Context Analysis 1 Spring 2023 MW (Water)
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Feb 20, 2024
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MAT 114 Name(s) (2 points): Context Analysis 1: Water
The Associated Press reported in April that “U.S. water officials are projecting the man-made lakes that
store water used throughout the American West will fall to historically low levels and trigger an official
shortage declaration for the first time.” People often think of conserving water on an individual level – I’m sure that many of you probably grew
up learning about ways to conserve water. The map above is color coded to indicate varying degrees of domestic water usage by state. Domestic water use includes water used for indoor household purposes such as drinking, food preparation, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, flushing toilets, and outdoor purposes such as watering lawns and gardens. 1. (10 points) According to this map, which states or areas of the country have the highest rates of domestic water usage and which states or areas of the country have the lowest rates of domestic water usage? Explain how you know.
2. (10 points) What missing information would allow us to estimate the total amount of domestic water usage
per day in each state displayed? Explain how we could use this missing information along with the
information in the graphic to determine a range for total domestic water usage per day in each state.
3. (10 points) Briefly speculate about which states might have the lowest total domestic water usage per day and which states might have the highest total domestic water usage per day. Justify using information from
the graphic, your answer to #2, and anything else you might know about these states. 4. (10 points) Notice that the percentages displayed in the graphic represent population growth from 2000 to 2015. Where would an increasing population have a higher/lower impact on total water usage? Is there anything alarming about states exhibiting high population growth with respect to their water usage shading? Why or why not? Explain your reasoning. Domestic water usage only accounts for a portion of our nation’s water usage. The following table shows the
amount of water withdrawn per day in the US in 2015 for various usage categories (
values are in millions of
gallons per day
). Usage Category Withdrawn (million gallons per day)
Public Supply + Domestic 42,260
Industrial 14,800
Irrigation 118,000
Thermoelectric 133,000
Mining 4,000
Livestock 2,000
Aquaculture 7,550
ALL 321,610
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5. (10 points) What are the total and relative (% more/less, times more, or times as much) differences between
water withdrawal amounts for Aquaculture and Irrigation? Provide an arrow diagram showing the total and
relative differences and report these differences in complete sentences. 6. (10 points) The total US water usage in 2015 was estimated to be about 6.5% less than in 2010. Based on this information and the total usage in 2015, find a good estimate for the total daily water withdrawals in 2010. 7. (10 points) The water usage category for livestock excludes the water used to irrigate crops for the purpose of
feeding livestock. It is estimated that about 97% of the total water usage associated with raising livestock is from irrigation (to grow livestock feed). So, the 2,000 million gal/day of water in the livestock category is only 3% of the total water usage associated with raising livestock
. Use this to estimate the total water usage associated with raising livestock in million gallons per day. Definition
: Water withdrawal is defined as “water diverted or withdrawn from a surface water or groundwater source.” Consumptive water use
, on the other hand, is defined as “water use that permanently withdraws water from its
source; water that is no longer available”. Usage Category Withdrawn (million gallons per day)
Consumed
Irrigation 118,000 69.3% of withdrawals
Thermoelectric 133,000 2.1% of withdrawals
8. It turns out that water withdrawn for the purpose of generating thermoelectric power is mostly returned to its
source – only about 2.1% of the water withdrawn for thermoelectric power generation is classified as
consumptive. On the other hand, 69.3% of the water withdrawn for irrigation is classified as consumptive. a. (8 points) Using the fact that an Olympic swimming pool contains 660,000 gallons of water, how many Olympic swimming pools could be filled every day with the water consumed for irrigation?
b. (8 points) In a complete sentence or two, compare the amount of water consumed for Irrigation in one day to the amount of water consumed for thermoelectric power generation in one day. Include a
relative difference in your comparison.
Here’s the thing – we are running out of water. We really need to find a way to reduce our overall water
consumption. 9. (12 points) Based on everything you have seen and calculated so far, where do you think we should focus our water conservation efforts to have the largest impact? In which water consumption categories and/or areas of the country do you think it is most feasible to reduce water consumption? Explain your reasoning and use numbers in your arguments (justify with quantitative reasoning). Make new calculations to support
your argument.