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KEY MESSAGES

1. Reducing water use in little ways helps protect our water supply for the long term.
2. All water is re-used and any water leaving your house has to be cleaned and treated so that you can use it again.
3. Remember not to leave water running longer than necessary at any time (ex. don't leave the tap running while brushing your teeth).

1. Water is sacred.
2. All life needs water to survive.
3. We need to respect and live in harmony with all of nature.

1. That humans use water faster than Mother Nature can purify it.
2. That treating water involves three key processes in between the well and our taps.
3. That reducing our water usage will not only preserve water resources, but also save us money and energy.

1. Groundwater does not run in underground rivers; it percolates through sand and gravel.
2. Groundwater is a source of drinking water through wells.
3. Pollutants on the ground or in lakes will enter the groundwater and percolate through the system contaminating drinking water.

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1. What we do on the land affects the water as well.
2. There are safe alternatives to pesticides.
3. Everyone can take an active role in keeping our groundwater clean and safe.

1. Rivers, streams, lakes and ponds all possess a wide variety of plant and animal life.
2. Animals have many adaptations that help them to survive aquatic life.
3. All animals and plants play an important role in the food chain and are deserving of our respect. We should keep their habitat clean to help them to survive.

1. Water is important not only for health but also for safety (e.g. fire fighting).
2. Historically, fire fighting required teamwork and an available water supply.
3. Today, much of the water for fire fighting comes from the Municipal Water Supply.

1. A farm is like a factory in that raw materials go in, an end product is produced for market or consumption but there are waste products as well.
2. Proper nutrient management will benefit not only the family but also the business, livestock and the environment.
3. Everyone can take an active role in keeping our groundwater clean and safe.

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1. All waste water has to be treated before it is returned to the environment.
2. A properly maintained septic system is good for the environment.
3. We should never pour any toxic or hazardous materials down the drain or toilet.

1. These water facts are not so "trivial".
2. This is a game, winning isn't everything but we can all learn something from the game.
3. There is a lot to learn about water.

1. In many communities in Grey Bruce clean water is piped directly from the water tower into our homes, schools and businesses.
2. It takes energy to pump the water up to the towers.
3. Canadians waste a lot of water because it is so readily available. Imagine having to haul all of the water you use and perhaps you can begin to use less.

1. Groundwater is important to trout because it keeps the water clean and cold.
2. The Saugeen River is home to an assortment of fish and we should work at keeping it safe.
3. It is important not to pollute groundwater because it can reach rivers and lakes where it can harm fish and other life.

1. Hazardous wastes are wastes that present a threat to human health or to the environment.
2. Hazardous wastes can contaminate groundwater which is very difficult to clean up.
3. Spill prevention and proper disposal are the keys to controlling hazardous wastes.

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KEY MESSAGES

1. Exposed, bare soil can easily be washed away by water.
2. Wetlands are a valuable part of any watershed, retaining water during high flows and augmenting supplies during low flow periods.
3. Suspended materials in the water can harm aquatic animals and plants and create flooding problems downstream from erosion site.

1. All of the water that we use in our homes must be cleaned and treated so that it can be used again.
2. Reducing the amount of water that you use daily, saves money and helps reduce the amount of water that needs to be treated.
3. Aerators mix air with the water coming out of a tap and help reduce the amount of water that is used while the tap is running.

1. The materials making up ground differ in permeability - that is, the ability of water to move through the pores (spaces) between different particles in the ground.
2. If the materials are different, the permeability should be different and water should move through the ground at different speeds.
3. Permeability is critical for water supply purposes; if water contained in soil or rock will not drain out, it is not available to water wells.

1. All water molecules contain two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
2. Water is the only substance found naturally in all three states of matter: solid; liquid and gas.
3. All living things depend on water.

1. Anglers (people who fish) are part of the food chain.
2. Humans can do both good and bad things to these important habitats.
3. The future of these special places depends on all of us.

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KEY MESSAGES

1. A lot of water can be wasted while showering.
2. Reduce water use by getting a low-flow shower head in your shower.
3. Water use can also be reduced by turning off the water while soaping up.

1. Rivers, streams, lakes and ponds all possess a wide variety of plant and animal life.
2. Animals have many adaptations that help them to survive aquatic life.
3. All animals and plants play an important roll in the food chain and are deserving of our respect. We should keep their habitat clean to help them to survive.

1. In Canada we have a steady supply of water and we therefore tend to waste a lot.
2. In many countries people have to go long distances to find water and they therefore conserve much more.
3. Think about children in other countries on their water fetching journeys and try to conserve water whenever possible.

1. The majority of oil in the environment doesn't come from tanker spills at sea but from people on land who throw used oil into the garbage, down the drain or into the storm sewers.
2. A habitat is the natural environment where a plant or animal lives and grows; its home. If the habitat is polluted with oil, the plants and animals in that habitat are very seriously damaged and may even die.
3. Oil cleanup is very expensive and difficult and it is impossible to clean up everything completely; it is easier to prevent oil pollution than it is to clean up after it.

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1. A fresh, clean water supply is necessary for survival so it is very important that we conserve it for future generations.
2. In Canada, we are very lucky to have clean water piped directly into our homes. In pioneer times, and even today in some countries, water had to be carried in buckets from the source and, in some cases, was not even clean.
3. Canadians waste a lot of water because it is so readily available. Imagine having to haul all of the water you use and perhaps you can begin to use less.

1. Porosity and Permeability are the key factors in determining how water moves through or is held by the earth's surface materials.
2. Porosity refers to the pore spaces between soil particles or pieces - if there are many spaces then the soil has high porosity.
3. Permeability refers to and the ease with which water passes through the pores - the more and bigger the spaces the more easily water will pass through.

1. As water travels through the watershed it picks up many pollutants from the air, roads, lawns, farms, rivers etc.
2. Even things that are not directly placed in the water can still be picked up by it and contaminate it.
3. It is important to protect our water supply by reducing all pollution.

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KEY MESSAGES

1. Flushing a toilet can waste a lot of water.
2. By using a low flow toilet or a toilet dam, a lot of water can be saved.
3. Only flush the toilet when it is necessary and never flush garbage down the toilet.

1. Recharge occurs when water from precipitation seeps into vegetated soil putting water back into the ground - groundwater!
2. Runoff occurs when the water from precipitation cannot sink into the soil and runs along a road or dirt path picking up contaminants as it goes and causes erosion.
3. Vegetation (plants) help fight erosion and help recharge groundwater.

1. Humans can affect the natural world both negatively and positively.
2. Wetlands work like giant sponges to help regulate the amount of water in a river system - holding water back during snow melt and storms and slowly releasing it during low flow periods.
3. Wetlands play an important role in our environment both from a hydrological standpoint and also the wide variety of animals and plants that depend on this habitat to survive.

1. A septic system is a system for treating waste water by filtering it through certain types of gravel and earth materials in order to clean it.
2. Rural homes or cottages are often serviced by a septic system rather than a municipal wastewater system like we have in the city.
3. A malfunctioning or overloaded septic system can contaminate groundwater and make the people, who use the groundwater from a well for drinking and washing, very sick.

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1. Water is necessary for survival therefore locating water is crucial for health and prosperity.
2. Water diviners are people who locate water using a forked stick or "divining rod."
3. Water diviners have been known to be successful when other methods do not work for finding water however it is unknown how/why the practice really works.

1. The pH scale is used to measure how acidic or basic a substance is.
2. Acids that we can eat or drink may not be healthy for aquatic life to live in.
3. We must protect the water quality of surface and groundwater by preventing water and air pollution.

1. Today's modern landfills are for the most part safe but there are exceptions.
2. We should avoid putting garbage into a landfill in the first place by following the 3 R's.
3. Garbage that is not properly treated can pollute both surface and groundwater.

1. Water is never lost or gained; there is always the same amount of water in the world. The water we drink today was used by dinosaurs a million years ago!
2. The water cycle is a model that shows how water is continuously recycled through the environment.
3. We waste water by making it permanently contaminated so that it can no longer be used for drinking or washing.

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KEY MESSAGES

1. All water from a water treatment plant is treated so it is safe for drinking purposes.
2. The same water is here now as was when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
3. Everything we do on the land affects the water we depend on.

1. Municipal water treatment is an energy intensive process.
2. Most energy consumption (fossil fuels) results in release of pollutants into the atmosphere.
3. Pollutants released through burning of fossil fuels cause acid rain.

1. Drinking water comes from two locations – 1) lakes and rivers and 2) groundwater aquifers.
2. Watermain distribution systems are mainly located in built up areas such as villages, towns and cities and are used to transport water from a water towers/reservoirs to the houses, businesses and industries that are connected to it.
3. The water in the watermains/pipes is under pressure and when a watermain break occurs, people using the water from that pipe notice that there is lower pressure in the water coming from their taps.

1. Large amounts of water are used to manufacture all goods as well as food and energy.
2. All of the water used to manufacture goods or make energy is called "embodied water".
3. Canada is the second highest user of water for manufacturing goods and electricity.

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KEY MESSAGES

1. All things need water to survive.
2. Two-thirds of our bodies are made up of water. Variance in age and sex affects the total body water.
3. We all need clean, safe water for healthy bodies.

1. Not all water is easy to get to; there are many different layers beneath the earth's surface.
2. The water table is the level of groundwater beneath the earth.
3. An aquifer is a layer of porous material underground that is saturated with water.

1. Water from wells can become contaminated if the soil and groundwater around the well becomes contaminated and then a new well must be dug.
2. Groundwater can become contaminated through open wells that are no longer in use.
3. An old well can be sealed with clay, because it is impermeable, to prevent contamination of the groundwater.

ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION

KEY MESSAGES

1. Water is an important part of many activities in the home and some activities use more water than others.
2. ALL water is treated to the same standards regardless of its eventual use in the home.
3. Conserve water by using less water where possible in the home so that less of it needs to be treated unnecessarily.

1. Water flows downhill, using the path of least resistance.
2. A watershed is a drainage basin where all of the surface water flows in one direction.
3. What we do upstream will affect those downstream.

1. What are waterborne diseases and how are they spread.
2. Explain how the health of humans is affected by environmental factors (e.g. water pollution from sewage or other human contaminants and how these diseases affect our health).
3. How waterborne diseases can be prevented.

1. Never pour things down the drain that are unsafe for the environment.
2. Waste water needs to be treated before it can be returned to our waterways.
3. Some types of bacteria can be used to do work for us.

1. The human body is 70% water.
2. We lose water each day through breathing, perspiring and urinating.
3. We take water into our bodies through the foods we eat and the beverages we drink.