You turn the tap and do not think about it
Until a hosepipe ban or a boil notice makes you.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
Where does tap water come from and why do shortages happen
Follow the water from the sky to your tap and back.
A course on the water system most people never think about. It covers the water cycle as it actually plays out, where cities get their water, how it is treated and moved, why shortages happen in wet countries too, and how a changing climate is reshaping all of it.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to understand where the water in my tap comes from, how it gets cleaned and delivered, why shortages happen, and what it will take to keep water flowing as the climate changes.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Three things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Find your own source in five minutes
Your water company publishes where your supply comes from: river, reservoir or groundwater. Knowing it changes how a drought headline reads.
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Notice when the rain falls, not just how much
Winter rain refills reservoirs and aquifers; summer rain mostly evaporates. Wet countries run short when the timing is wrong.
-
Check for a dripping tap and a running cistern
A single leaking toilet can waste hundreds of litres a day. It is the one household fix that is both cheap and large.
- Best for
- Environment & climate
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Do you know where your own water comes from: rivers, reservoirs, groundwater, or desalination?
- Is this curiosity, worry about shortages, or a decision about your own use?
- What do you want to understand most: the natural cycle, the engineering, or the politics?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
Shortages confuse you
It rains all the time, so how can there be a drought?
You want to follow the climate story
Floods, droughts and water wars, and how they connect.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06The water cycle, for real
Not the school diagram: timescales, stores and flows.
Sources
Rivers, reservoirs, aquifers and the sea.
Treatment and delivery
What happens between the source and the tap.
Why shortages happen
Storage, demand, leaks and the wrong rain at the wrong time.
Water and climate
Droughts, floods and a cycle that is speeding up.
What can be done
Storage, efficiency, pricing and your own use.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Understand the cycle
Rain, rivers, groundwater and the sea, and how long water spends in each.
Know where yours comes from
Sources, treatment and the pipes between them.
Explain shortages
Demand, storage, leaks and timing, and why wet places run dry.
See the climate connection
More extremes, less predictability, and what systems must change.
Ideas this course corrects
Water shortages only happen in dry countries
They happen wherever demand, storage and rainfall timing do not line up. Wet countries with old pipes run short too.
Saving water at home is what matters most
Household use is a modest share in most places. Agriculture, industry and leaks dominate, though your use still counts locally.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
Where does tap water come from and why do shortages happen: what can I do today?
Find your own source in five minutes. Your water company publishes where your supply comes from: river, reservoir or groundwater. Knowing it changes how a drought headline reads. Notice when the rain falls, not just how much. Winter rain refills reservoirs and aquifers; summer rain mostly evaporates. Wet countries run short when the timing is wrong. Check for a dripping tap and a running cistern. A single leaking toilet can waste hundreds of litres a day. It is the one household fix that is both cheap and large.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on the water system most people never think about. It covers the water cycle as it actually plays out, where cities get their water, how it is treated and moved, why shortages happen in wet countries too, and how a changing climate is reshaping all of it. It sits under Environment & climate in the Ideas & discovery part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to understand where the water in my tap comes from, how it gets cleaned and delivered, why shortages happen, and what it will take to keep water flowing as the climate changes.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.