Water is one of the ultimate renewable rescores.  No matter what we do, it ultimately returns. It begins its journey back to us following its evaporation from the ocean, cleansed and purified.  Even before it returns to earth, however, we begin our contamination process it. Nature, it must be noted, contributes to some contamination of this pure water with forest fires, dust storms, and volcanoes.  Humankind, in an effort to outdo nature, however, finds ways to enhance the contamination. We have been creating our own classes of chemical compounds that are far more toxic and dangerous than any that have been produced by Mother Nature.  We often spew these compounds into the air and, by the time the precipitation lands back on the earth as part of the hydrologic cycle, it has lost its purity. Even the snow-covered peaks in beautiful British Columbia now show evidence of PCB contamination. Further, once this precipitation has returned to earth, we seem to assume the role of the devil chancing upon a fallen angel, and our efforts to defile the water begin in earnest.

The numerous contaminants we dump, inject, and allow to leach into our water, is mind boggling. Ultimately, these contaminates find their way to the ocean. The ocean is the main reservoir that nature uses for the start of its water purification process. From the large oceanic reservoirs, there is a distillation or evaporation phase, as water returns to the atmosphere, and later falls again as precipitation. Our collective pollution will eventually concentrate. One way or another, our pollution will return to haunt us. Water Stewardship includes reducing, and ultimately eliminating, the introduction of these contaminates into the cycle.

Much of humankind is not content to just defile the water. We opt also to misuse and waste our ever-dwindling clean water resources.  How often have most of us observed someone fastidiously washing his car while leaving the hose running?   Misuse of our water in ways such as this is easy to spot, and most of us have to claim our share of the blame. However, we also waste water in many other ways that are not as readily apparent.  Our landscaping choices, the design of our houses, the water saving devices we select or fail to select for our houses, and the selection and use of our plumbing fixtures all impact the quantity of the water we use.  We can, and hopefully will, collectively, improve upon many of these poor practises. 

Why should we care?   Nature sends us more clean water every day, doesn't she?

The dwindling amount of water is not our only problem. The health hazards posed to us from contaminates such as bacteria and viruses through to man-made compounds are well documented.  Our efforts to clean up some of these contaminates can, and often do, result in the introduction of yet new toxins as we attempt to apply partially understood solutions to our problems.  In North America, our preferred method to detoxify our water is to add chlorine. Chlorine is thought by many to purify the water and make it suitable for consumption. However, not only is chlorine vile tasting and smelly (it is a major component of the infamous mustard gas) but it creates compounds known as trihalomethanes. These compounds are well-documented carcinogens that few of us care to think about, and the addition of chlorine to our water supply creates a false sense of security.   Chlorine was first used to purify domestic water systems in the late nineteenth century. The world has changed a great deal since then, but our treatment of water has not.

The most effective way to treat contaminated water is to use multiple treatment methods. Filtration is a good start, as is the introduction of ozone. Ultraviolet light can be used to complete the process of cleansing the water, but even this does not rid the water of all known contaminates.  Nature's preferred purification method is evaporation. Distillation, the man-made equivalent of evaporation, is the best method we have to purify water.  However, treating contaminated water, especially with distillation, is very expensive. The more anti-contamination treatment that is required, the greater the expense will be. If we do not contaminate the water, it will not require treatment.  This statement sounds rather obvious but, for some reason, has not led us, as a society, to act rationally to protect our water sources and prevent contamination. For many people, a major motivating factor is the saving of money. What better way to save money than to avoid the contamination of our water supply.

Finding and developing a water supply, and implementing a water distribution system is costly. The larger the delivery capacity of the water system, the higher the cost. In many areas, people are noticing the sinking of the ground over their aquifers. The ground is sinking because the aquifer is being depleted. As the aquifer is gradually depleted, the ground begins to cave inward. Reduced rates of aquifer depletions will result is slower rates of ground settlement and reduced public pressure to locate and develop new water systems. If concerns for our own health and the health of future generations are not sufficient to motivate us, then surely we ought to be able to find motivation in the fact that protecting our water sources makes more economic sense that does the cleanup of contaminated water.