Introduction

All life as we know it depends on water.

DID YOU KNOW...

• Our own human bodies are over 70% water.
• Water recycles. All the water on the earth is the same water that existed and was used by Cleopatra or Christopher Columbus.

DID YOU KNOW...

Water:
• can exist as a solid, liquid or gas at the same time
• has no smell, taste or color
• can mix or combine with most substances, thus called the universal solvent
• is less dense when frozen than as a liquid
• can move uphill through capillary action and pressure
• is completely neutral, neither an acid or a base (pure water)

DID YOU KNOW...

• Over 75% of the earth's surface is covered with water, but
• Fresh water is a limited resource: 97% is salt water, 2% is glacier ice and less than 1% is available for our use as fresh water (source National Geographic Water).
• Since 1950, water use worldwide has tripled! (source Project WET). This means we are using water faster than our natural water supplies can recycle, filter and clean it before we use it again.

DID YOU KNOW...

• Sprinkler irrigation improves surface-water quality.
  
• Farmers using sprinklers to irrigate their crops have helped to decrease runoff of water, soil, and chemicals from cropland.
  
• Furrow irrigation results in more runoff of water and soil and is related to higher levels fo sediment in streams and rivers.
  
• Excess runoff impacts crop production and water quality. Soil, nutrients, and pesticides can all be carried into rivers and streams. Sediment degrades fish habitat, nutrients increase plant growth, and pesticides harm fish and wildlife.

DID YOU KNOW...

• Leeches are associated with lake productivity.
• Leeches are a very commmon member of the aquatic biota.
• Leeches can be an indicator of a healthy and diverse aquatic community.
• Only a few species of leeches can tolerate pollution.
• Of the 25 common genera of leeches in the U.S., only two are blood-suckers.
• Leeches are primarily nocturnal and feed on insects, larvae, worms, and other invertebrates.