Carol Greene - I Love Our Water

WATER EVERYWHERE

Do you know that all plants and animals need water? Learn why water is so important to everyone, and what it is used for. Also, discover ways to save water every day!

"THESE EASY BOOKS SHOW YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO CARE FOR OUR EARTH"

About the Author

Carol Greene is the author of over 100 books for children. She has worked as a children's book editor and a teacher of writing for children.

About three-quarters of the earth is covered by water.

The earth is mostly made of it. Your body is mostly made of it. All living things need it to stay alive.

What is it? Water.

Water covers much of the earth. But most of it is in the oceans. It is salt water and you cant drink it.

Water without salt is called fresh water. You can find it in rivers and streams, lakes and ponds.

But most fresh water is frozen into ice in cold parts of the world. So people can use only a small part of all the water in the world. But that small part is enoughif we take good care of it.

This mountain lake contains fresh water.

A truck sprays water on a field of crops.

All plants, animals, and people need water to live. Without water, they cannot use their food or get rid of wastes. If you went more than a week without water, you would die.

People also use water to grow plants for food. It takes a lot of water to grow a crop of wheat or corn. Much of this water comes from rain. But in dry places, people must bring water to their crops.

Some plants and animals make their home in water. Fish, whales, dolphins, water lilies, and cattails will soon die out of water.

Water also cleans things. People use it to wash dishes and clothes, take showers and baths, brush teeth, flush toilets, and many other things.

Factories use a lot of water. They use it to clean things and to make things. But mostly they use it to cool things, such as steel.

People also use water to make power. Then they use the power to make heat or light or to run machines.

Sometimes people move things on water. Ships carry goods across the ocean. Barges carry goods up and down rivers.

Water is important for all these reasons. But it is also important because it is beautifuland fun. People can swim in it or sail or ski. They can look at a waterfall or a lake at sunset. Some people write music or poems about it. They show how beautiful water is.

Playing in a pool is always fun.

Pollutants enter the water and make it unsafe to use.

Water can get dirty. This happens when pollutants from factories get into it. Pollutants are harmful things left over after burning or making something.

Other factory pollutants can get into the air. There they mix with rain and fall to earth again. This is called acid rain. It harms plants and trees. It kills fish and other water animals. It can even harm buildings and bridges.

Water gets dirty from farm wastes, too. Some farmers use too many pest-killers to kill weeds and insects. They use too many fertilizers to make crops grow tall. These things mix with rain or snow. They get into rivers, lakes, and streams and make the water dirty.

Water can also get dirty from sewers. Sewer water is full of wastes, garbage, and soap. Sometimes people clean sewer water, so it can be used again. But sometimes they just let it run into rivers, lakes, or oceans.

People also spill things into the water by accident. Ships spilling oil are a big problem right now.

Dirty water spreads diseases. Sometimes people die from drinking it. In some places, people have run out of clean, fresh water.

Dirty water can also kill plants, fish, birds, and other animals. It can make our rivers, lakes, and oceans ugly and smelly.

This pelican is covered in oil that spilled into the sea.

Keeping our water clean is very important.

All living things need water to stay alive.

The earth can have clean water if people stop dumping things into it. People can make laws to stop factories from dumping pollutants. Factories can find better ways to get rid of their pollutants.

Farmers can use safe ways to kill pests and make crops grow tall.

People can clean up all the water and wastes that run through sewers.

People can also be more careful. They can build better ships to carry oil. They can try to use less oil, too.

Cleaning up our water and keeping it clean will take hard work. It will cost money.

But the earth must have clean water.

Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.

You can help keep water clean, too. Here are some things that you can do.

• Dont throw litter in or around water. (Dont throw litter anywhere except into trash bins.)
• Dont let the water run while you brush your teeth. Just turn it on to wet your brush and to rinse. This will save clean water.
• Dont let the water run to get yourself a cold drink. Keep a bottle in the refrigerator for drinks. Youll save more clean water.
• Take short showers instead of baths. Short showers use less clean water, too.
• Draw a picture or write a poem about water. Show what you have done to your family and friends.

acid rainRain, snow, or sleet with pollutants in it.

fresh waterWater without much salt in it.