minute
shower to use no more than 95 L (25 gallons)—a 37 percent reduction in water use.
c. Laundry Answer: More efficient front-loading machines are now available to consumers,
although these more efficient models cost nearly twice as much to purchase.
d. Outdoor usage Answer: They uses a style of landscaping that removes water-intensive
vegetation from lawns and replaces it with more water-efficient native landscaping.
e. Industry Answer: One of the best ways to reduce industrial water consumption is by producing
more efficient manufacturing equipment.
f. Runoff Answer: The impervious surfaces of buildings represent a potential water-collecting
surface. A gutter system can collect rainwater and channel it into rain barrels or, for greater
capacity, a large underground water tank.
9. Read through the “Do the Math” on page 327 and complete the “Your Turn”. Show your work! Answer:
30,000 x 1.00/1,000 = 30/years for how much money I would save annually by using the more efficient
washing machine and (900-300) / $30/ years = 20 years which would be how many years it would take
for me pay for the more expensive, high efficiency washer.
WTS “From Laundry to Landscape”
10. What are some examples of “gray water”? Answer: The wastewater from baths, showers, bathroom
sinks, and washing machines
11. What things could gray water be used for? Answer: Watering lawns, washing cars, and flushing toilets.1