Chapter 10.

3
Sources Of fresh water
BY: ILNIGAR NAMAT, SAMEERAH HELAL, AND
ZEENAT KHAN

Introduction
Freshwater, though it only makes up about
1% of the total of the water on Earth, has
many sources. Among these sources are ice
sheets, ice caps, glaciers, icebergs, bogs,
ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, aquifers and
underground streams, as well as others.
The focuses of this presentation are the
fresh water sources of run-off, drainage
basins, and the river system.

The Water Cycle

River Systems

Rivers are large, natural streams of water

flowing in channels and emptying into
larger bodies of water.
Every river is part of a larger systema
drainage basin, and its tributaries, of
which it is a tributary.
The process of the filling of a river is
something like that of a puddle, with the
river and puddle being the drainage basin
and the smaller streams attached, the
tributaries.

River Systems (Cont.)

A river system is very similar to the
branches of a tree, where small branches
connect to larger branches, which in turn
connect to even larger branches, which
eventually connects to the trunk of a tree.
A large river usually has many small
"branches" made up of small rivers and
many streams.

Run-Off

Run-off is a crucial element in filling lakes,

streams, and rivers, which, in turn, assist in
keeping the oceans from being overfilled with
water.
Run-off is always directed to the lowest point in
the ground that the water can reach by gravity.
The amount of run-off in an area is affected by the
nature of the ground material, the amount of rain
a certain area usually receives, the length of time
it rains, the slope of the land, the amount of
vegetation, and the amount of development in the
area.

Run-off (Cont.)

Both natural events and human activities

interfere with the amount of run-off, making
it increase or decrease.
Human impact often increases surface runoff
by creating moreimpervious surfacessuch
aspavementand buildings, which do not
allow the movement of water through the soil
to theaquifer. Instead, it is forced directly
into streams orstorm water runoff drains,
whereerosionandsiltationcan be major
problems, even when flooding is not.

Run-off (Cont.)

Too much run-off may cause rivers to overflow their

banks and flood the surrounding land. The heavy
flooding can wash valuable topsoil away from fields,
leaving the ground useless for farming and grazing.
Fast-moving rivers can cause siltation and displace
a lot of fine sand and silt, both of which are
potentially harmful to fish and other aquatic
animals.
The building of roads and forestry are also harmful,
so they should be done with the utmost care, as
streams and the quality of water are things easily
damaged.

Tributaries

Most streams flow into another body of

water, such as another stream, while
others flow into a lake or the ocean.
Any time a stream flows into another body
of water, it is a tributary of that other body
of water.
Small brooks often join together and
become tributaries of creeks, and then
those creeks are tributaries of rivers. Those
rivers are then tributaries of bigger rivers.

Tributaries (Cont.)

Drainage Basins

A drainage basin is an area of land on which

precipitation falls and works its way into a
common river.
Drainage basins are also known by the name
of watersheds.
A drainage basin is comparable to a bathroom
sink. Any and all water you pour along the
sides will flow down the drain.
What separates a drainage basin from another
is called a divide, which is usually an area of
very high ground.

Tracking Runoff
Proposed Action by
Community

Possible Run-off
Related
Consequences

Possible Solutions

A small group of houses

will be built on the bank
of the river, near the
area marked by X.

The materials houses are

made of are impervious
and would not allow
water into the ground.

Build the houses farther

away from the river, as
not to block too much
water.

The forest on the far side

of the river will be
entirely logged, then
replanted.

Trees take time to grow,

and in that time, there
would be less water
absorbed by them.

Dont clear cut the trees,

only cut the trees on the
farther end from the
river.

The bushes to the right

of the of the forest will
be removed.

Less plants to absorb

water from the ground.

Leave the bushes as

they are.

The area to the bottom

right will become a
shopping mall with a
parking lot.

Less absorption of water

by plants and by soil,
because the concrete
and buildings will block
the waters path.

Build the mall farther

away from the plants
and river, so it will affect
the run-off less.

Tracking Run-off (Cont.)

Resources
Canadian Geographic Education. (2015).
What is a River System? Retrieved June 3,
2015, from http://
www.cgeducation.ca/resources/learning_cent
re/classroom_activities/river_system.asp
Perlman, H. (2014, April). Surface Runoff The Water Cycle. Retrieved June 3, 2015,
from https://
water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclerunoff.html

Resources (Cont.)
Sandner, L. (2006).BC Science 8. Toronto,
Ontario.: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Wikipedia.(2015, May 1). Retrieved June 3,
2015, from
http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/ Surface -run
off#Human_influence