Ever hear that old adage about the water we’re drinking today being dinosaur urine at some point?

 

In the common, natural processes on Earth, new water is not created nor is it destroyed. It just changes form. That’s the water cycle.  On a super-basic level, it looks like this:  

 

Precipitation, rain, snow, sleet & hail, fills in surface waters, and infiltrates the ground to replenish groundwater. Evaporation occurs when the sun heats up surface water, changing liquid water into a gas called water vapor. On the ride up into the sky, water vapor experiences a drop in temperature and undergoes another form change called condensation…it changes back into water droplets and forms clouds. When the clouds get heavy enough, gravity causes the water droplets to fall to the ground as precipitation. 

 

Lots of other processes play into the water cycle, as well. For example, water is exchanged and changes form in processes like respiration, transpiration, excretion.

 

So, what’s the big deal with conservation and water restrictions, etc?!? Weather patterns and temperature change do contribute to periodic droughts and torrential rains, but the real threat is that many societies, ours, especially, use up water faster than it can be cleaned up. Remember that whether we’re in a rural setting where septic tanks are the wastewater treatment method or an urban setting where we have water and wastewater treatment plants, used water must be treated before it can be used again. Also remember that every drop is naturally cycled and recycled over and over again. 

 

By working to conserve water at home and in our businesses, we ensure that our water dusage won’t out-run our water treatment processes. The point is…every drop of water conserved is a drop of clean water earned. See? Every drop does count.