New on YES I Can! Science, http://www.yesican.yorku.ca/home/index.html ...
Water Resources
Did you know...
-Canada's rivers and lakes contain enough water to flood the entire country
to a depth of more than 2 metres.
-Canada holds 20% of the world's fresh water, but has only 9% of the world's
fresh renewable water; the rest is "fossil water," a legacy of the melting
Pleistocene ice sheets.
-Of the total world's freshwater supply, over two thirds is found
underground.
-Less than 3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment
plant is used for drinking purposes.
-Each day humans must replace 2.4 litres of water, some through drinking and
the rest taken by the body from the foods eaten.
Water...clean, safe, drinking water...has been hitting the news media right
across North America this month.
In the small Ontario town of Walkerton, the contamination of a municipal
well with E. coli has left five people dead, with maybe more deaths yet to
come. Hundreds of residents are suffering from stomach cramps, diarrhea,
nausea and fever, symptoms which result from drinking water contaminated
with the deadly bacteria.
Friday, May 12, a storm hit southern Ontario and floodwaters believed to
have been contaminated with E. coli from cattle manure are suspected to have
entered Walkerton's water supply. While there are no final figures,
officials are saying the water-born E. coli outbreak in Walkerton appears to
be the largest outbreak of its kind ever in North America.
The YES I Can! Science database hosted by the Faculty of Pure and Applied
Science at York University, Toronto, Ontario has added freely-accessible,
classroom-ready, curriculum-specific lessons and activities for developing
an understanding of the issues of water in environment as a essential
resource.
Visit YES I Can! Science at http://www.yesican.yorku.ca/home/index.html.
Diane Hammond
Curriculum Consultant
YES I Can! Science
York University, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.yesican.yorku.ca
science@yesican.yorku.ca
ly-placed industry insider; in order to
speak his mind with impunity, he remains anonymous under the pseudonym
Webster. The show has weekly prize giveaways.
"Listeners of all ages and levels of Internet experience enjoy the show,"
said Webster. "We have fun surfing together, and everyone learns something
new."
The Web Guy can be heard every Sunday night at 10:00 PM EST on WAXY 790 AM,
Miami, or on the Internet at www.webguy.cc.
Link to story online at:
http://www.xpresspress.com/news/thewebguy_060100.html