Grade by Grade
E. Earth and Space Systems · Air and Water in the Environment

Where Do We Find Water?

E2.2 A1.1 A3.1About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can name sources of water in the natural environment.
  • I can name places where water is found in the built environment.
  • I can sort water sources into natural and built.
  • I can explain how clean water gets to a tap.
  • I can find out where my own water comes from.

Words to know

source
The place where something comes from.
natural environment
The parts of the world made by nature, like lakes, forests and mountains.
built environment
The parts of the world that people make, like houses, roads, pipes and water towers.
fresh water
Water that is not salty. Lakes, rivers, rain and snow are fresh water.
salt water
Salty water, like the water in oceans. We can't drink it.
groundwater
Water that soaks into the ground and fills tiny spaces between soil and rocks.
well
A deep hole dug or drilled into the ground to reach groundwater.
reservoir
A big lake that people make, often with a dam, to store water.

Water, water everywhere

Look at a picture of Earth from space. It looks mostly blue! That blue is water. Water covers most of our planet.

But where exactly do we find water? Let's go on a water hunt, in nature and in the places people build.

Water in the natural environment

Nature has water in many places:

  • Oceans and seas. Canada touches three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic.
  • Lakes and ponds. Ontario has hundreds of thousands of lakes! It also touches four of the five Great Lakes: Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario. (The fifth one, Lake Michigan, is in the United States.)
  • Rivers and streams. They flow downhill to lakes and oceans.
  • Wetlands, like marshes and swamps.
  • Underground. Rain and melted snow soak into the ground. This groundwater fills tiny spaces between soil and rocks.
  • Ice and snow. Glaciers, icebergs, sea ice and the snow on the ground in winter.
  • In the air and sky: water vapour, clouds, rain and fog.
  • Inside living things! Plants, animals and people are full of water.
A marsh with cattails and a winding stream leading to a large lake surrounded by forest.
Ontario has lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands. How many places can you find water in this one picture? AI-generated image

Salty or fresh?

Most of Earth's water is in the oceans, and ocean water is salty. About 97 out of every 100 drops of water on Earth are salt water. We can't drink salt water, and we can't use it to water gardens.

Only a small part of Earth's water is fresh water, and most of that is frozen in ice or hidden underground. That is why fresh water is so precious.

salt water (oceans): about 97 out of 100fresh water: about 3 out of 100All the water on Earth
If all of Earth's water were one long bar, almost all of it would be salty ocean water. Only a tiny sliver is fresh water, and most of that is frozen or underground.

Water in the built environment

People build many things to collect, store, clean and move water:

  • Wells reach down to groundwater. Many farms and country homes in Ontario get their water from a well.
  • Reservoirs are lakes that people make, often with a dam, to store water.
  • Water treatment plants clean water so it is safe to drink.
  • Water towers hold water up high. From up high, the water flows down through pipes with lots of push.
  • Pipes carry water under the streets to homes, schools and businesses.
  • Taps, sinks, toilets, showers and fountains.
  • Rain barrels catch rain from the roof for watering gardens.
  • Swimming pools, splash pads and outdoor skating rinks.
laketreatmentplantwater towerhomepipes
In many towns, water comes from a lake or river, goes to a treatment plant to be cleaned, is stored in a water tower, then flows through pipes to homes.
Worked example

Let's sort water sources

Sort these into natural and built: a river, a rain barrel, a glacier, a water tower, a pond, a well, a cloud, a swimming pool.

  1. Ask about each one: Did nature make it, or did people make it?
  2. Nature made: the river, the glacier, the pond and the cloud.
  3. People made: the rain barrel, the water tower, the well and the swimming pool.
  4. Careful with the well: the groundwater is natural, but people dig or drill the well to reach it. So the well is built.

Natural: river, glacier, pond, cloud. Built: rain barrel, water tower, well, swimming pool.

Worked example

Let's research: Where does our water come from?

Noor lives in a city on Lake Ontario. Lucas lives on a farm far from town. How can each of them find out where their tap water comes from?

  1. A good scientist starts with a question: Where does my tap water come from?
  2. Next, find trusted sources: ask a grown-up, look at the town or city's website with a grown-up, or look at the water bill.
  3. Noor's city website says the water is taken from Lake Ontario, cleaned at a treatment plant, and sent through pipes.
  4. Lucas's family says their water comes from a well on the farm, which brings up groundwater.

Noor's water comes from Lake Ontario through a treatment plant. Lucas's water comes from groundwater through a well. Both started as rain and snow in the water cycle!

Just for fun

Ontario has so many lakes that if you visited a different one every single day, you would need hundreds of years to see them all!

Hands-on activity

Water hunt

You need: paper, a pencil and a grown-up.

  1. Make a chart with two columns: Natural and Built.
  2. Walk through your home. Find every place water is found or used (taps, toilet, fridge, plants, pet bowl...). Write or draw them.
  3. Go for a walk outside. Look for water: puddles, snow, a creek, a pond, storm drains, a rain barrel, a fountain, a water tower, clouds, dew on grass.
  4. Sort everything into your chart.
  5. Research: With a grown-up, find out where your tap water comes from. Is it a lake, a river or a well? Draw its journey to your tap.

Safety: Stay away from the edges of creeks, ponds and storm drains. Never walk on ice unless a grown-up says it is safe.

Your turn

1

Name three places in nature where we find water.

2

Name three places in the built environment where we find water.

3

Is ocean water fresh or salty?

4

What is groundwater?

5

Name the four Great Lakes that touch Ontario.

6

What does a water treatment plant do?

7

Is a rain barrel natural or built?

More practice: warm-up

1

Is a river natural or built?

2

Is a water tower natural or built?

3

How many oceans does Canada touch?

4

Can we drink salt water from the ocean?

5

Name one place in your home where you find water.

More practice: on your own

1

Why is a well called built, if the water in it is natural?

2

Out of 100 drops of Earth's water, about how many are fresh water? Why does this make fresh water precious?

3

Put in order: home, lake, water tower, treatment plant.

4

Why are water towers built so tall?

5

Is snow on the ground a source of water? Explain.

Challenge

1

A family's water comes from a well. Use the water cycle to explain how rain from last spring could end up in their glass.

2

Nora counts water places on her walk: 4 natural and 9 built. Matteo counts 7 natural and 5 built. Who found more water places in all? How many more?

3

Most of Earth is covered with water. Why can't we just use ocean water when lakes are low?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a natural source of water?

2.

Which is part of the built environment?

3.

Most of Earth's water is...

4.

Water that soaks into the ground is called...

5.

What does a water treatment plant do?

6.

Which Great Lake does not touch Ontario?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (E2.2): Water is found in natural places (oceans, lakes, rivers, wetlands, groundwater, ice, snow, clouds, living things) and in the built environment (wells, reservoirs, treatment plants, towers, pipes, taps, rain barrels). Only a small fraction of Earth's water is fresh.

Research (A1.1) and real-world connections (A3.1): Find out together where your household water comes from. Many Ontario cities draw from the Great Lakes or rivers; rural homes often use private wells. Your municipality's website usually explains this.

How to help: Do the water hunt on a walk. Point out storm drains, water towers and rain barrels. Ask "Natural or built? How do you know?"

Common difficulties:

  • Wells and reservoirs are tricky to sort because they hold natural water. The rule is: who made the structure?
  • "There's lots of water, so we can't run out." Use the 97/3 picture to show how little is fresh.

Safety: Keep children well back from water edges and storm drains, especially in spring when water runs fast and ice is thin.