MANAGE WATER RESOURCES SUSTAINABLY
Water is an essential resource. As our climate changes, populations and resource pressures increase, it is more important than ever to be able to manage what we have effectively!
Find out more about water conservation and management with this specialised and detailed course.
This is a valuable course for farmers, horticulturists, plumbers, irrigation industry staff, environmentalists and anyone looking to increase their knowledge and awareness of conservative principles.
This course consists of approximately 100 hours of self-paced study. Students have full access to professional tutors throughout the duration of their studies.
LESSON STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
There are 10 lessons in this course:
1. Introduction to water conservation
- Importance of water
- The water cycle rainfall, evaporation, infiltration, effective rainfall
- Water sources and storage water quality
- Facts on water uses water use at home, in primary and other industries
- Why conserve water personal, regional and global significance.
2. Water conservation at home
- In Australia
- In the United Kingdom
- In the United States
- Measures undertaken to save water in the home in the kitchen, bathroom and in the garden.
- Water Saving Devices
3. Water conservation in the workplace
- General principles
- Implementing water saving strategies
- Installing small appliances
- Large water saving devices
4. Water management
- Water quality maintaining water quality, salinity, chemical contaminants
- Controlling Use and Quality of Water water flow measurement, water quality control, testing water salinity
- Preserving Water Quality minimising evaporation, water sanitation
- Water Audits
- Water Management Plans
5. Water conservation in Primary Production I
- Water Saving Measures
-
Water Wise Plants
- Water Wise Procedures
- Water Wise Irrigation systems
- Water Wise Landscaping
- Equipment, structures and tools to save water
6. Water conservation in Primary Production II
- Use of water in primary production
- Methods of water storage
- Rainwater collection and storage
- Bore water
- Farm dams planning, lined ponds
- Water Requirements livestock requirements, domestic requirements
- Water Quality
- Water Problems on Farms contamination and disposal of water, evaporation, seepage, runoff, overspray, scheduling
- Using Farm Waste Water
- Irrigation System Design
- Maintenance Procedures and Scheduling
- Surface/Flood Irrigation
- Sprinkler Irrigation
- Swales and Keylines
7. Water conservation in Services industries
- Use of Water in Services Industry
- Contamination and Disposal of Water
- Reduce/Reuse/Recycle
8. Water conservation and Health
- Hospitals, nursing homes, laundries, clinical laboratories, dental practices, human and animal research facilities
- Uses of water in Health Industry control pathogens, general use
- Water minimisation
- Water efficiency
9. Water conservation in other sectors
- Use of water in manufacturing, construction and heavy industry
- Water use in the production process
- Examples of water using activities in food facilities
- Water holding
- Benefits of cleaner production
10. Water treatment, reuse and recycling
- Water Sanitation filtering and disinfection
- Water Reuse and Recycling classification and composition of waste water.
- Recycling Wastewater
- Wastewater treatment
- Suitable plants
- Treating saline water
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
- Explain the importance of water in the world and the reasons for its sustainable conservation and management.
- Explain the importance of water conservation and methods to save water at the workplace.
- Explain the importance of water conservation and methods to save water at home.
- Explain water flow and quality control.
- Explain water audits and water management plans.
- Explain the importance of water conservation and methods to save water in Horticulture
- Explain the importance of water conservation and methods to save water in Agriculture.
- Explain the importance of water conservation and methods to save water in the Services Industry.
- Explain the importance of water conservation and methods to save water in the Health Industry and allied services.
- Explain the importance of water conservation and methods to save water in other occupations.
- Explain water sanitation and wastewater treatment methods and the difference with water reuse and recycling.
WHY CONSERVE WATER: PERSONAL, TERRITORY AND GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE
Human beings cannot survive more than three days without any source of water. Neither can other animals or plants. Water is life. Water is needed to move, eat, reproduce, work and think... in other words, to survive and to live!
Water resources are challenged in our world today due a variety of factors, not least of which include considerable pollution and overuse of local resources. In some regions, the scarcity (and/or expense!) of water resources lead to quarrels between farmers, people in cities and different industries. Often, water is being used in much greater quantities than what is actually needed. As climates change and various pressures increase, it is essential that we understand these limitations and learn how to make better use of this valuable resource.
Water use and conservation can be considered through the three environmental R’s:
1. Reduce water use and water losses. This is also called water saving or minimisation. Clean production is a term used to describe the actions taken to minimise the use of valuable resources such as water, energy or precious materials.
Water reduction is the first step in water conservation. It is essentially the most important factor in using water more efficiently. We reduce our water use at home when we use “water savers” in the shower. In gardening we save water when we use drip irrigation, instead of surface watering.
2. Reuse. Once water use has been reduced, we can study how we can use water that has already been used once. This is done normally with water that is not heavily contaminated with wastes. We can reuse shower water, for example, but not water used to flush the toilets.
We are reusing water at home when we are using our grey water (from washing) to water the garden. Some industries can reuse water so effectively that they don’t produce any waste water at all. There are, today, various highly efficient technologies available for both commercial and personal application.
3. Recycle. Recycling often utilises technologies which clean the water and use recovered waters efficiently. In rural houses, water from bathroom usage can be cleaned with several simple and affordable technologies. This water can then be used to water trees, for example. In Israel, in very dry areas which experience significant shortages of water, sewage water is cleaned and disinfected so well, that it is being used to supply part of the drinking water. It is an expensive technology, but it can be done if there is no another solution to provide water to the population.
MAINTAINING WATER QUALITY
Water quality is affected by the type and amount of impurities:
- Physical contamination is particles in the water, like silt due to erosion.
- Chemical impurities are substances dissolved in the water, like salt, fertilisers, oils, pesticides and other chemical residues.
- Biological impurities are living organisms such as algae and some microorganisms. Bacteriological contamination is biological and it is extremely important to human and animal health.
Rain or creek water is unlikely to have serious physical or chemical impurities, like high levels of fertilisers, pesticides or oils. However, it may develop considerable algal problems, particularly when exposed to light and if nutrient levels (normally due to chemical contamination with fertilisers in the creek basin) are high. Bacterial impurities may develop if this water is stored improperly or contaminated with grazing animal’s droppings and urine.
Bore or spring water hardly ever has physical or algal impurities, but may contain salts (causing hardness). Bore water may also contain iron, and in agricultural areas can have nutrients and pesticides. Bore water near industrial areas or cities may have chemical contaminants like oils and its residues and other chemical contaminants that will depend on the industries nearby.
River or channel water is likely to have biological impurities (eg. algae) as a result of fertilizer contamination and may have chemical and physical contamination, depending on the source. If the river comes from a contaminated water basin (the geographical area where rain water falls and gathers in a sole river), water may contain chemicals. This may happen when there are industries or mining activities upstream.
Dam and irrigation water generally contains few chemical or biological impurities if properly managed, but may have sediment or other physical impurities and may develop medium levels of bacteria and nutrients, particularly if animals are allowed to foul the water. If the water is rich in nutrients due to agricultural runoff, then algal blooms are likely to develop (eutrophication).
The quality of water may be found by testing a sample. This is normally carried out by such organisations as:
- Environmental laboratories, university laboratories or university scientific services
- Companies that sell equipment for the treatment of water
- Local organisations such as dairy factories and water treatment trusts
- Departments of Agriculture, Primary Industries or similar bodies
- Departments of Mines or similar bodies
- Departments of Health
- Water supply authorities
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