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Describe the most significant restriction on access to potable water around the world.
Around the world the most significant restriction on access to potable water is money. While access to raw water sources, clean or otherwise, is important, the purification process itself is expensive. Once water has been rendered potable, it is important that it be delivered without reintroducing contamination. The most convenient way to deliver potable water is through underground pipes, which requires expensive infrastructure.
Explain the relationship between overpopulation and diminishing water supplies.
As human populations grow they consume more water, not just by drinking, but through all of the other human activities that require freshwater such as agriculture, bathing, cleaning, etc. Overpopulation, therefore, can lead to overconsumption as populations use more water than an area can support and replenish sustainably.
Explain why reducing surface runoff is the most general way to reduce water pollution.
Surface runoff includes a long list of nonpoint sources of pollution related to human activity. It occurs when water carries harmful substances into the environment. If this runoff can be prevented on a broadly-based scale, then it has the potential to significantly reduce water pollution.
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