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About 80% of the earth's surface is covered with water! But out of all that water, only a tiny bit can be used by humans.
The water cycle never stops. Water evaporates into the air and becomes part of the clouds. It falls to earth as precipitation. Then it evaporates again. To visit a great web page about the water cycle click This precipitation, creates runoff which travels over the ground and fills streams, rivers, and lakes. It also filters down through the ground to fill up aquifers. These aquifers, usually areas of loose rock filled with water deep underground, are where many people get their drinking water.
Humans use lots of water. In fact our bodies are 70% water.
The average amount of water used by people in the United States can vary from 35 to 170 gallons every day.
That's a lot of pipes.
In Essex Junction four employees work really hard to clean the waste water before it goes back into the river. You might think of a wastewater plant as being a stinky place,
Why should YOU care about cleaning our water?
97%
of earth's water is salt water. 2%
is frozen in glacier ice. 1%
of all water is fresh water. This is the only water which humans can use. 
Can you believe the last drink of water you had may have once been used by a dinosar?
Recycling is used today to deal with lots of our garbage, but it has been used for millions of years by the earth, in a process called the Water Cycle. Because of this cycle, creatures everwhere on earth are able to use the same water over and over again!
It takes less than a 1% loss of water to make us feel thirsty.
All of the clean water that comes in one pipe goes out another--as wastewater. You can play an important part in the hydrologic cycle by not using so much water. Look for the butterflies
for tips on conserving water.What happens to water after we get done using it?
Wastewater can come from houses, industries, and storm drains. It flows in sewer pipes under the ground to waste water treatment plants all over the country. In fact there are thousands of plants in the U.S.
To see how the wastewater plant in Essex Junction works click here.
but in the end the water leaving the plant smells just like all river water.
The Bugs!
Waste water gets cleaned with bugs!
These are not your average bugs, they are micro-organisms.
They work 24 hours a day 7 days a week to consume organic matter from our waste water. They don't get paid as employees, but their bellies stay full!
What can you do to help conserve water?
When you wash your hands with the faucet water running, you use about 2 gallons of water. Turn the water off while you soap up!
Take short showers, five minutes with a low-flow shower head uses about 25 gallons of water. If you have an old shower head, have your parents install a new low flow type and use even less water!Brush your teeth with the water off.Check all the faucets in your house for leaks, even a small drip can waste lots of water!Use a nozzle on the garden hose.
Never pour oil or chemicals down the drain. Check with your town for information on hazardous waste disposal.
Remember, the water you keep clean will be the water your great great great grand children might drink!
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The Process
Phosphorus Control Slide Show
Nitrogen Control Slide Show