Where Does Water Come From?

Everyone loves to get a bottle of spring water in Atlanta when they are thirsty, but it is easy to forget where all of our society’s water supplies come from. Here is a short list of where people get their drinking water, and a little bit on why it can be important to know about where it comes from and where it goes after it gets used. There are generally three categories. These three categories fall into two sources: natural or man-made sources. In this article, the categories discussed will be: rain water, surface water, and groundwater.

It’s Raining!

Many people are familiar with rain water. Any water that falls from the sky is classified as rain water. Not very much drinking water comes from rain water directly because it is hard to collect without also collecting contaminants. However, this is the water source that winds up refilling both other types of water sources, following the natural order of the water cycle. With this in mind, the protection of rain water is vital. One issue with rain water is that it can pick up air pollution from the atmosphere and transfer it to the ground of surface water sources. This type of polluted rain water is known as acid rain and may be tricky to prepare for drinking.

Surf’s Up

Surface water is what people are generally going to think of when they are asked to picture water. It means all of the rivers, lakes, ponds, oceans and seas that cover the Earth’s surface. This used to be the main source of drinking water, but recently the water sources have begun to be used more as recreation sources of water, bathing sources, or waste disposal sources. This introduces contaminants to the water supply. However, most fresh water on the surface is still drinkable, generally speaking, and is still often used as a source for municipal or other drinking water.

Well, Well, Well

Most man made sources of water are going to be ground water sources. This is also where almost all water labeled as bottle spring water in Atlanta comes from. Springs are sources where ground water is making its way up to the surface of the earth and "springing" out, whether naturally or artificially. This water is naturally filtered by its journey underground and its return above, so is a common source of clean and tasty drinking water. Wells and underground reservoirs are also ground water sources.

What Do You Drink?

It can be important to know where your water comes from. Most companies that sell water will be proud to tell you where theirs comes from, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Kevin Smith is a writer and an avid reader. He writes about business, marketing, health, pets, or relationships etc.