New
New
Year 11
AQA

Strategies to increase water supply

I can describe different strategies used to increase water supply and outline the advantages and disadvantages of California's water project.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Strategies to increase water supply

I can describe different strategies used to increase water supply and outline the advantages and disadvantages of California's water project.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Different strategies can be used to increase water supply.
  2. Strategies to increase water supply include diverting supplies, increasing storage and desalination
  3. The California State water project is a large-scale water transfer scheme with advantages and disadvantages.

Keywords

  • Water transfer - the movement of water (through pipes or along rivers) from areas of water surplus to areas of water deficit

  • Desalination - the industrial conversion of saltwater into freshwater, commonly in arid or semi-arid areas

Common misconception

Dams and reservoirs guarantee a reliable water supply for many years into the future.

Although dams and reservoirs do provide a reliable and easily-controllable source of water, this supply is not guaranteed. Over time, sediment will build up and reduce the capacity of the reservoir. Also, reservoirs can dry up during droughts.


To help you plan your year 11 geography lesson on: Strategies to increase water supply, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

ArcGIS Online provides a wide array of useful layers related to water supply, including for example location of desalination plants in Saudi Arabia.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match these geographical terms to their definitions.

Correct Answer:abstraction,the extraction of water from a water source, such as a river

the extraction of water from a water source, such as a river

Correct Answer:renewable,a resource that can be replaced naturally

a resource that can be replaced naturally

Correct Answer:non-renewable,a resource that will run out if overused

a resource that will run out if overused

Correct Answer:distribution,the way something is spread across a place

the way something is spread across a place

Q2.
Which of the following is a renewable resource?

oil
natural gas
Correct answer: water
coal

Q3.
What is an aquifer?

Correct answer: a layer of permeable rock that can contain groundwater
the highest point in a landscape above sea level
where impermeable and permeable rock layers meet
where the water table is at the surface

Q4.
Artificial intelligence (AI) requires large volumes of water to its data centres.

Correct Answer: cool, cool down

Q5.
Which are causes of increases in the global demand for water?

economic development
Correct answer: glaciation
population increase
water transfers

Q6.
Which of these regions has large numbers of people living without access to improved water sources?

Correct answer: East Africa
Eastern Europe
Northwest America
Northwest Asia

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions.

Correct Answer:water transfer,the movement of water from areas of surplus to deficit

the movement of water from areas of surplus to deficit

Correct Answer:desalination,industrial conversion of saltwater into freshwater

industrial conversion of saltwater into freshwater

Correct Answer:renewable,a resource that can be replaced naturally

a resource that can be replaced naturally

Correct Answer:non-renewable,a resource that will run out if overused

a resource that will run out if overused

Q2.
Which of these is an example of a large-scale water transfer project?

Three Gorges Dam, China
Colorado River Compact
Correct answer: California State Water Project
Aswan High Dam, Egypt

Q3.
What is one disadvantage of desalination?

It requires very little energy.
Correct answer: It can harm marine life.
It reduces rainfall.
It creates freshwater from glacial lakes.

Q4.
Which of these is a common misunderstanding about dams and reservoirs?

They reduce flood risk.
They rely on rainfall.
Correct answer: They last forever without losing capacity.
They supply water to cities.

Additional material

Download additional material