Water sources:
The oceans contain 97% of all water; glaciers and polar ice caps (2.4%), and land surface water in rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds and
reservoirs contain only 0.6%.
Water covers 71% of earth's surface. Only 1.6% is in underground aquifers and less than .01% in clouds and vapor. Water on earth
moves through a cycle of evaporation, precipitation and runoff to the sea.
More Sources of water
Groundwater and aquifers
Precipitation, rain, snow, hail, fog, cloud vapors
River, streams, lakes, ponds
Biological sources such as plants, fruits
Water is also found in foods
From the sea by desalinization
We are dependent upon evaporation and transpiration of ocean water, precipitation and runoff. Over land, evaporation and transpiration
contribute to precipitation and the resulting water in the form of rain, ice, hail and snow.
Where does all earth's fresh water go?
An estimated 70% is used for agricultural irrigation.
Much is consumed by all animals, including humans
An unknown percentage is wasted water
Much is flushed or drained away in plumbing fixtures
Much water is not used and drains to the oceans
Considerable amounts are evaporated into the air
Why humans, animals and plants need water:
Water is essential for all forms of life. All must hydrate or die.
All human, animal and plant life forms contain and need water to survive.
Water is an imperative need for human life that we cannot ignore. To do so could mean suffering dehydration and death.
Human bodies contain from 58% to 78% water and much of it is in our blood plasma and in each cell. We must balance water
intake to water loss. Daily hydration is imperative to life. Failure to hydrate our bodies correctly can lead to a serious condition
called dehydration.
Dehydration: Excessive loss of body water. Physiologically it entails a relative deficiency of water molecules in relation to
other dissolved solutes.
External causes of dehydration:
·Prolonged periods of exertion, producing water loss from sweating, while failing to consume adequate amounts of replacement water
·Prolonged exposure to dry air (in deserts or areas where ·low humidity is commonplace)
·Blood loss due to illness or injury
·Diarrhea
·Hypothermia
·Shock
·Vomiting
·Extensive burns
·Lacrimation
·Use of methamphetamine, alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants
Infectious diseases:
·Cholera
·Gastroenteritis
·Shigellosis
·Yellow fever
·Hypovolemia = loss of blood plasma volume
Malnutrition:
·Electrolyte disturbance
·Excessive fasting
·Recent rapid weight loss due to loss of water. Loss of 1 liter of water = weight loss of 2.2 pounds
·Patient refusal of nutrition and hydration
·Inability to swallow (obstruction of esophagus)
·Severe hyperglycemia (diabetis-related)
Symptoms of dehydration include, headaches, muscle cramps, decreased blood pressure, dizziness, fainting, delirium, unconsciousness, swelling of the tongue and in extreme cases, death.
Treatment, tests and warnings regarding dehydration:
Drink plenty of water for minor cases of dehydration. Some experts advise eight glasses a day, while others think two liters (64 oz) a day are adequate. One must determine his or her water needs per day, per level of activity, age and the humidity of the surrounding air.
A useful test of your level of hydration involves monitoring the frequency and character of urination. If one develops a full bladder at least every 3-5 hours and the urine is only lightly colored or colorless, chances are that dehydration is not occurring. If urine is dark or deeply colored, or urination occurs after many hours or not at all within a reasonable period, water intake is likely inadequate to maintain proper hydration.
Some sports drinks may help, but avoid those that contain excess sugar, caffeine and other stimulants. Dentists warn that sports drinks are prime causes of cavities in young people. Be very selective in choosing sports drinks. Make sure they contain electrolytes.
Green coconut water is excellent for hydration as it is nature-purified and has the same isotonic pressure as human plasma and rapidly gets to cellular levels. Most such drinks also contain electrolytes. Serious electrolyte disturbances, such as dehydration,
can result in cardiac and/or neurological complications, and if not
quickly resolved, will result in a medical emergency.
All human physiological systems depend upon maintaining a correct balance of electrolytes in our bodies. The primary ions of electrolytes are: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, hydrogen phosphide, and hydrogen carbonate.
If
the case of dehydration is more serious, replenish electrolytes quickly
through oral or intravenous re-hydration. There are a number of good and inexpensive electrolyte replacement drinks on the market, usually in packets to be poured into water containers, and they work well. Serious cases require hospitalization and intravenous injections of electrolytes.
Normal water loss in humans per day:
Our
bodies can lose from 2.5 liters to 4 liters a day, depending upon our
climate and activity level. In our high desert, hydration should be a major concern for all of us as we lose more water per day than people living in humid climes. Suicide by desert exposure with no or little water on hand is not unusual here.
Water purity standards
City water systems usually produce pure water through the use of chemicals such as chlorine as the purifying agent. They also filter
out solids and certain other contaminants. City water may also have a pervasive odor of chlorine and may not eliminate all sediments.
Your location in a city may also be a factor in water purity. If a city uses a number of storage/holding tanks that are located between
the main water purification plant and your location, sediments and other contaminants may be added to the water while it remains in
holding tanks.
Many companies that supply bottled water often use complex purification methods, such as reverse osmosis, exposure to ultra violet
light and oxygenation to further "purify" city water. The benefit is water that is tasty with no chlorine odor. Cost is a factor with all bottled water.
Bottled water
The phenomenon of bottled water is relatively new, but has exploded into a huge new industry--selling bottled under the premise that it is
"more pure" than city water. Hundreds of companies sell water in PET plastic bottles and more than 50 billion bottles were sold in 2001 and
the
bottles discarded in land fills etc. Empty bottles are also being
recycled to make carpets and many other items. However the recycling
rate
is only 24% Purity of bottled water. Many scientific tests have been conducted on the water sold and some bottled water proved to be contaminated and unsafe for human consumption. Some water purified by reverse osmosis or distillation has been shown to lack essential minerals. Some contain high amounts of calcium, a risk for kidney or gallstone formation.
Large sample taste tests have shown that most people could not detect the difference in taste between tap and bottled water.
Costs; Bottled water costs between $.25 and $2 per bottle, while tap water costs less than a penny for the same quantity. Last year,American
consumers bought bottled water and paid between 240 and 10,000 times the cost of tap water.
The four largest markets for bottled water are the USA, Mexico, China and Brazil. Americans drink 21 gallons of bottled water per year.
Trends in bottled water: High cost water containing vitamins, water with added minerals, "healing" water, hydration drinks with added salts,
fruit-flavored drinks, water with added stimulants for quick energy. Foreign bottled water "from natural" springs, streams, glaciers, hidden
springs, water from fresh water found in ocean currents etc. are all expensive trends with no measurable benefits to naive drinkers.
Soft drinks and energy drinks:
Drinking soft drinks or carbonated drinks as a source of drinking water, has been proven to be detrimental to human health due to the heavy
content
of harmful sugars, stimulants and chemicals in most such drinks. The
increasing trend of drinking soft drinks loaded with man-made
sugars,
such as fructose, found in most sodas and in addictive, stimulant-
laden energy drinks, has resulted in a significant increase in
hospitalizations.
Doctors report an increase of cases involving people who are found to
have permanent damage to their brains and nervous
systems as a result of excess use of energy drinks.
Water purification and filtration methods
Water
purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals,
minerals, and biological contaminants, including bacteria, from raw water,
whatever its source.
City potable water is treated to optimize its pH level, flocculation (clarifying the water), sedimentation (removing sediments, dirt, sand and small
rocks). Filtration by rapid sand filters follows. The final cycle passes water through activated charcoal to remove odors. City water is reputed
to
be pure, although it comes from various sources. As it is distributed
southwards, however, purity in terms of sedimentation may increase.
Other Filters for water:
·Lava filters- removes impurities much like sand
·Ultrafiltration membranes-removes microorganisms
·Ion exchange systems- Removes sodium and magnesium (water softening). Ion exchange also can remove toxic ions such as lead, mercury, arsenic etc.
·Electrodeionization. Uses electrodes to purify water.
Disinfection treatments:
Chlorinization. The final step in the process. Chlorine compounds are added to water to kill harmful microbes. Will not kill protozoans like
giardia lamblia and cryptosporidium both of which are pathogens.
Ozone (O3) is a powerful oxidizing agent toxic to most organisms. It produces pure water that has no chemical taste, but leaves no disinfectant
as a residual
Ultra Violet radiation. Effective in deactivating cysts.
Hydrogen peroxide works like ozone.
Hyper oxidation. Adding large quantities of oxygen to water does kill germs.
Portable equipment and methods are on the market for use in emergencies or in remote locations to purify water. Used by hikers and hunters
in places where pure water is not available.
Other techniques for purifying water:
Boiling. Water heated hot enough and long enough will kill germs and other pathogens. A rigorous boil at sea level or near it, for at least
a minute is sufficient. Boil longer at higher altitudes, up to five minutes. There is no residual disinfectant in boiled water, so storing it for long
lengths of time is not recommended without added microbe killers.
Granulated active carbon filtering. Absorbs many toxic elements.
Distillation: Involves boiling of water to produce vapor. The vapor contacts a cool surface where it condenses as a 99.9 % pure water.
Removes most minerals.
Reverse osmosis: Mechanical pressure is applied to an impure solution to force pure water through a semi-permeable membrane-a thorough method of purification.
Iron removes arsenic from water
Direct contact membrane distillation. A costly method to desalinize sea water, but effective.
Filtering sea water through sand columns. This does produce drinkable water, but it may still be contaminated.
Self-contained filtration bottles and systems such as Brita, PUR, under-sink systems and several others are available for installation in
homes. May be expensive and may not fully filter or purify water. Check out each claim. All require the regular rotation of filters.
Emergency LIFESAVER bottles and Jerry cans
A new invention that is the first all-in-one water filtration bottle. Can filter out all microbiological contaminates including H1N1 swine flu viruses.
The Jerry cans will be available late 2009. Cost is high per bottle,
but they are unique and are now being used in areas where pure water is not available.
Testing water for purity:
There are several good water testing kits on the market. Find one that can identify major contaminants, bacteria and viruses. Purchase a kit for use in testing water whose purity is in question,
Identifying the best water containers:
Use only food grade containers such as:
PET
plastic containers (polyethylene terephalate), are identified by small
triangular symbol on the base of the bottle with the letter P in it.
PET containers such as those used for soft drinks and bottled water are often reused as water storage containers. They must be washed
and rinsed in clean water before such storage use.
HDPE
(High Density Polyethylene) containers. Identify them with the
triangular HDPE symbols on the bottom of the containers. HDPE containers are considered safer as they do not leach plasticizers into the liquid stored in them.
Water containers available on the market:
Large permanent above or below-ground tanks, cisterns or larger containers.
Benefits: large amounts of water storage is possible.
Problem: costs and upkeep. May require extensive plumbing, chlorinization methods and dependable electrical power.
Large
flexible plastic bladders/pillows. Benefit: fit in smaller spaces like
bathtubs. Contain large (50 gallon and up) quantities of water.
Problem: cost and weight. Must be rotated often.
Large
55 gallon drums. Benefits: good for long-term storage. Problem:
Heavy and hard to move. Need to store away from hot areas. Water must
be used for irrigation or discarded after a year of storage, or less time, depending upon the temperature and pH of the water.
Smaller
sized plastic containers( 7, 6, 5, 4 gallon each) Benefits: Easily
moved, fit in vehicles, easily rotated. Problem: Keeping them clean
and
the water used daily and rotated.
Containers for short and long- term water use and storage:
Keep
a number of 1- 4 quart PET storage bottles on hand. If they have been
used previously for other liquids, make sure they are clean and
purified.
Often used for refrigerator drinking water storage and daily use. Rotate.
Use the smaller 2, 4, 5, 6, & 7 gallon portable plastic water carriers for emergency evacuations and family use. Use the same cleaning and sterilization precautions as noted above. Rotate them. Use sterile hoses for refills.
Use
55 gallon drums for long-term storage and keep them out of hot sun or
other hot areas such as garages. Rotate after one year of storage.
Rinse them, refill with sterilized water using the proper sterile hose, and store them in cool place. ALWAYS use sterile hoses for refills.
Consider
hiding the barrels in the shadiest part of your garden if possible.
Camouflage nets help keep barrels cool and hidden. Be sure to place
two-by-fours under the barrels to prevent any damage to the barrels from acidic or alkaline soils.
Use cisterns, pillows, large tanks and similar containers for storing large quantities of water. Problem: cost and upkeep. Needs extensive plumbing and electricity for pumps. Expensive.
How to safely fill, rotate, clean empty water containers and how to pump water from them
Small Pet 1- 4 quart containers:
Clean them and their caps with detergent, rinse carefully, then final rinse them with a weak solution of chlorine in water before using them for
short-term water storage. Fill them at kitchen sink with city water. Easy to drain, clean and refill. Rotate often.
Larger 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 gallon containers. When drained, clean carefully, sterilize and fill with fresh water, using a sterile hose. Rotate often.
Good for emergency evacuations as they are light enough to carry.
Large
cisterns, tanks etc. Drain regularly to remove sediment etc., clean
containers, sterilize them and refill them with a sterile hose.
How much and where to store water?
How much water
to store depends upon available space and the cost of storage
containers. Do not store in hot garages or similar warm places.
Store enough water to provide at least one gallon per person per day, a half gallon of which is for drinking. If you are in a hot climate, double the amount needed per person.
Keep in mind that if a city water distribution system fails for whatever reason and does so for an extended period, we will need additional water
for
cooking, clothes cleaning, irrigation of plants, dish and utensil
washing, toilet flushing etc. That may mean you will have to consider
storing
twice the amount of water. Swimming pools can also serve as sources of water for these purposes.
Emergency sources of water in the home are also found in hot water heaters, water closets, and stored water.
