I guess this will be kind of a rant. Sorry, but it must be said, besides I have pneumonia now and have to keep from doing a lot of physical work. People are just too darn complacent. Somebody has to fire people up. So here goes . . . . . After following the access logs for the water filter websites for several years, I have found an interesting trend. More than half of the hits are from areas outside of the USA, or from areas where there are currently issues with water in the USA. ( I’ll call these people the “enlightened” ). For example, in the US state of Georgia, there are places where water is no problem, and places where there is “drought”. These people need water NOW. However, to urban and suburban people in “the developed world” with access to the internet, access to clean water is not really a big life threatening issue. It is philosophical or theoretical – an abstract concept that should be argued in academic discussion groups, and their “rain barrels” are painted stylish novelties to be outdone by competitive neighbors. ( I’ll call these people “clueless” ) Here’s the deal: Clean, pathogen free, poison-free water is a human right, not to be bought or sold as a commodity. The sooner the developed world gets that through their collective thick heads, the better off we will all be. And furthermore, there is a bigger picture here. The picture of life. Our excellent science ( I’m not trying to mock science it is a VERY good thing – it is just misused and abused ) has not yet given us all the details about life; and this fact is brought to light by the mysterious operation of aerobic life forms that exist in water and particularly in a slow sand water filter. Our science can show us that they work to purify water, but scientists still don’t know all there is to know about all the microscopic life that makes these “filters” purify, yes that is purify – remove pathogens from – water. ( Public water supply systems only sterilize water – the dead pathogens are still there when you drink it along with all the toxic byproducts created when chlorine, or ozone turn the dead organic compounds into carcinogens ). Wetlands purify water in a similar fashion to slow sand filters. And, yes ( as the “clueless” will chant ) over a period of tens or, hundreds or thousands of years, the dense rock underground will physically filter water, but that is of no use to us NOW. Biological purification of water takes only days and it works.
For city dwellers this all may be hard to understand. Water is all around. Drinking fountains are all over the place. If you’re not on a well, you just “pay the water bill” and drink on, getting the water to you is someone else’s problem ’cause that’s what you pay for. WRONG. DEAD WRONG. The water bill is nothing but a token. Those of us who get our water from a well understand this. Your water supply is CRUTIAL, expensive and a BIG DEAL. Water is absolutely necessary for life, without it we die quickly, as a result there are tremendous guaranteed profits to be made selling water. Just look at the “bottled water” industry. This is compounded by the undeniable fact that disease is easily transmitted by water, and because of this, water supply purity MUST BE assured. This sort of adds credence to the old saying “you never want a drink till the well runs dry”. Now, the “clueless” will correctly say: “There’s no problem, the earth is huge and there is enough water to last forever, besides, it evaporates and that cleans it. It spends time in the oceans then evaporates to rain and that cleans it. We don’t need biological cleaning. Sunlight kills all viruses and bacteria in the rain clouds anyway.” The problem is that man is way too anthropocentric. The “earths” problems are not the same as “human” problems. Plastics break down in, well, several hundred to several thousand years – a problem to us but not really to the earth. Radioactive material breaks down after 30 or 40 thousand years, a huge problem to us but, not to the earth. Water polluted with heavy metals may eventually clean up but not in time for people to use it. Even petrochemical pollution will eventually break down – not a big problem to the earth, but to people – deadly. We can deny our way to the ultimate hedonistic gratification culture. Science has become so complex that it is easy and convenient to hide motive for profit in complex fact based research writing.
People die without water in 4 days. People die from terrible diseases if they drink water with pathogens in it or if they drink water that is contaminated by industrial or chemical pollution which can come from indeterminate sources.
Now all this water will very likely clean up in several thousand years, but you see that’s not going to cut it. We need the water NOW. Biological sand filters work and if monitored they will work much more efficiently over all ( they are sustainable technology ) than anything man has yet come up with. Don’t agree with me? PROVE I’M WRONG. When those of you who are not aware of the importance of water become aware – will the amazing little microbes that so willingly eat pathogens be gone? Are you willing to risk that? Science DOES NOT KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THESE BENEFICIAL MICROBES, or what may eventually destroy them. Think about it folks. Happy drinking – and those of you in the city – well – enjoy your carcinogenic cocktails. Cheers! ( or you could call your local or state legislator and demand change – naaaa. . . . that makes too much sense. Sorry, but I had to say this.)