Resource Manage 2

• How much water is used domestically in the UK

  50% of the UK's water supply is used domestically
• Why will the demand for water rise by 5% by 2020?

  Population growth, more houses built, more water intensive domestic appliances (e.g dishwasher)
• In what year did the government propose to establish a water grid to transfer water from areas of water surplus to areas of water deficit

  2006
• Why do people not want water transfer schemes to be implemented

  The high costs involved

  The greenhouse gases released by pumping water over long distances

  The effect on land and wildlife, river habitats would need to be protected
• What are the three main sources of water in the UK

  Rivers

  Reservoirs

  Ground water aquifers
• Define water surplus


  When the supply of water is greater than the demand
• Which region in the UK experiences water surplus

  The north and west of the UK has water surplus because there is high rainfall and a lower evaporation rate
• Define water deficit


  When the demand for water in greater than the supply
• Which regions in the UK experience water deficit

  The south and west of the UK has a water deficit because it is the most densely populated and has the lowest rainfall
• Define water stress


  When the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period of time or when poor quality restricts its use.
• How much of England experience water stress

  More than half of England
• State ways in which water can be saved

  The use of domestic metres

  Increasing the use of recycled water

  More efficient domestic appliances
• What is waste water

  water that contains waste from homes or industry
• How can waste water be useful

  It can irrigate food and non flood plants

  Contains phosphorus and nitrogen which are good source of nutrients
• How have some ground water sources deteriorated/become polluted

  Discharge from industrial sites

  Run off from chemical fertilisers used on farmland

  Leaching from old underground mines

  Water used for cooling in power stations released back into rivers
• What has the Environmental Agency done to manage water quality

  Monitor the quality of river water

  Filtering water to remove sediment

  Purifying water by adding chlorine

  Imposing strict regulations on the uses of water
• In the UK what are the three main ways we use energy

  Transport, heating and electricity
• How has the UK's energy mix changed?

  1990: ¾ of UK energy came from coal and oil (non-renewable/fossil fuel)

  2007: an equal mix of coal, gas and nuclear (non-renewable)

  2014: renewable sources had become more important

  2020: UK aims to meet 15% of its energy requirement from renewable sources
• Explain DRAX power station

  UK largest power station used to be 100% coal but changed to part biofuel

  Positives-reduced greenhouse gases

  Renewable energy

  Negative-coal produces more energy

  Expensive to make that change on a mass scale
• What is fracking


  Fracking uses high pressure water to shatter shale rocks and release natural gas lurking within rocks. The gas is then piped to the surface
• What are the problems with fracking

  Local noise pollution

  High costs

  High water use

  Minor earthquakes

  Ground water contamination

  Ground collapse

  Contaminate water in homes

  Devaluation of surrounding properties
• Explain the process of fracking

  Step 1- people drill down to the correct layer where gas rich shale Ed's are found

  Step 2- the drill whole then turns horizontal, where it can be further drilled

  Step 3- to protect the hole from collapsing, steel casing is placed in the hole. This also prevents bad things escaping from the hole

  Step 4- A special type of gun is fed into the hole which punches into the surrounding rock using explosive change. This is then pulled out and the well is cleared of debris

  Step 5- A mixture of water and chemicals is pumped into the well at a very high pressure. This forces the rock apart and releases shale gas

  Step 6- the liquid is the pumped out of the well which allows the gas to come to the surface where it can be gathered and used

  A food well can remain active for 20-40years
• Economic effects of nuclear energy

  Nuclear power plants are expensive to build

  Construction of new power plants provides job opportunities and boosts the local economy

  Decommissioning old nuclear power plants is expensive
• Environmental effects of nuclear energy

  The risk of radioactive leaks

  Warm water can harm local ecosystems

  The problem of safe processing and storage of the highly toxic and radioactive waste
• Economic effects of wind farms

  High construction costs

  Attract visitors by becoming tourist attractions

  Local homeowners can have lower energy bills
• Environmental effects of wind farms

  Visual impact on the landscape

  Noise from wind turbines

  Wind farms avoid harmful gas emissions and help reduce carbon footprint

  Construction of a wind farm and access roads can impact on environment