Online Learning Resources for Water Education   11/02/2007
Author : Graeme Daniel

'We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.' - one of many quotations at UNESCO's 2003: Year of FreshWater site, which also offers an interesting retrospective collection of learning resources in its Education Corner .


Well, the IPPC's report on Climate Change 2007  has broken upon us with the convincing but not entirely unexpected news that we are all in deep trouble, unless we move quickly to modify human impact on global systems. Here in Australia, we seem to live at the cutting edge of climatic caprice - while parts of the country suffer the ravages of unprecedented bushfires and drought, vast tracts are inundated by surging floodwaters. Many of our major urban centres are trying to cope with severe water shortages, to the point of considering recycling and desalination options; most urban-dwellers here have never had to consider the sort of domestic water discipline practised by their country cousins, and it's all coming as something of a shock. This edition of WWWTools for Education offers a selection of resources which students and teachers should find useful as they address water usage issues that are bound to become more pressing as time goes on.


Introductory References.

We are well into the International Decade for Action: Water for Life, 2005 - 2015 (United Nations) - here are links to fascinating facts about our most familiar essential substance, both from Wikipedia: Water and the Water (molecule) .

The Human Body-Water Relationship  (Department of Environmental Quality, Michigan, 2006) - human body composition, daily requirements, factors affecting hydration.

Water: How Much Should You Drink Every Day? (Mayo Clinic: May 23, 2006) - needs depend on your health, how active you are, and where you live.

A couple of glossaries to help with terminology:
    On-line Glossary (Food and Agriculture Organisation) - for example, try searching on 'dam'.
    Groundwater Glossary (Groundwater Foundation, 2003) - part of a well-indexed portal.

Water Observatory   (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) - stay up-to-date with issues and developments.

    
Our Most Pressing Problem?

World Is Running Out of Water, Says UN Adviser (Randeep Ramesh / Guardian Unlimited: January 22, 2007) - a warning from Jeffrey Sachs, director of the UN's Millennium Project.

Water, Environment and Sanitation (UNICEF) - 40% of people lack basic sanitation facilities; over one billion people lack safe drinking water. Consequences for health are predictably devastating.

... and closer to home:
    Sydney 'First to Run Out of Water'  (news.com: December 17, 2006} - will this dubious world-first honour go to Sydney, Mexico City or Beijing?
    Melbourne Water Levels Down 35pc   (news.com: February 02, 2007) - reservoir levels have dropped to 36.5% of capacity.
    Water Crisis in SE Queensland   (Gary Sauer-Thompson / Public Opinion: January 23, 2007)- 'if current conditions continue, Brisbane will run out of water by early 2008.'

... meanwhile, in Darwin: The Big Dry? No Worries, It'll Be Right As Rain Soon  (Lindsay Murdoch / The Age: November 23, 2006) - northern Australia's expectations were very different (and have since been met).


Possible Solutions.

STORAGE: Dams have traditionally served as the obvious means of keeping water where it's needed - however, they also carry the potential for environmental disaster and social disruption.
Problems are outlined in From Drinking Water to Disasters, Investing in Freshwater Ecosystems Is Best Insurance Policy   (Worldwatch Institute: July 10, 2005)

 The  Queensland Government's proposal to build the Traveston Dam  on the Mary River continues to be controversial - see detail in the Traveston Dam News (Mary Valley, 2007).
... however, there are other lower key approaches to storage and reticulation: for example, NSW Parliament to Use Stormwater   (Sydney Morning Herald: February 04, 2007) - water to be stored in disused railway tunnels.

MOVING WATER:
Will we eventually be shipping water by tanker, when the price is right? See Supertankers Laden with Water! (Stefano Ambrogi / Dawn: February 03, 2007).

In Innovative Technical Solutions for Water Management in Australia   (Australian Academy of Science / October 30, 2006), solutions such as dragging icebergs from Antarctica to piping water from the north of Australia were considered - but not for long. See also: Water Pipeline No Good for Economy Or Environment (Drew Hutton /  Queensland Greens)

BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION: Always a popular solution, as it generally just involves a little education, which we all know costs practically nothing.
Set Daily Target, Expert Urges   (Rachel Kleinman / The Age: November 23, 2006) - the Melbourne University Water Research Centre's  John Langford recommends cutting daily consumption rates by 4.7%.

'Waterwise' Gardeners to Get $50 Rebate   (Sydney Morning Herald: December 18, 2006) - in Queensland, the Home Garden WaterWise Scheme   will provide a $50 rebate to householders who buy mulches, compost bins, or drought-tolerant plants.

Parliament on Water Saving Mission (Sydney Morning Herald: January 19, 2007) - in Canberra, Parliament House is trying to cut water consumption by one-third.

Humble Dunny Leads Water Savings  (news.com: January 22, 2007) - the rising popularity of the half-flush toilet.

City Slashes Water Usage   (news.com: January 25, 2007) - in Brisbane, residents and businesses reduced consumption rates by 42 and 24 per cent respectively during the last three months of 2006.

In his blog entry on Water Rewards , Kevin Cox introduces an innovative strategy for encouraging and supporting sustainable water use by households, urban industries and businesses. It uses market-based mechanisms and incentives to encourage consumers to use less water by rewarding efficient water consumption; in short, it's a community-owned and initiated urban water trading scheme. For comment on this and further explanation, see also responses at Andrew Leigh's A Libertarian Thought on Water Restrictions and visit the water rewards website.


CONSERVATION MEASURES:
Savewater claims to be Australia's leading resource on water conservation, and provides lots of information on how to modify water usage.

The Water Conservation in Agriculture infoNET   is a Web-based database allowing access to publications, documents, data, computer programs and discussion groups supporting informed decisionmaking regarding water conservation and use in agriculture.

RECYCLING:
There are many apects to consider - recycling used to be just a matter of reusing grey water for secondary uses such as watering gardens, and this has achieved new heights in places like Melbourne, where The Bucketeers Come Out in Force  (John Elder, Janae Houghton / The Age: January 28, 2007). However, the notion of extending the concept to the treatment of sewage for another cycle of domestic use is also gaining currency - see for example:
    Recycled Water Compulsory for 40,000  (Sydney Morning Herald: January 15, 2007)
    Qld Govt Expects Recycled Water by 2008  (Sydney Morning Herald: January 28, 2007)
    Recycled Water 'Drunk Safely Now'  (Leticia Makin / news.com: January 29, 2007)
    Calls for Recycled Water Education Campaign  (ABC News Online: January 30, 2007)
    Recycled Water Starts To Sink In (Philip Hopkins / The Age: February 05, 2007) - good news for agriculture.

Water Recycling in Australia (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, 2004) is a comprehensive treatment which can be downloaded in sections if necessary.

ALTERNATIVE SOURCES:
As rainfall reliability wanes, we become more enthusiastic about alternative sources of fresh water:
    Aquifer May Solve Sydney Water Crisis   (Sydney Morning Herald: December 11, 2006) - the Botany Aquifer could supply 2 - 5% of Sydney's fresh water.
    Water Wars: It's the Sea Or Underground  (Sydney Morning Herald: Anne Davies / February 07, 2007) - desalination is also an option for Melbourne: see Melbourne Desalination Plant Inevitable
(Farrah Tomazin / The Age: January 16, 2007), and for Sydney: Desalination 'Cheaper Than Recycling'
(news.com: February 07, 2007).

For an overview of how desalination works, see Ted Levin's Turning Oceans into Tap Water (Natural Resources Defense Council / OnEarth: Summer 2004)

There are several current efforts to tap into the other end of the Water Cycle, to extract the precious commodity from the air around us: in Water from Wind  (Australian: January 27, 2007), Phillip Adams introduces Max Whisson's approach to the problem. There are other attempts along these lines:
    Machine Makes Water from Air   (Tanya Nolan / ABC Local Radio: March 13, 2004) - Michael Zwebner's idea uses a process similar to air conditioning.
    Making Water From Thin Air (Audrey Hudson / Wired News: October 06, 2006) - water for 30 cents a gallon.

MANAGEMENT:
In Australia (and hopefully elsewhere), the IPCC'S report on Climate Change 2007 has certainly spurred us on to consider a welter of water management options, mostly tinged with political considerations - just following one major theme of the moment:
    Drying Up: Murray on the Brink  (Jewel Topsfield / The Age: January 04, 2007)    
   PM Unveils $10b Plan for Water   (The Age: January 25, 2007)
    UN Climate Report 'Turns Up Heat on PM'  (Sydney Morning Herald: January 27, 2007)
    Water Plan Could See Farmers Bought Out  (Maria Hawthorne / news.com: January 28, 2007)
    BHP Alarm over PM's River Plan (Phillip Coorey / Sydney Morning Herald: February 02, 2007)
    States Refuse to Sign Up for Howard's Water Plan  (Jewel Topsfield, Tim Colebatch and Michelle Grattan / The Age: February 09, 2007) - so where do we go from here?


Portals and Vortals for Water Resources.

The UNESCO Water Portal - comprehensive coverage.

International Office for Water   - French and European emphasis.

Freshwater - a theme at the United Nations Environment Network.

UN-Water - follow-up of decisions reached at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Millennium Development Goals.

International Decade for Action: Water for Life, 2005 - 2015 (United Nations)

Water   (Worldwatch Institute) - 'independent research for an environmentally sustainable and socially just society.'

Water   (US Environmental Protection Agency) -  categorised under: Ground Water & Drinking Water; Water Science; Wastewater Management; Wetlands, Oceans, & Watersheds; American Indian Environmental Office.


Some Australian Water Sites.

Land & Water Australia (Australian Government)- news, events, research.

Water Resources (CSIRO Land and Water) - 'an integrated view of water resource management.'

Water Smart Australia Programme   (Australian Government) - aims to accelerate the development and uptake of smart technologies and practices in water use.

National Water Initiative   (Australian Government) - strategy for improving water management.

WaterCare   (Government of South Australia) - aims to raise awareness and understanding of water issues. See in particular sections for Students and Teachers.

Department of Water   (Government of Western Australia}. See also the listing at Useful Links .

Melbourne Water   -  projects, publications and online services.

Sydney Water Web Site   - water quality reports, information on the corporation, facilities, projects, tenders and services.

Australian Water Association   - mission to promote sustainable management. See especially the Water Education
page, with details of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and the Undergraduate Water Prize.

Climate Change and Water in Australia (CANA) - structured information based on a review of research undertaken by the Institute for Sustainable Futures.

Australia Water Partnership - links Australia to the work of the Global Water Partnership.


Classroom Resources.

Melbourne Water - Education   - resources for students and teachers at primary, secondary, tertiary and training levels.

Sydney Water Web Site / Schools   - Student Resources; Teacher Resources; Booking a Tour of a Sydney Water Facility; Games.

Water Science for Schools   (U.S. Geological Survey) - also available in Spanish.

Educational Services   (Portland Water Bureau) - tours, classroom visits, lesson plans, educational kits, teacher resources.

Kids' Corner   (Groundwater Foundation) - lots of activities and learning resources for students and educators.

Water – Learn it! Live it! (Yarra Valley Water School) - an innovative schools program for Juniors, Seniors, Teachers.


Higher Education Programs and Projects.

Melbourne Water Research Centre (University of Melbourne) - 8 participating faculties: Arts; Economics and Commerce; Engineering; Land and Food Resources; Law; Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science; Science; Veterinary Science.
Cross-disciplinary effort identifying water management challenges, defining required research , and facilitating collaboration and funding for research. Three priority challenges:
    * Water policy and institutional reform.
    * Increasing the economic output of irrigation using less water.
    * Supplying growing cities with reliable water supplies.

Environment and Sustainable Development Programme (United Nations University) - thematic areas include Water Crises; activities are carried out on a project basis.

WERC's Environmental Design Contest (April 1-5, 2007)  requires college or high school student teams to design solutions for environmental problems and present fully operational bench-scale solutions.  

The UNESCO Institute for Water Education is the largest water education facility in the world and confers accredited MSc degrees.
Enter the Institute's 50 Years of Wise Water Photo Competition   for a chance to win a state of the art digital camera. Deadline for submission: March 01, 2007.


Online Resource Collections.

Web Links for Teachers   (Portland Water Bureau, 2007)

AQUASTAT   - FAO's global information system on water and agriculture. Start with Water at a Glance , a 10-minute guide to effective ways of managing agricultural water.

Water Science for Schools - Links to Other Sources of Water Information (U.S. Geological Survey) - fairly comprehensive coverage.

Links to UN Organizations Involved in Water (IAEA)

Water Links Worldwide   (UNESCO Water Portal) - browse by theme, geographical scope, or type of organization

Water and Food Security Country Profiles (FAO)

Water Education (Young Water Action Team)  - a selective annotated list; or browse the Youth-led Water Initiatives Task Force’s Database


Tools for Schools.

The EdNA database: search results for 'water resources' 

Search Results From P.L. Duffy Resource Centre: 'water'  (Trinity College, W.A)

Gateway to 21st Century Skills  - 280 items.

Global Water Availability   (UN) - maps 1950, 1995, 2005.

CyberSchoolBus - Water Quiz  (UN) - 9 questions.

Water Crisis in Western Australia Cross Curricula Research Quest  - objective: to discover the best way to solve the water crisis.


Coming Events.

The 5th Annual Australian Water Summit :  February 26 - 28, 2007. The theme is "Can you afford to miss a drop".

World Water Day   : March 22, 2007 - the theme is 'Coping with Water Scarcity'  

World Water Monitoring Day 2007  - this program builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources; monitoring period from September 18 to October 18 each year.

Grim Toll in Doomsday Forecast   (news.com: February 11, 2007) - CSIRO's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report predicts Australian summer rainfall will decrease by at least 10% in some areas, and by up to 30% elsewhere.

 
Who'd Have Thought That...?

Parliament's Rooftop Lawn Escapes Restrictions  (The Age: January 04, 2007) - structural considerations apply.

'Eucalypt regrowth in the alpine region could drastically reduce mountain water supplies...' See Fires and Global Warming Threaten River  (Susanna Dunkerley / news.com: January 12, 2007)

The Prime Minister is not allowed to install a rainwater tank - in Tankless Task for Water Warrior  (news.com: January 27, 2007)

Recipezaar's Kitchen Encyclopedia lists 38,523 recipes in which water is specified as an ingredient - strangely enough, its nutritional value is absolutely nil.


BOOKS

Project WET - Water Education for Teachers (K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide)  (Project WET Staff / Council for Environmental Education, 2004)
Paperback: $47.00     ASIN: B000I40UQC

Water: A Shared Responsibilty (United Nations World Water Development Report)  (World Water Assessment Programme / Berghahn Books; Bk&CD-Rom edition, 2006)
Paperback: $65.00
ISBN-10: 1845451775
ISBN-13: 978-1845451776

The World's Water 2006-2007: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources
(Peter Gleick, Heather Cooley, David Katz , Emily Lee / Island Press, 2006)
Paperback: $35.00
ISBN-10: 1597261068
ISBN-13: 978-1597261067

When the Rivers Run Dry: Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century
(Fred Pearce / Beacon Press, 2006)
Hardcover: $17.79
ISBN-10: 0807085723
ISBN-13: 978-0807085721

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