Your Water Questions Answered

Water Knowledge

How does water get from one place to another? The sun and gravity are the biggest "movers" of water. Gravity moves water down river, pulls rain to the earth, and even pulls water from the water tower to your faucet. The sun heats liquid water into gaseous water in a process called evaporation. Some other processes that move water include transportation (the process of water moving through plants), capillary action (water's tendency to "crawl" up small tubes), and melting. Human's make machines which move water and all animals move water. The entire process of water moving on the earth is called the water cycle.

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How does water get to the water tower? We use energy to pump the water into the water tower. We put the water up high so that gravity will help move the water from the tower to your faucet at home when you want to use the water.

How does water make waves? Waves are created when wind moves across the surface of water. The size, speed and direction of the wave when it reaches the shore is determined by the speed of the wind, the amount of time the wind is blowing in the same direction, and distance over which the wind blows in a constant direction. This is the type of wave I think you were thinking of. Tsunami's are waves created by earthquakes. Boats can make waves too. You can make ripple waves in a puddle or lake by throwing a rock into the water. Tides are not the same as waves but can effect waves. Tides are created by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.

Are there more kinds of water than salty and chlorine? This is a very tricky question. Some people would divide all water into fresh water and salt water. Water with chlorine added has been treated for human drinking and has only a very small amount of chlorine in it. Some other names for different types of water include: Ground Water (water in the ground), surface water (water on the surface..rivers...lakes), atmospheric water (water in the atmosphere..clouds), water trapped in the ice caps and glaciers, and water in living things (like you and me). So I guess the answer to this question is, yes, there are MANY ways to divide water into types. You could make up your own water types and compare them with types made up with others in your class.

How does water get clean for us? Water can be cleaned in two ways, mechanically/chemically (by humans) or naturally. Your drinking water, the water you take baths in, and the water you wash your clothing in is cleaned in a water treatment plant. Some water is very clean when it gets to the treatment plant because it has been cleaned naturally. If the water is not already clean it will have to go through a number of steps. First, any large objects in the water are taken out in a step called screening. The water is sent through a pipe with a screen (like a sand sifter you might take to the beach to separate large rocks from sand) at the end. This removes twigs, rocks and trash. The second step is flocculation and clarification. In this step chemicals are added to the water. These chemicals separate the water from bacteria, metals, and other particles too small to be removed in the first step. The next step is filteration. In this step the water is passed through fine sand which catches what is left of the chemicals from step two. The last step is chlorination when chlorine is added to protect against any remaining harmful germs. The treatment center will also take samples of the water in all the stages to make sure the water is getting cleaned properly so that we may drink it.

Water is cleaned naturally when it moves from the ground/lakes/ocean/plants into the air and becomes clouds. You can see this if you add a teaspoon of hotcoco mix to a little water in a cup and leave the cup overnight (it may take a couple days). The water will disappear (evaporate) but the hotcoco mix will be left behind. Water is also filtered naturally when it travels through the ground (this is like when the treatment plant filters the water through sand) and when it passes through some types of ecosystems, especially wetlands.

How did water first come to earth? Water was part of the earth when it first formed. Most scientists agree that almost all the water on earth was a part of the earth when it first formed. However, a very small amount of the water on earth today probably came from comets. Comets are like large dirty snowballs traveling through space. If a very large comet comes into the earth's atmosphere, some of the water may get to earth. Scientists don't always agree on many things and some scientists don't agree about comets bringing water to earth. Some scientists today would say that most of the earth's water came from comets and some would say that none of the earth's water comes from comets. There are scientists whose job is to study this topic to get information to tell who is right. For now the answer most people would agree with is that most of the earth's water was on the earth when it was formed but a very small amount was brought here by comets.

How many creatures are in water? I'm not sure I can give you the answer you want for this question. There are many many creatures in water. Fish, sharks, squid, whales, seals, jelly fish, some insects, tadpoles, otters, dolphins, ducks, swans, geese, crawfish, frogs, sea turtles....all these animals are creatures we think of when we think about what lives in (or near) water. There are also thousands of tiny creatures in water (microscopic organisms). Most of these organisms are harmless to people, but some can cause diseases. Polluted water often has more of the harmful types of microscopic organisms. This is why it is important for us to protect and treat our water.

All the questions above were submited by 3rd grade students from Garfield Elementary School in Clarinda, Iowa.

What is the difference between bottled water and tap water? Which has more natural minerals? Is it safer to drink bottled water? Which should I drink for healthy mineral content? I'm really glad you sent this question! Most people are very surprised to learn that the definition of bottled water is just that. Water put in a bottle. This means that the water you buy in a bottle is water from a tap, just someone else's tap. This water does not have to be treated any more than water from your tap does. This does not mean that bottled water is "bad" or that you shouldn't buy it. But you should be aware of what you are buying. Read the label or call the customer service number on the bottled water you drink to find out the source and amount of treatment received by that bottler.

If the bottled water you are buying tastes better than what comes from your tap, then it may be worth it to you. Also, if you are unsure of the safety of the water that comes out of your tap (especially if you have a private well), then you may want water from someone else's tap. Not all bottled waters are created equal. If a company states that it gives specific treatments and tests to its water then it must do so. If the company simply states that it tests the water, it would probably be a good idea to call the customer service number and ask which tests, how often, and what treatment the water receives. This webpage Contains some information on regulations for use of words like "spring water" and "sparkling water" on packaging. Bottled Water Web is a site with lots of information on bottled water.

Drinking water should not be considered a source of minerals. Counting water as a source of minerals is like counting ice cream as a source of calcium. So I wouldn't be worried about missing out on minerals when drinking bottled water.

Another issue to consider -- what is the bottled water you are drinking taking the place of? In most cases bottled water is not taking the place of tap water, it is taking the place of soft drinks or other portable beverages. While soft drinks are not 'bad' for us, the extra sugar in our diets can be. My suggestion would be to keep track of all the drinks you have in a day and to be sure that you are keeping hydrated by drinking 8 glasses or more of water a day, either from you tap or a bottle.

But I've also heard that bacteria can grow in any water that sits around... even bottled water that sits around on grocery store shelves? The water should have been "zapped" (treated) for biological content before being put in the bottles. Once the water is inside the bottle and the bottle is sealed there is no way for new bacteria to get inside, so from this point until you open the bottle, you are safe.

We don't want to discourage people from drinking bottled water, but we also don't want people to believe they are paying for one thing and getting another.

Send your water questions to Iowa Project WET . Please include your first name and the town, state/country in which you live.

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This site by Marcy M. Seavey