Water is the very foundation of this planet, the life-giving essence in all organisms, including human bodies. Without good, clean water, we couldn’t survive and not a single thing we see around us would be possible. A safe and sustainable water supply allows us to carry on with our daily activities. It supports businesses and housing developments, product manufacturing and industry processes. It offers public health protection, guarding us from waterborne diseases that could devastate our communities. And it carries on its shoulders the overall quality of life we enjoy – low mortality rates, economic diversity, productivity and public safety. In short, clean tap water offers us an incredible value – one that many of us don’t appreciate nearly as much as we should.
Yet water is a finite resource. Between 70 and 75 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, but only 1 percent of that is available for human use. While both the world population and the demand on freshwater resources are increasing, supply remains constant.
The difference is that today many more society demands are placed on the same amount of water and our habits as a society. We are wasting and polluting the finite supply of water at an alarming rate. This, together with the increased number of people on the planet, has reduced the natural purity of the element. These increased demands have, in a sense, created a different kind of water: water that is regulated, treated and sold. Because our demands on water continue to grow, but our supplies don’t, drinking water counts on everyone lending a hand to conserve, protect and get involved with decisions that affect our water resources.
SouthWest Water is here to preserve our water supply for future generations and to lead the way to a more sustainable use of our shared resource.
