Did you know that the human body is more than half made up of water? We also use it in the production of food (it takes approximately 2,400 liters of water to produce one hamburger), clothing, computers, etc. Water is one of the most crucial components required to keep us and our environment happy and healthy; however, while we absolutely need it and can’t live without it, we aren’t always very smart about how we use our water.
Why we need to start thinking about our water
Water is a finite resource. Most of the water we use today has been around (in one of its various forms) for hundreds of millions of years. That’s right, that glass of water you just drank may have, at one time, been the puddle a dinosaur stepped in. It’s kind of cool if you think about it—but it’s also a little scary when you start to think about the way we treat our water.
Approximately 70 per cent of our planet is covered in water; however, only 2.5 per cent of that water is freshwater, and only 1 per cent of that freshwater is easily accessible (in other words, not trapped in glaciers and snowfields). Essentially, we are trying to fill the needs of 6.8 billion people with 0.007 per cent of the planet’s water—and that doesn’t even begin to consider how much of that 0.007 per cent has been contaminated by pollution.
Where does that 0.007 per cent come from?
Water exists in multiple states across the planet, and it is constantly in motion between those states. When we imagine the planet’s water sources, we largely envision the planet’s surface water—that is, water that exists on the surface of the planet, like in streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, or oceans. However, our planet’s water also exists as groundwater and atmospheric water.
Groundwater is water that is located beneath the Earth’s surface, either in fractures of rock or in soil pore spaces. Think of the ground as being a big sponge. The water is held within the particles of ground, and you can dig down to the level the water sits at (the water table). Picture digging a hole at the beach: at a certain depth, your hole starts filling with water. You’ve accessed the water table for that spot, and that’s how accessing water through a well works.
Atmospheric water exists as water droplets or water vapor in our atmosphere. It forms clouds, fog, humidity, rain—in other words, this is largely where our weather comes from.
Each different type of water is interconnected with the rest
Water doesn’t stay consistently in its categories. It is all interconnected; it all interacts and flows together. Surface water, precipitation, and run-off water all feed ground water; ground water and precipitated atmospheric water both contribute to replenishing surface water, which is depleted through use by humans, animals and plants, or by its evaporation into atmospheric water. This is the water cycle, and the water cycle is the reason we need to be aware of and restrict the amount of water we contaminate.
We Find Water – and we understand it too
Here at American Water Surveyors, we know how important clean, sustainable water is, which is why we are dedicated to finding it. Groundwater is accessible by wells and is the preferred water source for many – especially in rural areas. Locating that groundwater and getting it the surface can be costly. Drillers charge for their time and work even if they drill a dry well. They cannot guarantee that they will drill where the water is. Save yourself the worry and money of a dry well by calling us. American Water Surveyors is a an expert in the way water moves and how it can be located underground. Using scientifically proven methods, we find water so your drillers know where to dig – and so water can continue its fascinating, essential journey around the globe.
