Unit 8 Assessment

1. In the past, drought has often hit some parts of the United States. In 2018, about one-fifth of the United States was low on water. About one-half of the country was so low on water, that it was in a drought. There was simply not enough rain in some places.

​

2. When a drought happens, lakes begin to shrink. Rivers run low. But droughts do not last forever. The rain will come again. Until then, there are some things people can do to help save water during a drought.

​

3. First, you can change some of your daily habits. Shorten your time in the shower to only a few minutes. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. If a faucet drips, fix it. If you use water and it’s still clean, use it again. For example, if you take a shower, put a bucket in the shower. The water that falls into the bucket can be used again.

​4. Second, you can use less water by changing how and what you plant. If you grow food, for example, choose crops that use less water.

​Melons, tomatoes, squash, and beans do well without a lot of water. Lettuce and corn need more. Also, having a green lawn takes a lot of water. You can plant grass that does not need much water or not have grass at all. You can choose plants that do not need constant watering. To really save water, you could plant a rock garden. Rocks don’t need any water.

​ 5. Third, you can collect the rain that does fall. You can use rain barrels to catch the rain. Then the rainwater will not go to waste. It can be used to water a garden or grass.

​6. Water is important to us all. We cannot live without it. There will be times when we don’t have enough water. At those times, we need to save what we have and use it carefully.