The Water Cycle

The water on the planet is as old as the dinosaurs!

The water on Earth continually gets recycled through the water cycle. It goes from a solid (ice), liquid (water) and a gas (vapour), and covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface.

Out of all the water on Earth only 1% of it is available for us to use and drink - the rest is locked up in oceans and ice caps.

People in rich countries use 10 times more water than people in poor countries.

For more fun facts about water visit: www.waterwise.org.uk .

The Water Cycle 

The water cycle is very important to us at Scottish Water as it helps us provide clean, safe and high quality drinking water to over 2.5 million households and business premises across Scotland.

Did You Know? 

The water cycle has no beginning and no end.  It has been around since earth began. 

Since life began, we have had the same amount of water on the planet. 

The water we all use and drink today is the same water used by the dinosaurs!

Where does Scottish Water fit in the water cycle? 

We pipe water from lochs and reservoirs to the water treatment works. Here it is cleaned to take out any dirt or harmful bacteria. 

The cleaned water is now ready to drink and is piped into homes and businesses.

Once the water has been used it is called waste water. The waste water is piped to the waste water treatment works to be filtered and cleaned. 

The cleaned water is then piped back into the sea and the Water Cycle starts again as it has done for millions of years. 

Download The Water Cycle poster 

Download The Water Cycle Flashcard Game including teachers notes