Pure and Simple (Water)

Member Name: benniash

Product:	Water
Date:	26/01/04 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fairly cheap, Unlimited supply straight to your home

Disadvantages: No real taste

If you haven?t heard me moaning about paying certain bills like council tax, business charges or insurances for everything under the sun, then no doubt will you in the future ? but there is one bill I never begrudge paying, my water bill.

The water bill arrives every six months and once it?s paid I know I?ve got as much of the stuff as possible for half a year. Water makes up around 70% of our body and is essential in keeping us healthy and clean, not to mention its uses for cleaning and washing.

= How safe is tap water? =

The UK set some of the highest standards regarding drinking water in the world. The levels are monitored by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), who has the duty to make sure that all the UK?s water suppliers enforce the stringent regulations to protect us consumers. Results published show that levels in the UK have risen every year for over ten years and my local supplier boast a quality level of 99.9%, slightly above the UK average, since 1997.

= How is tap water made safe? =

All the water is treated to rid it of any contaminants that may have entered into it from agriculture or industry. Tap Water is NEVER taken from highly polluted areas.

The first level of treatment is clarification. This involves adding a coagulant (likely to be aluminium or iron), which removes around 90% of pathogens from the raw water by either sedimentation or floatation. Pathogens usually enter the water through human or animal waste and include bacteria and viruses.

The water is passed through a bed of sand which removes the majority of particles, a process known as filtration. The final treatment process is to eliminate the rest of the bacteria. This is done by adding chlorine of which some will stay in the distribution process to keep the water protected until it reaches our homes. Although chlorine is poisonous the risks are very small and are not as harmful as it water would if it reached us containi

ng bacteria.

The water is tested at every stage of the process from treatment to distribution to ensure quality levels are met.

= Where does the water come from? =

Two-thirds of water comes from surface water including reservoirs, lakes and rivers, whilst the remainder comes from ground water. The levels depend on the area that you live in:

~South (majority): 30% Surface water, 70% ground water.
~Midlands (majority): Between 31-69% surface water, rest ground water.
~North and Wales (majority): 30% Ground water, 70% surface water.

Water is distributed to our homes through a piping network system.

= So what?s it like? =

Water is a transparent, pure liquid. Despite being almost tasteless it is refreshing and the ultimate thirst quencher. Not only is it good for cleaning out toxins in our bodies but can also help weight loss and gain.

Over the past few years the bottled water industry has grown rapidly and now our supermarkets are filled with competition to tap water. However ?blind? taste tests have constantly proved people cannot tell the difference between the two. Personally I rarely buy bottled water but prefer instead to filter my own. I purchased a filter that holds enough water for each day and sits nicely in the fridge, also cooling the water to give it that extra kick.

Tap water is relatively cheap although all new homes built since 1989 have had meters fitted. Personally we do not have a meter and once we have paid our six monthly bill we are free to use as much as we like. Obviously those on a water meter get billed for the amount they use and the cost varies depending on usage, determined by how many people in the household.

= Conclusion =

Like most people, I couldn?t survive without tap water. I use it for every day chores such as showering, cleaning the dishes and washing my clothes, but drinking a cool glass of water is not only refreshing but
also healthy.

Summary: