A Fresh Look at Fresh Water

From the Louisiana World Exposition

FROM May 12 to November 11 about seven million people walked along the banks of the Mississippi River in the city of New Orleans, in the United States. The city, known as the birthplace of jazz music, was playing a different tune this past year as it hosted the Louisiana World Exposition, located on an 84-acre (34-ha) site. The theme of the fair, “The World of Rivers: Fresh Water as a Source of Life,” flowed through exhibits from 25 countries. The Exposition focused attention on the worldwide importance of a good supply of fresh water and the problems connected with maintaining it.

To any visitor who tended to take the supply of fresh water for granted, there were a number of startling facts to alter that view. For instance, did you know that:

○ 100,000 gallonsa of water are used to manufacture one automobile?

○ 267 gallons are used to produce one pound of sugar?

○ 300 gallons are used to yield one pound of synthetic rubber?

○ 280 gallons are used in the making of one Sunday edition of the newspaper?

Many national exhibits featured the role water played in carving out the beauty of their land. In fact, every nation had pictures to showcase the truly beautiful spots in their part of the earth. And most of these were connected with rivers or lakes. Thus one commentary referred to water as “the sculptor of our landscape, the poet of our wilderness.”

A Look at the Exhibits

AUSTRALIA: A spokesman said, “Although Australia receives less rain than any other inhabited continent, the real message is what Australia has achieved with the water it has.” As an example, the Snowy Mountains Scheme in the southeast part of that continent is called “Australia’s greatest engineering project.” It is one of the world’s largest irrigation and power projects, taking 25 years to build. It includes about 100 miles (160 km) of tunnels, 80 miles (130 km) of aqueducts, 16 dams, and 9 power stations.

CANADA: Unlike Australia, Canada has no water shortage. But the Canada exhibit pointed up the recent and growing problem of acid rain, which is killing all life in many of the lakes along the U.S. border. It was described as “the most serious environmental problem facing today’s industrialized world.”

CHINA: The Chinese displayed books printed in the 12th century that dealt with theories on flood control, the construction of canals, dams and levees​—together with photographs of some of those structures still in use today.

JAPAN: The theme of the Japan pavilion was “Water’s Role in Both Benefiting and Threatening Human Life.” It described flood damage in Japan as well as new technology to improve and control rivers.

The Exposition leaves one with an increased awareness of our dependency on fresh water. And these following three impressions linger in the mind: Water is essential to life, and the Creator has generously and bountifully provided it. The waters of the earth are truly beautiful. And problems with water are largely man-made due to his selfishness or ignorance. For thinking people, the Exposition was truly a fresh look at fresh water.​—Contributed.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 23]

Water Quizb

Q: The world’s rainiest spot is located in the United States. Where is it?

A. Mount Rainier, Washington

B. Rains County, Texas

C. Mount Waialeale, Hawaii

D. Mount Wetmore, North Dakota

A: Mount Waialeale, which averages 471 inchesc of precipitation a year.

Q: Of all the water on earth, how much of it is in the form of liquid fresh water?

A. 0.6 percent

B. 2.2 percent

C. 49 percent

D. I give up!

A: Only 0.6 percent, which is found in rivers, lakes, surface-soil water, and groundwater. Ice caps and glaciers account for 2.2 percent and salt water 97.2 percent.

Q: If all the moisture in the atmosphere were to fall to earth as rain, how much would it measure?

A. One inch

B. One footd

C. One hundred feet

D. Enough to dive in

A: The approximately 3,100 cubic miles (12,900 cu km) of moisture in the atmosphere would cover the earth with an inch of water.

Q: Plants give up moisture to the air in a process called transpiration. How much water will an acre of corn yield per day through transpiration?

A. 30-40 gallons

B. 300-400 gallons

C. 3,000-4,000 gallons

D. None, it yields only corn syrup

A: It yields 3,000-4,000 gallons a day at the height of the growing season. On an annual basis, a large oak tree will yield as much as 40,000 gallons of water a year through transpiration.

Q: To provide enough electricity to power a typical home for 24 hours, how much water must fall 42 feet through a hydroelectric plant?

A. 1,700,000 gallons

B. 3,200,000 gallons

C. 5,700,000 gallons

D. Enough to make the roof leak

A: A typical American home consumes 24 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day, and it takes 3,200,000 gallons of water falling 42 feet to generate 24 kilowatt-hours.

[Footnotes]