URBAN WATER CYCLE
2 Aspects of the Managed Water Cycle
How do we use our water?
Statistics show from Sydney water that about 1.4 billion litres of water a day is made to go to homes and business in Sydney. Houses use 70% of this water and businesses, industry and schools use the rest. All these people need water for many uses, including: drinking, cooking, washing things, watering gardens, fighting fires, filling swimming pools and for bathroom needs. Water is vital for a sustainable lifestyle within Sydney, without it Sydney would reek and everyone would have very bad hygiene.
How do we get water to our taps?
Most rainwater runs into creeks, rivers and dams. A dam is a large wall built across a river to store and hold great amounts of water and it is only let out when needed. When needed, the water is pumped for the dam to a water treatment plant. Here machines remove dirt, sticks and leaves. Chemicals are then added to make the water clean and suitable to drink. From there, pumping stations move the clean water through underground pipes to homes, schools, offices and factories. This water is pumped so that it can reach the gaps in our homes that we use for drinking, washing, watering the garden, flushing the toilet and doing the laundry. Wastewater from the toilets flows down drains to the sewer, rubbish is removed from the sewage at a special treatment place. Then, bacteria breaks down the organic waste left behind and after chemicals are added to make the water safe and clean. Most of the wastewater is returned to creeks, bays or the ocean, scientists also check the water to make sure it is safe for the use of humans, gardens and recreational uses.
