Identify ways to help conserve and protect our water supplies. The amount of water that exists on the earth today is the same amount that was here when the earth was created. Water is recycled continuously through the water cycle. Heating causes evaporation in the form of water vapor. Plants and trees also create water vapor through the process of respiration.
Water vapor rises, cools and condenses to form clouds.
The next step in the water cycle is precipitation that can take the forms of rain, hail, sleet, or snow. People then collect the water, clean it and use it in some way. It then returns to the lakes, rivers, or streams and the entire process begins again. Surface Water - These are any water sources above the ground such as reservoirs, lakes, streams, and rivers. When it rains, water soaks into the ground until it reaches waterproof rock.