The Science Behind Water Conservation

Water is one of the world’s most useful natural resources. In fact, most if not all life forms on Earth depend on water. The uses of water span from drinking to watering a plant to something as simple as washing the dishes. We as humans use water for so many things that we are beginning to depend on it too much. Although water is all over the planet, only 3% of that water is fresh water. On top of that, only 1/3 of that water can actually be used because the other 2/3 is stuck in ice caps. This means that out of all of the useful water on planet Earth, only about 1 percent of it can actually be consumed by humans. Due to this statistic, it is estimated that sooner or later, we will run out of consumable water. What we haven’t realized is that if we do not figure out ways to conserve this water, we will eventually run out of it. And, without clean water, the people on earth will be unable to survive.

With things like the water cycle coming into play, it is unknown whether or not water is pure. As for the earth’s natural bodies of water, they are often contaminated with animal wastes. Luckily, scientists have found a way for water from these natural bodies to become of use to humans. However, there is a specific order of processes that water has to go through. The first process is called coagulation. Coagulation is a process which forces suspended particles to stick together into several clumps. In the next step, sedimentation, water is poured into sedimentary bins where any sediment is then removed. The third step in this list, filtration, is self-explainable. Water gets filtered so that anything other than water is thus removed. The final process to get clean water is called disinfection. In the process of disinfection, chemicals and such products are used to disinfect the water so that it is consumable for humans.

What people rarely notice is that if we do not find a way to preserve the water that we have, we will have to learn some sort of way to live without it. In an attempt to solve this problem, I am planning to go to my old elementary school and speak with the students there about this issue. Hopefully, they will understand that preserving water is a crucial need and that it needs to get done soon. I feel that by doing this, I will be able to spread the word much quicker. If I remind the kids of a few ways to preserve water, then hopefully they will listen and follow some of the guidelines for preserving water. Simple things like taking shorter showers and turning off unused faucets are just a few quick steps to take in an attempt to save water. If we as a society can learn to find a way to use water wiser, than we will be on our way to a better lifestyle.