WATER CYCLE

Your body and those of other organisms is more than 90% water.  Obviously, it is very important to keep water available to all of us.  This happens through the water cycle, which begins with evaporation from the earth's surface.  The sun "boils" water into the air where it cools and condenses to form clouds which release rain drops.  When rain hits the ground, some sinks in helping to recharge the water table.  Some runs off into canals, lakes and streams and travels to the ocean.  Part of it is "boiled" off again and continues the cycle.

We get our water for drinking, agriculture and industry from ground and surface water bodies.  Most important for us is water that sinks into the ground.   Where the earth's surface is hardened by pavement and buildings, less water sinks in and less ground water is available.  We need to Landscape so as to maximize the water that sinks in

RUNOFF

As water runs off it picks up a variety of things including sediments, trash, fertilizers, pesticides and oils washed off streets and lawns.  The more runoff there is, the more foreign material flows into canals.  We need to remember that if it falls on the ground it can end up in the water!

FOOD WEB

There's a web of life that works for all of us in every canal, lake and stream.  Plants are the base of this web.  They get their energy from the sun and in process of growing, absorb nutrients and other runoff wastes.  Plants are eaten by a variety of consumers in canals.  Many are too tiny to be seen, but others include small fish, crayfish, and insects.  Energy in these consumers is utilized by predators, such as frogs, big fish, alligators and many kinds of birds.  In time, all of these consumers will die and be decomposed by bacteria which are eaten by other consumers.  In this process, materials are changed from energy-rich to enegry-poor and the energy used supports all life involved.  Materials are used over again while the energy has to be continuously supplied by the sun.  This web works for all of us by cleaning up many wastes and by trapping poisons where they can do less harm.  Since the action is solar-powered, it costs us nothing.  But this web can be overwhelmed by pollution and then it stops provides us with the free clean-up.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU FEED YOUR CANAL - YOU CAN KILL IT!