The Ten Minute Activist
Easy Ways to Take Back the Planet
Big Wet Journey
Most of us are clear on water: it comes through our faucet and goes down the drain. But as Peggy Lee once asked: is that all there is?
When we know more about our water's journey, we can be better judges about how we use it and what we dump in it. Here's a rundown to get you started.
Water often comes to us from a reservoir. Other times, people dig wells to underground springs and then pump the water into a holding tank or right into a pipe network.
Once used, water goes down the drain into a wastewater system. If you have a septic tank, the waste sits there while the solids settle out, and then the liquids slowly seep out over a chunk of land called a leech field, where microbes make it safe. If you use a public sewer, the waste gets emptied somewhere (hopefully not your local river or ocean). It's supposed to be cleaned before they let it go.
You can often tour your local waterworks and wastewater plants. If you ask a few questions, like whether it comes from a reservoir or a well, and how the drinking water and wastewater are sanitized, you'll be your neighborhood expert and a good judge of how to use your water.
Buzzflash
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Newsvine
Reddit