In the United States we use water in many different ways. We need clean
water to drink and to cook with. We use water to clean our clothes and to
clean our bodies. Some people take baths and others take showers. We know
that you use less water in showers than in baths. We also use water to
water plants and to water our animals like pets and livestock. Water is
also used to make or manufacture things. We found out from a local paper
mill that it takes up to 150 gallons or 470 liters of water to make the
paper for one Sunday newspaper!
We live in Cannelton, Indiana which is right on the Ohio River. All along
the river there are dams. Cannelton has a locks and dam. Boats pass the
dams by means of the locks. All of the vessels passing through are raised
or lowered in the locks by letting water to or releasing water from the lock
in the gates. A dam traps part of the flow of the river to make an
artificial lake. They are called reservoirs. Our lake from the Cannelton
dam is actually 114 miles long, going from Cannelton to Louisville,
Kentucky. It is some of the most beautiful part of the river. Many people
use this for recreation such as boating, water skiing, swimming and more.
Some water from a reservoir can be used for drinking, manufacturing things,
and irrigation. This water can be piped to places that need the water.
Power can come from flowing water. Electricity is also produced by using
power of falling water. Hydroelectric dams store water in reservoirs for
their supply of water. Water is piped down to the hydroelectric power
station and the water pushes against a turbine which is shaped like a water
wheel. When the turbine spins it makes electricity.Here is something to
try...
Try holding your thumb over the end of a hose or faucet when water is
flowing out of it. If you take your thumb away, the water will gush out!
Our river is very important for transporting goods. Coal, and even cotton
has been transported that way. We have a Cotton Mill that was very busy for
over 100 years until it closed in 1954. Cotton was transported in huge
bales along the river. Other mills use the power of the water of the river
for things like grinding grain for flour. Rushing water of a stream poured
along a special channel and onto the blades of a huge water wheel at the
side of the mill is how this happens. When the wheel turns machines in the
mill move huge stones to grind the grain.
Cannelton Elementary students (grades 3-6)
Update: 2002/10/28 21:32:54
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