The Man-Made Water Cycle

The Man-Made Water Cycle

Water utility systems have the important and difficult job of supplying us with the healthy water we need, cleaning the water after it goes down our sinks and toilets, and transporting water from place to place.

Water treatment professionals collect water from rivers or lakes and clean and disinfect it for use.

This section includes 2 lesson plans. In the “Water Distribution Challenge” lesson plan, students will:

1. Explore the steps of the water treatment, distribution, and wastewater treatment processes. 
2. Design a water distribution system within specific design constraints. 

In the “Your Water Footprint” lesson plan, students will:

1. Use a model to demonstrate the percentage of Earth’s water available for human use. 
2. Record water use for personal hygiene, food preparation (including production), and dishes/laundry/cleaning for three days. Consult online resources and estimate water usage for one month. 
3. Choose one or two behaviors to change in an effort to reduce water use.
4. Understand the effect of both personal and systems-level water waste.

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