Water Geography

Paper Summary:

This paper commences by defining eight terms related to water geography such as a water surplus is a period in time when there is enough water for plants to feed and aquatic life to thrive. The author then examines that Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), a federal law first enacted in 1974 and revised in 1996, which promotes better standards for public drinking water under the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The third part of this paper considers the utility of dams by exploring the five primary advantages and disadvantages of dams. The author concludes that dams, as man-made structures, are neither good nor bad but rather neutral in value.

Table of Contents:
Eight Terms
Water Surplus/Deficit
Cloud Seeding
Giardiasis/Cryptosporidium
Doctrine of Prior Appropriations
Scour and Fill/Levees
Dissolved Load/Suspended Load/Bed Load
Chlorination/Trihalomethanes (THMs)
Anadromous Fish/Catadromous Fish
The Safe Drinking Water Act
Dams
Advantages
Disadvantages
Conclusions

From the Paper:

"The collapse of a dam, while not often probable, is a real threat. Because of this dams require constant monitoring which can take a further toll on economic resources. Damns also redirect water, which may enable certain populations to benefit, including residents living near the dam, but may also harm the natural landscape and plant or marine life residing in the region a dam is created. While a dam may prevent flooding most of the time, it may result in the mass destruction of an entire residential area should the dam expire."

Sample of Sources Used:

• EPA. (2006). Safe Water Drinking Act. Environmental Protection Agency, Retrieved October 16th, 2007: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/index.html
• Mayhew, S. (2004). A dictionary of geography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved October 16th, 2005: http://www.answers.com/topic/cloud-seeding?cat=technology
• University of Texas. (2005). Water surplus and deficit. UTexas.com. Retrieved October 16, 2007: http://www.zo.utexas.edu/courses/bio213/PPT/7th.Lecture.ppt#2
• Qing, D. & Sullivan, L.R. (1999). The Three Gorges Dam and China's Energy Dilemma. Journal of International Affairs, 53(1): 53.

More papers on Water Geography:

• Research Paper # 68600 : "Water Resource Management "
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• Essay # 40070 : "Water in California"

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