Grade level: 3rd – 5th
Skills: Addition & Subtraction
Related environmental issues: Water
Area level: National
The figure below shows how much surface water and groundwater are used for agriculture, electricity generation, and industry purposes in the United States every day.
- For agriculture purposes, which water does the United States use more, surface water or groundwater?
- For what purpose is surface water used most?
- How much more surface water is used daily for electricity generation purposes than agricultural purposes?
- Altogether, how much water is used daily for industrial use?
- For what purposes is the largest amount of water used?
Source: US Geological Survey
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Answer keys
- surface water
- For electricity generation
- 49,303 million gallons (116,000-66,697=49,303)
- 690 hundred million gallons (12,100+2,900=15,o00)
- For agriculture (for agriculture: 117,397 million gallons, for electricity generation: 116,587 million gallons, for industry: 15,000 million gallons of water is used)