Prepare for the American Water Works Water Treatment Plant Operator Test. Study with multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Get ready to excel!

Multiple Choice

Water that returns to streams, lakes, and oceans via precipitation, runoff, and surface water is described by which phrase?

The hydrologic cycle describes how water moves continuously through the environment, circulating among the atmosphere, land, and bodies of water. Water returns to streams, lakes, and oceans through processes that are all part of this cycle: precipitation adds water to the surface, runoff moves water over the land into rivers and lakes, and surface water itself channels that flow toward larger bodies of water. The phrase "precipitation, runoff, and surface water" points to parts of the cycle, but the overarching term for the whole system is the hydrologic cycle.

The hydrologic cycle describes how water moves continuously through the environment, circulating among the atmosphere, land, and bodies of water. Water returns to streams, lakes, and oceans through processes that are all part of this cycle: precipitation adds water to the surface, runoff moves water over the land into rivers and lakes, and surface water itself channels that flow toward larger bodies of water. The phrase "precipitation, runoff, and surface water" points to parts of the cycle, but the overarching term for the whole system is the hydrologic cycle.