Those large, round tanks elevated in the sky are water towers. What is a water tower and what are they used for? A water tower is a holding tank, usually for a municipality or even a farm that is used to maintain water pressure. Through the help of gravity, water … Read more
It is possible to get your hands on a bottle of water for under a dollar. Bigger bulk purchases mean bigger bargains. But bottled water still costs more than tap water. In fact in the UK each gallon of bottled water costs more than petrol. If you’re looking for something … Read more
Born out of necessity in 2002 during an extended power outage in Brazil, Alfredo Moser created an innovative solution to keep light flowing in his workshop. He cut holes in the roof of his workshop and hung water-filled bottles; the water refracted the light so it spread through the house … Read more
Water pollution is the term given to the undesirable effect of the addition of foreign objects to any body of water. The term first entered widespread use during the 1980s but the phenomenon had been around for many years, and especially a result of industrialization in countries. Water pollution is … Read more
Keyline design is a relatively new concept to those located outside of Australia although its origins have ties to the American dust bowl of the 1930s. Originally developed in the 1940s and 1950s by P.A. Yeoman on his farmland in Australia, this system of rainwater storage and gravity-fed irrigation is … Read more
An ingenious innovation by the Japanese, rain chains are a wonderful alternative to a rain gutter downspout. The Japanese have used rain chains for hundreds of years. Traditionally known as “Kusari Doi”, they were used to guide rainwater into large pots (ancient rain barrels) for household and garden purposes. Today, … Read more
Saving rainwater is great for a variety of reasons. For those who live in an urban area and are a part of a city’s water system, saving rainwater can be a way to irrigate ones’ garden, not only conserving resources, but saving money. For homesteaders or those that live in … Read more
You may have heard the term before, but what is brackish water? Simply it is a mixture of both saltwater and freshwater. Naturally brackish conditions create a unique habitat for plant and animal life. On the other-hand, brackish conditions that are created by humans typically harms the pre-existing environmental habitat-permanently, … Read more
Water is a precious resource often taken for granted in developed countries where water is regularly supplied through a municipal source. Potable water flows into your toilets, is used in massive quantities for industrial cooling and cleaning, pumped from ancient springs into plastic bottles, and continuously wasted by individual and … Read more
People who get their water from a well, likely know about hard water. What is hard water? Essentially a water is described as “hard” when it has a lot of minerals. “Soft” water is water that has a low levels of dissolved minerals. Although hard water is potable (or safe … Read more
What is Ocean Acidification?, What are the Causes and Environmental Influences? Ocean acidification is, simply put, the change of the pH balance of the waters in our oceans. The pH levels of the ocean’s waters drop and this is because the water absorbs what is called anthropogenic carbon dioxide from … Read more
All the energy that most people enjoy so freely is derived at some point from natural resources. Water specifically is one resource that is used to generate electricity. There are two established ways to make hydroelectricity; via a water powered turbine (what the water wheel was to kinetic energy the … Read more
Mineral waters, like the name suggests is a potable water that has a high mineral that has either added or is naturally occurring. The specific classification of “mineral water” is water having 250 or more ppm (parts per million) of mineral content. The specific mineral deposits will range, some of … Read more
Water is generally taken for granted for people living in highly developed countries. Potable water flows effortlessly from the sink, shower or to the toilet. The exception of course is people living in rural areas or in undeveloped countries where connecting to the municipal water supply is simply not an … Read more
Spring water, ahh, the natural beauty bubbling from the Earth’s ground. Often associated with myths and folklore, springs are welcomed on any landscape for providing a fresh and delicious source of potable water. What is spring water really? Is the stuff in bottles truly from a spring? Is there environmental … Read more