You Can’t Take It with You – Water!

A question for you internet trivia fans. What Earth resource is approximately 4.5 billion years old, was only created once and we are still using that original resource today?

WATER!

The water on Earth is in a closed system, it changes form but does not disappear. The water cycle is constantly renewing itself; however, due to population growth, climate change, and pollution the cycle is being disrupted and stressed. Almost 97% of the water on earth is undrinkable, without a global conservation effort some parts of the planet could drain their freshwater aquifers dry as early as 2050.

While it is possible to create small amounts of new water in a lab, we cannot produce large volumes at this time. When combining oxygen and hydrogen they release a lot of energy and if you are not careful, mass explosions. So how can we conserve water and keep both ourselves and our planet healthy. We can start with small, simple individual steps; shorter showers, barrels to collect rainwater to water our gardens/yards, don’t run water while brushing your teeth, purchasing water efficient appliances, and maybe most importantly, fixing water leaks. A leaky faucet can waste up to 300 litres of water a year!

On a larger scale, demanding better protection of our watersheds, incorporating equipment systems like biological nutrient removal, tertiary filtration, and advanced oxidation to our treatment plants. Did you know the agricultural sector is one of the largest users of fresh water? Pollution runoff from this industry to our rivers and streams is from fertilizers and pesticides. We must support our agricultural industry with cost effective treatment processes to stop these contaminants from entering our waterways.

Without water, we cannot exist, we are inseparable. It is up to all of us to work together to be champions of clean water, demand protections and innovations so future generations can flourish as previous generations have. Water predates us, and I for one would not bet against it outlasting us.