The cost of collecting water and storing it in a reservoir, purification and then distributing over long distances has made water an expensive natural resource. The pipe network required to distribute water to homes and businesses can run to thousands of miles in length. As the piping network gets older more and more expensive maintenance is needed to prevent leaks and to keep it in shape.
Furthermore, global warming may lead to more droughts across continents that previously had plentiful supplies of drinking water.
In Europe experts suggest that in the near future there will be a shortage of water over the summer months. Recently droughts have been recorded in Spain, especially Northern Spain. This could be common across the whole of Europe in the decades to come.

Consequently, the collection of rainwater, storage, purification and use is a growing area of research. Work has been carried out on the collection of grey water and its purification to provide green water in a domestic and business setting.

QUESTIONS:

1. Ask to see the monthly water bill for your school and home. Record the cost of each bill.
2. How much water is used at school and in your home for the average month (in cubic metres)?
3. Estimate how much water is wasted at school and in the average home.
4. List ways in which water usage could be reduced at home.
5. List ways in which water usage could be reduced in school.
6. How do you think rainwater could be used at home/in school? Use diagrams to illustrate your ideas.

7. Design a logo/symbol to represent water recycling.

CLICK HERE FOR TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT INDEX PAGE