Water, and the reasons it is so important
Water is the essential component of all life. It comprises 70% of the Earth’s surface, 75%
of the human body, 90% of blood and sap.
97% of Earth’s water is in the oceans, 2% is frozen in icecaps, 1% is
fresh, but much of this is inaccessible, deep in the Earth. From what is left, we use 98% for industrial
purposes and agriculture, and only 2% for the nutrition and health of every
living organism.
According to Conservation International (CI), they have been
protecting nature for the benefit of all for nearly 30 years. CI knows that humans are totally dependent on
nature – and that by saving nature we’re saving ourselves. To that end, CI is helping to build a
healthier, more prosperous and more productive planet. CI does this through
science, policy and partnerships with countries, communities and
companies. CI employs more than 1,000
people and work with more than 2,000 partners in 30 countries. Over the years,
CI has helped support 1,200 protected areas and interventions across 77
countries, safeguarding more than 601 million hectares of land, marine and
coastal areas. “Fresh water is the
lifeblood of the planet. No one can
survive without it. Water is life. It’s
vital. It supports the immense diversity of life on Earth. It’s a source of
food, health and energy. Fresh water
makes civilization possible. But fresh water, in turn, isn’t possible without a
healthy planet – and human actions are putting a healthy planet at risk,”
according to CI and why fresh water is important. www.conservation.org
Human activities place significant demands on our water
resources and have potentially significant and negative environmental
impacts. Chen G (2016) Challenges in
Water resources and Wastewater Treatment. Int. J Water Wastewater Treat 2(2): http://dx/doi.org/10.16966/2381-5299.e102. Chen goes on to share some of the current
challenges and development in water resources and wastewater treatment,
referencing the correlation of water quality indicators for coastal marshes,
the nutrient removal and energy generation in wastewater treatment, and
pressurized fiber biofiltration . All of
these challenges, developments, and methods are governed under the Clean Water
Act of 1972. The Clean Water Act
established a water quality standards approach for regulating water quality,
with the US Environmental Protection Agency responsible for developing national
water quality criteria. A waterbody found to be in violation of a water quality
standard was to be listed as “impaired” with consideration of the establishment
of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) of the pollutant in violation of the
standard.
Water Wastes and
Conservation:
According to an article in the New York Times entitled
The Risks of Cheap Water by Eduardo
Porter, October 14, 2014, California’s water authority declared that wasting
water – hosing a sidewalk, for example – was a crime. In Las Vegas, Nevada, they paid out $200
million over the last decade for homes and businesses to pull out their
lawns. According to the article, it will
get worse. As climate change and
population growth further stress the water supply from the drought-plagued West
to the seemingly bottomless Great Lakes, states and municipalities are likely
to impose increasingly draconian restrictions on water use. But the proliferation of limits on water use
will not solve the problem because regulations do nothing to address the main
driver of the nation’s wanton consumption of water: it’s price.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge,
MA, “humans use water for everything from drinking and bathing to growing
crops, supporting livestock and fish farms, shipping goods, generating
electricity, and simply relaxing and having fun. Yet climate change is producing profound
changes in this precious commodity, threatening water availability, access, and
even quality.”
According to the Environment Protection Authority Victoria
(EPA Victoria), www.epa.vic.gov.au,
reusing and recycling alternative water supplies is a key part of reducing the
pressure on our water resources and the environment. It is better to reduce water use and avoid
generating wastewater in the first place, than to have to identify alternative
water supplies and reuse options. The
three “R’s” is what many organizations are educating consumers on: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, in that
hierarchy.
Reduce: Avoid water consumption or reduce using water
conservation measures.
Reuse: Reuse water within a single process or use harvested water for another purpose without treatment.
Recycle: Use harvested water for another purpose after treatment.
Reuse: Reuse water within a single process or use harvested water for another purpose without treatment.
Recycle: Use harvested water for another purpose after treatment.
You should look into reusing low-risk water sources, such as
rainwater or stormwater, before recycling higher risk source water, such as
greywater and sewage. Don't know how you might do that? Well, we have a suggestion!
contributed by Debbie
contributed by Debbie
