Humans often take the water cycle for granted and assume that fresh water will always be available for drinking, cooking, growing, etc. . Unfortunately, the ways in which society uses water is contributing to the reduction of fresh water available for human use. First of all, the use of hydroelectric energy, despite being a clean energy source, is negatively impacting the ecosystems in which the power plant is located. The stream must be dammed to maximize the potential energy of the water, but this often affects the function of the stream upstream and downstream. For example, the accumulation of water above the dam can create a lake where silt can accumulate while the lack of water below the dam eliminates habitats. Furthermore, aquatic plants and animals that previously inhabited the stream “may find themselves with too much or too little water, and migrating fish cannot get past the dams” (Man and the Water Cycle). Not only does hydropower disrupt the water cycle, but so does irrigation. “Irrigation is the artificial irrigation of lands that do not receive enough water through precipitation” (Man and the water cycle). Most countries that use irrigation have dry land or need more water to grow more plants for their growing populations. The problem with irrigation is that it removes relatively clean water from its natural source and essentially pollutes it. The fertilizer inside