(BPT) – Water is one of the most essential resources on the planet. Whether you know it or not, almost everything you do, use or consume relies on water. Simply having access to water isn’t enough. The quality of your water matters – it impacts the quality of everything it goes into.
Take a minute to look at the world around you – do you know how much of your life runs on quality water? American Water knows that water quality is vital to keep life flowing and wants to help you understand the important, and sometimes unexpected, effect that water quality can have. Check out these 10 reasons why access to quality water matters.
1. Food and beverages
The most apparent impact of water quality is how it affects the food you eat and beverages you drink. This goes beyond the water that you use to make coffee or boil pasta. For example, before you even add that pasta to the pot, it takes half a gallon of water to produce a single noodle.
2. Farming
The quality of water that farmers have access to impacts their ability to grow produce and raise animals that provide us with everything from meat to milk and cheese, as well as the quality of the resulting product. If you live in a city and participate in or support urban farming and co-ops, the foods grown depend on that city’s water system to provide quality water through the tap.
3. Personal hygiene
Did you know just how much of your hygiene is rooted in quality water? It might be obvious when you’re washing your hands, bathing, brushing your teeth or washing your face. Even the products you use on your skin contain water, like lotion, which is made of 80% water. In all situations, the water you use on your body should be clean and dependable.
4. Health care
Health care runs on water and the quality can affect health outcomes. Doctors’ offices, hospitals and EMT vehicles need quality water for hygiene, washing wounds, hydrating and more. Water also plays an important role in developing and manufacturing life-saving vaccines and essential medications.
5. Environment
You can avoid single-use plastic bottles by having access to quality tap water and filling up your reusable drinking bottle or glass at the sink. If you enjoy getting outdoors, access to quality water is crucial to preserving the parks and wildlife you experience. During dry months when wildfires strike, firefighters depend on water to extinguish the flames to protect the land, animals and people around the area.
6. Manufacturing
So many things that you use every day were made using water. Making a single car requires about 40,000 gallons of water, and technologies like your desktop computer rely on water as a coolant to run. Even the jeans you’re wearing were produced using 1,800 gallons of water.
7. Gardening
Gardeners rely on water to grow flowers, herbs and other plants for enjoyment and culinary purposes. Whether they realize it or, they rely on the quality of the water coming out of their tap to support the lives of the plants in the yard or on the windowsill. Water quality can be the difference between a garden surviving and thriving.
8. Pets
Do you have a four-legged friend? Your furry family members need quality water to support their everyday life too. From the water in their bowls that hydrates them to the water you use to clean them off after a long day of playing outside, you depend on that water to be as good to them as you are.
9. Athletics
Athletic and recreational centers need water to keep operating. For every Friday night lights, Saturday softball game and Sunday tee time, a lot of water goes into maintaining the fields and courses. For athletes, drinking and soaking in water can prevent heatstroke during the warmer months and helps them cool down after a light jog, challenging workout or victorious match.
10. Fun outings and attractions
When you take your family to a water park, play in the backyard or a community pool or run under the spray of the garden hose, you’re able to rest easy when these spots have a quality water source. If you’re a fan of live entertainment, water also impacts your experience, such as the grass at a stadium or sanitation at a concert venue. Zoos and aquariums also need quality water for the animals to drink and swim in so you can enjoy visiting them.
Bonus: You are made of water!
Up to 60% of the adult human body is made of water, so it’s essential to hydrate with high-quality water. Staying hydrated can help lower blood pressure, improve mental focus and keep your organs functioning.
These are just a few of the countless (and sometimes surprising) ways our lives depend on access to quality water. If you want to read more, check out American Water’s 50 Reasons Why Water Quality Matters in Our Lives. To learn more about the water quality in your area, visit AmWater.com and see your water quality report.