Have you ever wondered where your tap water comes from?
Introduction
Water covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface, in one form or the other. The oceans contain around 96% of all water on earth, with the remaining existing in rivers, lakes, aquifers, and glaciers, in the soil as moisture, in the air as vapour and even in animals and humans.
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth
Before speaking about where water comes from it is important to understand the important role water plays in our existence.
The importance of water
Liquid water is vital to life as we know it.
The human body is comprised of around 60% water, it is one of the six essential nutrients (the others being carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals)
Water has many vital roles within the body such as the transportation of nutrients, regulation of body temperature, assisting in the digestion process to the flushing of waste from the body.
According to science, the human body can be comprised of up to 60 percent water and we can only survive without water for around 3 days.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325174
When we think of the importance of water in the context of our everyday lives we tend to think of the important role it plays within our body or the more direct use cases such as for drinking, cooking, bathing etc.
Water has many indirect uses which may not automatically spring to mind, such as its use in agriculture, for the feeding of livestock and irrigation, in industry as a cooling agent or during the manufacturing process of wood and steel, or in medical procedures.
The water used in direct-use instances comprises only a small percentage of the water used on any given day when compared to indirect uses.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/other/index.html
Where does all this water come from?
The origins of water on Earth
The fact that water is so central to life as we know it and the fact that there is such a vast quantity of barren rocks in our solar system raises the question of where did all the water on Earth come from?
This is a matter which is hotly debated amongst the scientific community with two main theories being put forth, one being that water was always present in the rocks of the Earth's mantle and was gradually released to the surface through volcanoes whilst the other suggests that Earth's water may be a result of a direct collision with asteroids and comets.
https://astronomy.com/magazine/2019/04/where-did-earths-water-come-from
The water life cycle on earth
Evaporation, condensation & precipitation are three major parts of the global water cycle.
The water cycle involves evapotranspiration which includes both evaporation and transpiration and is the sum of all the processes involved in the continuous movement of water between the earth and the atmosphere.
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/evapotranspiration-and-water-cycle
Evaporation occurs when the sun heats up the surface of the earth causing the temperatures of the water in our lakes, rivers, oceans etc to rise. As a result, some of this water evaporates into the air. Evaporation is the process by which a liquid is turned into a gas. When water is turned into a gas it is referred to as water vapour.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/evaporation
Transpiration occurs when plants absorb liquid water from the soil and release water vapour into the air from their leaves.
Heat causes water molecules to move fast, the hotter the water molecules get, the faster they move, once they move fast enough, the water molecules will separate turning them into a gas (water vapour).
The water vapour created as a result of evapotranspiration spends about 10 days in the air. As water vapour rises higher in the atmosphere, it begins to cool back down. When it is cool enough, the water vapour condenses and returns to liquid water. These water droplets gather to form clouds, when too many of these water droplets combine they get too heavy to stay suspended in the cloud and they fall to Earth as rain, sleet or snow in a process referred to as precipitation and make their way into our soil, plants, trees, aquifers, lakes, rivers, oceans and the life cycle of water starts over.
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/freshwater/water-cycle
Where does your tap water come from?
Your tap water comes from a natural source that can be categorized as either ground or surface water.
Groundwater is water found in underground water-bearing rock and can be accessed via a well being drilled into the ground.
Surface water is water located on top of the land, such as water found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and seas. It is worth noting that although countries in the middle east source water from the sea due to a lack of alternative options, they are in the minority due to the desalination costs associated with the processing of it.
The tap water in your home comes from one of the above sources and is transported to your home via a plumbing system.
As one can imagine, prior to arriving at your tap this water has come into contact with many different types of contaminants along the way both organic and inorganic.
If the water entering your home comes from a private well, the onus is on the individual to ensure the water has been adequately treated to protect against these contaminants, whereas if it comes directly from a municipal water supply it will have already undergone treatment from the local government.
It is easy to assume, as most do that your tap water is safe to drink. However, it is important to note, that regardless of what the source of the incoming water is, there are no guarantees, dangerous contaminants can be present in your tap water, contaminants that are undetectable to the human senses, which can cause serious health issues or even death.
How do I know if my tap water is safe to drink?
In short, there is no way of knowing whether the quality of your water supply poses a health risk without seeking relevant expert advice.
Conclusion
Whilst the origins of water on this planet is still a mystery, there is no doubt as to how water reaches our taps, which involves the natural phenomenon that is the water cycle combined with feats of human engineering that is the plumbing system.
Whilst on this journey to our taps, this water comes into contact with all manner of contaminants and it is important to ensure you are protected against such with the only way of doing so being a consultation with an expert within this space.
YOUR HEALTH IS YOUR WEALTH