Where Does Your Water Come From?

Water covers close to three-quarters of the Earth's surface. Of Earth's water; 97 percent is sea water, 3 percent is fresh water, of which 2 percent is locked in icecaps and glaciers. This leaves only one percent, or less, of the Earth's water as fresh, usable H2O. South America accounts for about half of our planet's where_does_your_water_come_from.html. Asia gets almost one-quarter. The remaining quarter is used by everyone living in North and Central America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Drinking water comes from two types of sources:

Surface waters (lakes, rivers, and reservoirs)
Groundwater (wells)

How your water is treated depends on where it's from.

Odds are that if you live in or near a big city, your water supplier relies on surface waters to obtain large quantities of water quickly and easily. Because surface waters are exposed to environmental elements like wildlife droppings, urban and agricultural waste, and trash, they require extensive treatment. Water treatment facilities add chemicals that combine small dirt particles into larger, heavier particles that sink to the bottom. This allows the clear water to be filtered and then disinfected.

Groundwater has historically been assumed to be safe without treatment to kill microorganisms. It is pumped from wells drilled into underground water reservoirs known as aquifers. The water undergoes a natural filtering process as it trickles through layers of soil and sand particles before collecting in the aquifers. It is more protected from environmental elements than surface water, meaning it requires fewer treatment and purifying steps. Some groundwater systems need to add a disinfectant like chlorine; others (such as those from particularly deep reservoirs) require no further treatment.

The quantity of water on Earth today is the same as it was billions of years ago: there is no more and no less. The waters of the earth move continuously from the oceans, to the air, to the land, and back to the oceans again. Water changes only from one form to another and moves from one place to another as the same water is recycled over and over again.

The quality of the water that is available, on the other hand, has drastically changed in the past century. As the earth's population has grown, so has the amount of water used by people for so many things, whether it's by washing our clothes or manufacturing our plastic. Every time we use water, we affect it in some way.

How can I find out more information?

When you request your Free no obligation Water Filtration System Quote you will have the chance to learn even more about your options and speak with a licensed local contractor in your area...Take me there

Points Of Interest

For more reading on our water systems, please visit the Water Systems Council.