60 Water for the People-Low

Water for the People FOCUS Question Where does the water we use come from?

Lifesaving Liquid What can't you live without? What makes up more of your body than any other substance? What substance is part of every food you eat? It's water! Water is one of our most precious natural resources. Every day, you take in water by drinking liquid and eating food. You need water to stay alive and to help your body function properly, If you don't get enough water, you'll get sick Drinking water keeps you alive and healthy.

Water is important for drinking, but we use it in many other ways, too. For example, water is used around the world to cook food. We use water to grow crops and raise livestock. We use it to wash our bodies and clean the things we own. People use water for making products like cars and clothing, and it's essential for transportation, such as when we ship goods across an ocean. We also use it for fun activities, including swimming, boating, water-skiing, and playing on waterslides. Wowser! People in the United States use about 1.5 trillion liters (400 billion gal.) of water each day! That's enough water to fill over 600 million Olympic-sized swimming pools!

Where's My Water? Most of Earth's water—about 97 percent—is salt water found in the oceans. Although there's a lot of it, we can't drink salt water. We need fresh water to drink. The other 3 percent of Earth's water is fresh water Most fresh water is locked away as ice or as groundwater— water that is found in soil or rock. So what's left for us to drink? Less than 1 percent of the world's fresh water is found above the ground. This water, called surface water, is found in lakes, rivers, and streams. Where your drinking water comes from depends on where you live. Most drinking water comes from surface water or groundwater. Some places don't have either source nearby, so fresh water must be brought there.

Rivers and Streams In the United States, most drinking water comes from big rivers and smaller streams. Water from precipitation and runoff collects in rivers. Rain may fall into a river or fall on land and then flow downhill into the river. Rivers are also fed by springs that bring water up from the ground. If you live in Seattle, for example, your drinking water comes from the Cedar and Tolt Rivers. The city of Richmond has the James River to thank for its drinking water. Minneapolis gets its drinking water from the Mississippi River. Be Safe! Never drink water right from a river or stream. Surface water often contains harmful substances and organisms that can make you sick. It needs to be cleaned before it is safe to drink.

Lakes and Reservoirs You can think of lakes and reservoirs as storage tanks for drinking water. Both of them are large bodies of surface water surrounded by land. A lake is often natural, while a reservoir is a lake made by people. To make a reservoir, people build a dam that blocks a river's flow and causes the water to collect in an area where people can use it. Rivers and precipitation feed lakes and reservoirs. Groundwater also helps keep lakes and reservoirs full. Chicago is on the shore of Lake Michigan. This large lake supplies the city with drinking water. New York City's drinking water comes from nineteen reservoirs and three lakes far from the city.