Do you know how water gets to your tap?
By Rachel Cernansky
Know Your Water Infrastructure?
The Water Infrastructure Financing Act, introduced in May, would increase spending on critical water infrastructure needs to:
$100 million
$179 million
$39 billion
$100 billion
On May 8, Senators Benjamin Cardin, Barbara Boxer, James Inhofe, and Mike Crapo introduced the Water Infrastructure Financing Act to reform and increase investment in the Clean Water State Revolving fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which have not been reauthorized in 22 years and 13 years, respectively.
More:
EPA Gives $565 Million of Stimulus Cash for Water Projects in the South.
The network of drinking water pipes in the U.S. is:
half the length of the national highway system
double the length of the national highway system
four times as long as the national highway system.
What is the most expensive method for treating and making potable water?
Desalination
High-pressure filtration
Low-pressure filtration
Slow sand filtration
Desalination is the most expensive way to produce potable water?and transporting water from coastal to inland areas is not cost-effective. The world's supplies of salt water are much greater than fresh, however, and General Electric plans to open several desalination plants annually at a cost of up to $300 million each.
More:
Drinking with the Wind: Wind-Powered Seawater Desalination
What mineral is being used to detoxify pollutants in industrial wastewater in China's Taopu district?
Zinc
Iron
Chlorine
Calcium
A recent project in Shanghai used zero valent iron, which is not oxidized, to treat industrial wastewater. The toxic compounds in such water are often synthetic organic chemicals and share electrons with the iron; they are attracted to the surface of the iron, where they are broken down?and detoxified.
What is used to prevent seawater from contaminating the groundwater in the Los Angeles Basin?
Plastic Sheath
Silica-based impermeable barrier
Poured grout
More water
That's right! Injection wells have been placed over the lip of the basin, and reclaimed water is injected into them. This acts as a barrier and prevents seawater from intruding into the groundwater.
What is the primary source of mercury contamination in the public water supply?
Coal-fired power plants
Industrial runoff
Medical laboratories
Factory farms
Coal contains mercury and when it is burned, it releases the compound into the air. (Another reason to stop relying on coal.)
What percent of New York City's water supply is delivered to the consumer by gravity?
30
50
75
95
About five percent of the city's water needs to be pumped, on average, to maintain the desired pressure. The rest can be delivered by gravity because, according to the League of Conservation Voters, "by the time the water reaches the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, it is 295 feet above sea level and traveling through the system with sufficient pressure to reach the sixth floor of most buildings through gravity alone." (Ever wonder why taller buildings have water tanks on the roof?)
Southern Californians consume how much more energy than northerners for outdoor water use (including conveyance, treatment, and distribution)?
17.9 percent
31.8 percent
45 percent
100 percent
The energy consumed for outdoor water use averages 3,500 kilowatt-hours per acre-foot in northern California and in southern Cali, it's more than 11,000.
More: California's Real Sustainability Problem: Not Budgets, Water Resources Management
How do municipalities handle wastewater from most factory farms?
It is pumped directly to sewage treatment plants that process human waste.
They combine it with drinking water.
Municipalities do not handle the wastewater; it is treated on site.
It is released into the environment untreated.
Pathetic, huh. Few regulations exist for the disposal of waste from factory farms?where 5,000 cows produce the same amount of waste, as measured in phosphorous, as 70,000 people. While the issue has recently received more attention from regulators, enforcement is still a problem.
More: Green Glossary: Nitrate Pollution
Eat These 5 Lean, Green Proteins
Water in New York City was first distributed for public consumption in:
Iron pipes
Hollow logs
Steel pipes
In 1776, a reservoir was constructed near Broadway between Pearl and White Streets. Water was pumped from wells near a collection pond to the east of the reservoir, and distributed through hollow logs laid in the main streets.
Which company has the most money invested in water infrastructure?
GE
ITT Corp
Water Systems International
Suez
General Electric's Water & Process Technologies division has been busy buying up filtration and purification firms in the last several years. Recognizing the growing issue of water scarcity, the company is building infrastructure so that it does "not have to rely on municipalities for their water supply,? said the CEO of the Water & Process Technologies division, which has 2,200 people working in 50 countries around the world.
More: How to Go Green: How to Save Water
Treehugger on General Electric
Correct
You have some work to do! Check out the Planet Green archives for more info on water infrastructure.
Correct
Good job! You got quite a few right but you could brush up on your water infrastructure knowledge with some research on Planet Green.
Correct
Almost perfect! To stay up on water infrastructure issues, keep checking for new info on Planet Green.
What do you want to do next?
| CREDITS | DCL | |
| DISCOVERY SITES | Discovery Channel | TLC | Animal Planet | Science Channel | Planet Green | Discovery Fit & Health | Hub | Military Channel | Investigation Discovery | Discovery Home | HD Theater | Turbo | HowStuffWorks | TreeHugger | Petfinder | PetVideo | Discovery Education |
| CUSTOMER SERVICE | Viewer Relations | Free Newsletters | RSS | TV FAQs |
| CORPORATE | Discovery Communications, Inc. | Advertising | Careers @ Discovery | Privacy Policy | Visitor Agreement |
Copyright © 2009 Discovery Communications, LLC. The number-one nonfiction media company.
