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1.1: Water Resources and the Origin of Contaminants
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The Earth’s water can be broken into two different categories: freshwater and salt water. Fresh water is stored on the surface as surface water or stored underground in aquifers as groundwater. Salt water can be found in the world’s oceans.
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1.2: Source Water Quality
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A finite amount of water on our planet (0.34%) is available to treat for human consumption. Knowing where the water comes from assists certified operators in treating raw source water to make it potable. Newer technology has been developed to treat salinized or salty water found in the ocean. These treatment methods are still extremely expensive and not widely accessible. Supplying water to the public is an extremely important function in society as water is the basic building block of life.
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1.3: Sources and Characteristics of Water
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The hydrologic cycle is the continuous movement of water throughout the earth. It is the physical process of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and surface runoff. Water changes from one form to another and then another. The three phases that water passes through are liquid, gas, and solid. We understand and encounter water in these three phases on a daily basis. Water in its most common form is liquid. However, we can freeze it to make ice (solid) or boil it to encounter st