Make Sure You Are Drinking Clean Water

Posted by Jeff on Dec 12, 2017 @ 12:16 pm in Conservation | 0 comments | Last modified: December 11, 2017

Cases such as the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, demonstrate how tenuous our access to safe, clean drinking water can actually be—no matter where we live. In fact, thousands of potential contaminants can make their way into our drinking water, and the infrastructure across the U.S. can’t always keep up with water purification needs.

That’s a tough pill to swallow, because as everyone knows we need clean water to survive.

In order for us to stay healthy, it’s critical that our water is safe to drink. If we can’t always trust the safety of the water coming out of our taps, wells, or streams, then it’s up to us to make it secure. That starts with knowing which contaminants to look out for—and how to ensure you’re drinking safe water.

Contaminants can make their way into our drinking water in a number of ways. For example they can exist in the pipes that connect to our internal plumbing, so water gets contaminated on its way to our taps. They can also infiltrate our water sooner, in the form of industrial or agricultural run-off that gets into the water supply at the source and isn’t entirely removed during the treatment process. Finally in some cases, contaminants are naturally present in the environment prior to water even being collected.

My new friend Kara sends along the following infographic from Waterlogic to help us better understand contaminants and the steps we can take to protect ourselves both at home, and out on the trail.