QUIZ:
CHECK YOUR WATER FACTS AND MYTHS

True Or False:

____ ____ 1. About 50% of the water on earth is salty seawater.

____ ____ 2. Ground water refers to all water found on the earth=s surface.

____ ____ 3. Most water quality problems occur in urban areas.

____ ____ 4. Water containing a lot of sodium chloride is said to be hard.

____ ____ 5. High levels of dissolved minerals are usually found in surface water like lakes and rivers.

____ ____ 6. Iron is a regulated contaminant under the Primary Drinking Water Standards because it is so toxic to humans at concentrations above the MCL.
____ ____ 7. Nitrate is an excellent water quality indicator because it is a common contaminant found in a variety of land use settings.

____ ____ 8. Pathogenic bacteria like e.coli 157:33 can live for months or years in ground water, and therefore, migrate long distances below ground.
____ ____ 9. Ground water is most commonly found in underground lakes and rivers.

____ ____ 10. Septic systems are the most prevalent source of well contamination.

____ ____ 11. Effluent from a properly functioning septic system never reaches the water table.

____ ____ 12. The NOP requires that water used in processing must meet the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

____ ____ 13. Most ground water travels for hundreds or thousands of miles before it reaches your well.

____ ____ 14. Large surface water bodies like Lake Superior and the Mississippi River are ultimately the source of most ground water in the US.

____ ____ 15. Most wells in the rural US are shallow dug wells.

____ ____ 16. An old windmill standing in a feedlot may be a bad sign for water quality.

____ ____ 17. Evidence for elevated phosphorus levels in a stream below an organic livestock operation may indicate a potential non-compliance
under the NOP.

____ ____ 18. Agricultural areas where drainage tile is widely used generally have fewer water quality problems because the tile intercepts most of the excess nutrients and pesticides and carries them off safely.

____ ____ 19. An environmentally sound application rate for layer manure on a cropped field is on the order of 5 to 10 tons per acre.

____ ____ 20. Mature compost will not leach many nutrients into nearby water sources.