vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
Drinking water supply and sanitation in the United States
The centralized drinking water supply infrastructure in the United States consists of dams and reservoirs , well fields , pumping stations , aqueducts for the transport of large quantities of water over long distances , water treatment plants , reservoirs in the distribution system ( including water towers ) , and 1.8 million miles of distribution lines . Depending on the location and quality of the water source , all or some of these elements may be present in a particular water supply system . In addition to this infrastructure for centralized network distribution , 14.5 % of Americans rely on their own water sources , usually wells .
Amazon River
Although the Amazon river remains largely undammed , around 412 dams are in operation in the Amazon 's tributary rivers . From these 412 dams , 151 are constructed over six of the main tributary rivers that drain into the Amazon . Since only four percent of the Amazon 's hydropower potential has been developed in countries like Brazil , more damming projects are underway and hundreds more are planned . After witnessing the negative effects of environmental degradation , sedimentation , navigation and flood control caused by the Three Gorges Dam in the Yangtze River , scientists are worried that constructing more dams in the Amazon will harm its biodiversity in the same way by `` blocking - fish spawning runs , reducing the flows of vital oil nutrients and clearing forests '' . Damming the Amazon River could potentially bring about the `` end of free flowing rivers '' and contribute to an `` ecosystem collapse '' that will cause major social problems .
River Thames
The Thames contains both sea water and fresh water , thus providing support for seawater and freshwater fish . However , many populations of fish are at risk and are being killed in tens of thousands because of pollutants leaking into the river from human activities . Salmon , which inhabit both environments , have been reintroduced and a succession of fish ladders have been built into weirs to enable them to travel upstream .
Environmental impact of irrigation
reduced downstream flooding disappearance of ecologically and economically important wetlands or flood forests reduced availability of industrial , municipal , household , and drinking water reduced shipping routes . Water withdrawal poses a serious threat to the Ganges . In India , barrages control all of the tributaries to the Ganges and divert roughly 60 percent of river flow to irrigation reduced fishing opportunities . The Indus River in Pakistan faces scarcity due to over-extraction of water for agriculture . The Indus is inhabited by 25 amphibian species and 147 fish species of which 22 are found nowhere else in the world . It harbors the endangered Indus River dolphin , one of the world 's rarest mammals . Fish populations , the main source of protein and overall life support systems for many communities , are also being threatened reduced discharge into the sea , which may have various consequences like coastal erosion ( e.g. in Ghana ) and salt water intrusion in delta 's and estuaries ( e.g. in Egypt , see Aswan dam ) . Current water withdrawal from the river Nile for irrigation is so high that , despite its size , in dry periods the river does not reach the sea . The Aral Sea has suffered an `` environmental catastrophe '' due to the interception of river water for irrigation purposes .
Sundarbans
The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways , mudflats and small islands of salt - tolerant mangrove forests . The interconnected network of waterways makes almost every corner of the forest accessible by boat . The area is known for the Bengal tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris ) , as well as numerous fauna including species of birds , spotted deer , crocodiles and snakes . The fertile soils of the delta have been subject to intensive human use for centuries , and the ecoregion has been mostly converted to intensive agriculture , with few enclaves of forest remaining . The remaining forests , taken together with the Sundarbans mangroves , are important habitat for the endangered tiger . Additionally , the Sundarbans serves a crucial function as a protective barrier for the millions of inhabitants in and around Khulna and Mongla against the floods that result from the cyclones . The Sundarbans has also been enlisted among the finalists in the New7Wonders of Nature .
Amazon River
The Amazon has over 1,100 tributaries , 12 of which are over 1,500 kilometres ( 930 mi ) long . Some of the more notable ones are :
St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)
Significant bridge crossings of the St. Croix River are listed below , ordered from source to mouth .
Euphrates
The Euphrates ( / juː ˈfreɪtiːz / ( listen ) ; Sumerian : 𒌓𒄒𒉣 Buranuna , Akkadian : 𒌓𒄒𒉣 Purattu , Arabic : الفرات ‎ ‎ al - Furāt , Syriac : ̇ܦܪܬ ‎ Pǝrāt , Armenian : Եփրատ : Yeprat , Hebrew : פרת ‎ ‎ Perat , Turkish : Fırat , Kurdish : Firat ‎ ) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia . Together with the Tigris , it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( the `` Land between the Rivers '' ) . Originating in eastern Turkey , the Euphrates flows through Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris in the Shatt al - Arab , which empties into the Persian Gulf .
Parent material
Parent material transported by streams is called alluvium of which there are three main types . Floodplains are the parts of river valleys that are covered with water during floods . Due to their seasonal nature , floods create stratified layers in which larger particles tend to settle nearer the channel and smaller particles settle nearer the edges of the flooding area . Alluvial fans are sedimentary areas formed by narrow valley streams that suddenly drop to lowlands and widen dramatically . Sedimentary in these types of deposits tend to be larger closer to the uplands and finer near the edges of the fan . Delta deposits , the third of type of alluvium , are finer sediments that are discharged from streams into lakes and eventually settle near the mouth of the river .
Snake River
A controversy has erupted since the late 20th century over the four lower Snake River dams , with the primary argument being that removing the dams would allow anadromous fish to reach the lower Snake River tributaries -- the Clearwater River , the Tucannon River and the Grande Ronde River -- and spawn in much higher numbers . However , removal of the dams has been fiercely opposed by some groups in the Pacific Northwest . Because much of the electricity in the Northwest comes from dams , removing the four dams would create a hole in the energy grid that would not be immediately replaceable . Navigation on the lower Snake would also suffer , as submerged riffles , rapids and islands would be exposed by the removal of the dams . Irrigation pumps for fields in southeastern Washington would also have to reach further to access the water of the Snake River . However , aside from restoring salmon runs , dam removal proponents argue that the power is replaceable , that the grain transportation system could be replaced by railroads , and that only one of the four reservoirs supplies irrigation water . Irrigators in the Snake River Plain would likely need to allow less water into the Snake River during low flow in order to create a current in the four lower reservoirs , and recreation and tourism would likely benefit .
River delta
Human activities , such as the creation of dams for hydroelectric power or to create reservoirs can radically alter delta ecosystems . Dams block sedimentation , which can cause the delta to erode away . The use of water upstream can greatly increase salinity levels as less fresh water flows to meet the salty ocean water . While nearly all deltas have been impacted to some degree by humans , the Nile Delta and Colorado River Delta are some of the most extreme examples of the ecological devastation caused to deltas by damming and diversion of water . Construction , irrigation , and land alteration have impacted delta formation . As humans have altered surface roughness , runoff , and groundwater storage , studies have shown river delta retreat . However , historical data documents show that during the Roman Empire and Little Ice Age ( times where there was considerable anthropogenic pressure ) , there were significant sediment accumulation in deltas . The industrial revolution has only amplified the impact of humans on delta growth and retreat .
Monongahela River
According to the Geographic Names Information System , the Monongahela River has also been known historically as :
Famine
After China and India , there is a second tier of smaller countries with large water deficits -- Algeria , Egypt , Iran , Mexico , and Pakistan . Four of these already import a large share of their grain . Only Pakistan remains marginally self - sufficient . But with a population expanding by 4 million a year , it will also soon turn to the world market for grain . According to a UN climate report , the Himalayan glaciers that are the principal dry - season water sources of Asia 's biggest rivers -- Ganges , Indus , Brahmaputra , Yangtze , Mekong , Salween and Yellow -- could disappear by 2350 as temperatures rise and human demand rises . Approximately 2.4 billion people live in the drainage basin of the Himalayan rivers . India , China , Pakistan , Afghanistan , Bangladesh , Nepal and Myanmar could experience floods followed by severe droughts in coming decades . In India alone , the Ganges provides water for drinking and farming for more than 500 million people .
Siberia
Anabar River Angara River Indigirka River Irtysh River Kolyma River Lake Baikal Lena River Lower Tunguska River Novosibirsk Reservoir Ob River Popigay River Stony Tunguska River Upper Angara River Uvs Nuur Yana River Yenisei River
River Thames
One of the major resources provided by the Thames is the water distributed as drinking water by Thames Water , whose area of responsibility covers the length of the River Thames . The Thames Water Ring Main is the main distribution mechanism for water in London , with one major loop linking the Hampton , Walton , Ashford and Kempton Park Water Treatment Works with central London .
Nile
The Bahr al Ghazal and the Sobat River are the two most important tributaries of the White Nile in terms of discharge .
Midwestern United States
Three waterways have been important to the development of the Midwest . The first and foremost was the Ohio River , which flowed into the Mississippi River . Development of the region was halted until 1795 due to Spain 's control of the southern part of the Mississippi and its refusal to allow the shipment of American crops down the river and into the Atlantic Ocean .
Amazon River
More than one - third of all known species in the world live in the Amazon rainforest , a giant tropical forest and river basin with an area that stretches more than 5,400,000 square kilometres ( 2,100,000 sq mi ) . It is the richest tropical forest in the world in terms of biodiversity . There are over 3,000 species of fish currently recognised in the Amazon basin , with more being discovered every year . In addition to the thousands of species of fish , the river supports crabs , algae , and turtles . Mammals
Fresh water
The increase in the world population and the increase in per capita water use puts increasing strains on the finite resources availability of clean fresh water . The World Bank adds that the response by freshwater ecosystems to a changing climate can be described in terms of three interrelated components : water quality , water quantity or volume , and water timing . A change in one often leads to shifts in the others as well . Water pollution and subsequent eutrophication also reduces the availability of fresh water .
Amazon River
The Amazon proper runs mostly through Brazil and Peru , and is part of the border between Colombia and Perú . It has a series of major tributaries in Colombia , Ecuador and Peru , some of which flow into the Marañón and Ucayali , and others directly into the Amazon proper . These include rivers Putumayo , Caquetá , Vaupés , Guainía , Morona , Pastaza , Nucuray , Urituyacu , Chambira , Tigre , Nanay , Napo , and Huallaga .
Geography of West Bengal
The Sunderbans region is covered by numerous estuaries and streams , mainly distributaries of main rivers . The rivers are interconnected and are fed by tidal waters . The major rivers of the area are Hoogly , Matla , Gosaba , Saptamukhi , Haribhanga , Piyali , Thakuran / Jamira , Raimangal , Kalindi and Ichhamati .
Grand Canyon
Weather conditions during the ice ages also increased the amount of water in the Colorado River drainage system . The ancestral Colorado River responded by cutting its channel faster and deeper .
Nile
The northern section of the river flows north almost entirely through the Sudanese desert to Egypt , then ends in a large delta and flows into the Mediterranean Sea . Egyptian civilization and Sudanese kingdoms have depended on the river since ancient times . Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan , and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along riverbanks .
Wetland
There are four main groups of hydrophytes that are found in wetland systems throughout the world .
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is called the Lower Mississippi River from its confluence with the Ohio River to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico , a distance of about 1,000 miles ( 1,600 km ) . At the confluence of the Ohio and the Middle Mississippi , the long - term mean discharge of the Ohio at Cairo , Illinois is 281,500 cubic feet per second ( 7,970 cubic metres per second ) , while the long - term mean discharge of the Mississippi at Thebes , Illinois ( just upriver from Cairo ) is 208,200 cu ft / s ( 5,900 m / s ) . Thus , by volume , the main branch of the Mississippi River system at Cairo can be considered to be the Ohio River ( and the Allegheny River further upstream ) , rather than the Middle Mississippi .
Missouri
The Mississippi River and Missouri River are commercially navigable over their entire lengths in Missouri . The Missouri was channelized through dredging and jettys and the Mississippi was given a series of locks and dams to avoid rocks and deepen the river . St. Louis is a major destination for barge traffic on the Mississippi .
Wetland
Major wetland type : marsh , swamp , and subterranean karst and cave hydrological systems
Snake River
The Snake River has over 20 major tributaries , most of which are in the mountainous regions of the basin . The largest by far is the Clearwater River , which drains 9,000 square miles ( 23,000 km ) in north central Idaho . Many of the rivers that flow into the Snake River Plain from the north sink into the Snake River Aquifer , but still contribute their water to the river . Aside from rivers , the Snake is fed by many significant springs , many of which arise from the aquifer on the west side of the plain .
Coal
Water systems are affected by coal mining . For example , mining affects groundwater and water table levels and acidity . Spills of fly ash , such as the Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill , can also contaminate land and waterways , and destroy homes . Power stations that burn coal also consume large quantities of water . This can affect the flows of rivers , and has consequential impacts on other land uses .
River delta
Ayeyarwady ( Irrawaddy ) Danube Ebro Fly River Godavari Indus Kaveri Krishna Lena Mackenzie Mekong Mississippi Niger River Nile Ob Orinoco Otter Point Creek Paraná Po Rhine Rhône Sacramento -- San Joaquin Tigris -- Euphrates river system Volga Yangtze Yenisei Yellow River ( also known as Huanghe ) Yukon River The
Wetland
Perennial systems Seasonal systems Episodic ( periodic or intermittent ) system of the down Surface flow may occur in some segments , with subsurface flow in other segments Ephemeral ( short - lived ) systems Migratory species
Euphrates
Apart from barrages and dams , Iraq has also created an intricate network of canals connecting the Euphrates with Lake Habbaniyah , Lake Tharthar , and Abu Dibbis reservoir ; all of which can be used to store excess floodwater . Via the Shatt al - Hayy , the Euphrates is connected with the Tigris . The largest canal in this network is the Main Outfall Drain or so - called `` Third River ; '' constructed between 1953 and 1992 . This 565 - kilometre - long ( 351 mi ) canal is intended to drain the area between the Euphrates and the Tigris south of Baghdad to prevent soil salinization from irrigation . It also allows large freight barges to navigate up to Baghdad .
Storm drain
Cities that installed their sewage collection systems before the 1930s typically used single piping systems to transport both urban runoff and sewage . This type of collection system is referred to as a combined sewer system ( CSS ) . The cities ' rationale when combined sewers were built was that it would be cheaper to build just a single system . In these systems a sudden large rainfall that exceeds sewage treatment capacity will be allowed to overflow directly from the storm drains into receiving waters via structures called combined sewer overflows .
Environmental impact of irrigation
The natural buildup of sedimentation can reduce downstream river flows due to the installation of irrigation systems . Sedimentation is an essential part of the ecosystem that requires the natural flux of the river flow . This natural cycle of sediment dispersion replenishes the nutrients in the soil , that will in turn , determine the livelihood of the plants and animals that rely on the sediments carried downstream . The benefits of heavy deposits of sedimentation can be seen in large rivers like the Nile River . The sediment from the delta has built up to form a giant aquifer during flood season , and retains water in the wetlands . The wetlands that are created and sustained due to built up sediment at the basin of the river is a habitat for numerous species of birds . However , heavy sedimentation can reduce downstream river water quality and can exacerbate floods up stream . This has been known to happen in the Sanmenxia reservoir in China . The Sanmenxia reservoir is part of a larger man - made project of hydro - electric dams called the Three Gorge Project In 1998 , uncertain calculations and heavy sediment greatly affected the reservoir 's ability to properly fulfill its flood - control function This also reduces the down stream river water quality . Shifting more towards mass irrigation installments in order to meet more socioeconomic demands is going against the natural balance of nature , and use water pragmatically - use it where it is found
Amazon River
The headwaters of the Apurímac River on Nevado Mismi had been considered for nearly a century as the Amazon 's most distant source , until a 2014 study found it to be the Cordillera Rumi Cruz at the headwaters of the Mantaro River in Peru . The Mantaro and Apurímac join , and with other tributaries form the Ucayali River , which in turn meets the Marañón River upstream of Iquitos , Peru , to form what countries other than Brazil consider to be the main stem of the Amazon . Brazilians call this section the Solimões River above its confluence with the Rio Negro to form what Brazilians call the Amazon at the Meeting of Waters ( Portuguese : Encontro das Águas ) at Manaus , the river 's largest city .
Catalonia
The principal rivers in Catalonia are the Ter , Llobregat , and the Ebro , all of which run into the Mediterranean .
Amazon River
The proto - Amazon during the Cretaceous flowed west , as part of a proto - Amazon - Congo river system , from the interior of present - day Africa when the continents were connected , forming western Gondwana . Fifteen million years ago , the main tectonic uplift phase of the Andean chain started . This tectonic movement is caused by the subduction of the Nazca Plate underneath the South American Plate . The rise of the Andes and the linkage of the Brazilian and Guyana bedrock shields , blocked the river and caused the Amazon Basin to become a vast inland sea . Gradually , this inland sea became a massive swampy , freshwater lake and the marine inhabitants adapted to life in freshwater . For example , over 20 species of stingray , most closely related to those found in the Pacific Ocean , can be found today in the freshwaters of the Amazon .
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata 's drainage basin ( sometimes called the Platine basin or Platine region ) is the 3,170,000 - square - kilometre ( 1,220,000 sq mi ) hydrographical area that drains to the Río de la Plata . It includes areas of southeastern Bolivia , southern and central Brazil , the entire country of Paraguay , most of Uruguay , and northern Argentina . Making up about one fourth of the continent 's surface , it is the second largest drainage basin in South America ( after the Amazon basin ) and one of the largest in the world .
River delta
Another way these distributary networks form is from deposition of mouth bars ( mid-channel sand and / or gravel bars at the mouth of a river ) . When this mid-channel bar is deposited at the mouth of a river , the flow is routed around it . This results in additional deposition on the upstream end of the mouth - bar , which splits the river into two distributary channels . A good example of the result of this process is the Wax Lake Delta .
Borneo
The largest river system is the Kapuas in West Kalimantan , with a length of 1,000 km ( 620 mi ) . Other major rivers include the Mahakam in East Kalimantan ( 920 km long ( 570 mi ) ) , the Barito in South Kalimantan ( 900 km long ( 560 mi ) ) , Rajang in Sarawak ( 565 km long ( 351 mi ) ) and Kinabatangan in Sabah ( 560 km long ( 350 mi ) ) . Borneo has significant cave systems . In Sarawak , the Clearwater Cave has one of the world 's longest underground rivers while Deer Cave is home to over three million bats , with guano accumulated to over 100 metres ( 330 ft ) deep . The Gomantong Caves in Sabah has been dubbed as the `` Cockroach Cave '' due to the presence of million of cockroaches inside the cave . The Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak and Sangkulirang - Mangkalihat Karst in East Kalimantan which particularly a karst areas contains thousands of smaller caves .
Mississippi River
There are seven National Park Service sites along the Mississippi River . The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is the National Park Service site dedicated to protecting and interpreting the Mississippi River itself . The other six National Park Service sites along the river are ( listed from north to south ) :
Río de la Plata
The upper river contains several islands , including Oyarvide Island and the Solís Islands in Argentine waters and Juncal Island , Islote el Matón , Martín García Island and Timoteo Domínguez Island in Uruguayan waters . Because of deposition of sediments from the heavy stream load carried down from the river 's tributaries , the islands in the Río de la Plata generally grow over time .
Hudson River
Other environmental groups focusing on the river include Scenic Hudson , Hudson River Foundation , Riverkeeper , Hudson River Environmental Society , Hudson River Watertrail Association , and Groundwork Hudson Valley .
Karnataka
The two main river systems of the state are the Krishna and its tributaries , the Bhima , Ghataprabha , Vedavathi , Malaprabha , and Tungabhadra , in the north , and the Kaveri and its tributaries , the Hemavati , Shimsha , Arkavati , Lakshmana Thirtha and Kabini , in the south . Most of these rivers flow out of Karnataka eastward , reaching the sea at the Bay of Bengal .