In nature, the hydrologic cycle concerns the movement and storage of water as it travels from air, over and through land, and enters water bodies. The vast majority of water, nearly 97%, is stored in the oceans, with the remainder being stored and/or traveling between ice caps, glaciers, permafrost, groundwater, lakes, rivers, streams and other sources.
The human water cycle obstructs the natural cycle of water while adding an array of pollutants along its course. Since the time of colonial settlement countless rivers have been dammed, streams have been placed in pipes, wetlands and estuaries have been buried, shorelines have been armored, native soils have been compacted and covered with impervious surfaces, groundwater stores have been depleted, and the entire water cycle has been contaminated by human wastewater.
Join DERT for a two part community forum that explores the human water cycle. During Part 1 of the forum, guest speakers will discuss:
- Western Water Law and the doctrine of prior appropriation
- Water withdrawals and groundwater depletion
- Stormwater runoff and impervious surfaces
- Shoreline modification
- Habitat loss
- & Low Impact Development techniques
Part 2 of the forum will focus on nutrient pollution in Puget Sound, wastewater treatment, and the Clean Water Act.
