Origin of Water Resource

Prepared by:
Mark Anthony Cenas
Patricia Anne C. Caaway
Water resources are natural resources of water that
are potentially useful. Uses of water
include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational
and environmental activities. All living things require
water to grow and reproduce.
 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slightly over
two thirds of this is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps.The remaining unfrozen freshwater is
found mainly as groundwater, with only a small fraction present above ground or in the air.
 Fresh water is a renewable resource, yet the world's supply of groundwater is steadily
decreasing, with depletion occurring most prominently in Asia, South America and North
America, although it is still unclear how much natural renewal balances this usage, and
whether ecosystems are threatened. The framework for allocating water resources to water
users (where such a framework exists) is known as water rights.
 Water Resources Engineering

 Water resources engineers are concerned with the structures and processes related to water
supplies for human consumption and the removal of water for safety
Inside Water Resources Engineering

 Water resources engineering is a specialty of civil engineering that focuses on water

supplies, irrigation and waste disposal. It also addresses methods for controlling water to
avoid water-related damage and catastrophes.
The uses of water resources throughout history
can be classified into four major categories

 Human kind vital needs and comport

 Agricultural use for cattle and for irrigation
 Aesthetic or cultural dimension of waterscapes
 Industrial use as a source of energy
 Types of Water Resources

Water resources come in many forms, but the three main

categories are saltwater, groundwater and surface water.
Saltwater Resources

As mentioned, saltwater is abundant in the surface of the

planet. However, saltwater is currently not particularly useful
when it comes to potable water supplies. Desalination plants,
while they do exist, are scarce because the energy required
for desalination makes the process extremely expensive.
Groundwater Resources

 Groundwater is the most plentiful of all freshwater resources. As water percolates into the
ground through layers of soil, clay, and rock, some of it adheres to the topmost layers to
provide water to plants. This water is in what is called the unsaturated, or vadose, zone.
Most of the pores in the vadose zone are filled with air, rather than water.
 Gravity continues to move the water down through the ground. Eventually, the water
reaches the saturated zone, where all the pores are filled with water. The separation
between the saturated and unsaturated zone is called the water table.
Aquifers are areas of permeable rock that
hold water. Typically, aquifers are made of
bedrock that has many fractures and
connected pores, such as limestone,
sandstone and gravel. Shale and clay
layers are impermeable, and therefore
make poor aquifers. An aquifer is
"recharged" through precipitation from
above percolating through the layers of soil
and rock. Therefore, there is significant
interaction between surface water and
ground water.
Surface Water Resources

 Surface water is the water that exists in streams and lakes. This water is primarily used for
potable water supply, recreation, irrigation, industry, livestock, transportation and
hydroelectric energy. Over 63 percent of the public water supply is withdrawn from
surface water. Irrigation gets 58 percent of its water supply from surface water. Industry
gets almost 98 percent of its water from surface water systems. Therefore, surface water
conservation and quality is of the utmost importance.