“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink."
While the ancient mariner was bemoaning the fact that he was at sea without drinkable water since the water was salt water, the author of the poem didn't realize how true that statement would be for "modern" times.
I mentioned in an earlier post about the fire retardant run-off impacting water supplies in southern Colorado. Don't think this is an isolated incident. Throughout 2016 the water situation in Flint, MI has been in the headlines. The water situation there is still not resolved. A government official stated that it was okay if the residents of the city lost a few IQ points (asshat).
Our water is known to have a number of things in it that are just not good for us. There are filtration plants, but they don't get everything and someone in some government office somewhere decides what a safe amount of the pollutants will be.
Recently, in southern Florida, a power plant got the go ahead to store radioactive materials in an area in close proximity to the water table. See this article detailing what Florida Power wants to use the Florida aquifer for.
Mine tailings have leaked and/or spilled into rivers. People flush medications down the toilet (don't) and those micro ingredients show up in our water. Chlorine and lead, arsenic and hormones are other elements that can show up in our water.
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| The spill flooded a holding pond and sent water fouled with lead, arsenic, zinc, iron, cadmium and other toxins into tributaries to the Animas River. |
Right now, reverse osmosis is the number one way of filtering your water. You can get this water for twenty-five cents a gallon at Vitamin Cottage. Some 7-11's have these machines as well. I reuse some of the gallon jugs I already had, but there are better ones to get. Don't store your purchased water in the sunlight as that encourages a reaction with the plastic containers it is stored in.
Water is the building block of our cells and thus our bodies. We need to make sure we are getting the best possible water we can and do it in a way that is as environmentally friendly as possible. Why pay $3.00 for twenty-four plastic bottles when you can reuse a water container at such a low cost? It makes sense to reuse what we can as it saves money and our impact on the world.
Years ago, I witnessed a mound of cans and bottles and plastic containers off the side of a mountain road. A car hood was stuck into the middle of the mound with the statement, "America the beautiful?"
It left an indelible impression on my heart and soul. Recycling can sometimes be a pain in the butt, but reusing the things we're done with through the recycling process can help us leave a smaller carbon footprint on our world. It can help us keep our wonderful wilderness areas wonderful. It can lessen the amount of waste that is being dumped in the ocean or transported to Caribbean islands.
All of us will pay in one fashion or another if we don't take proactive steps to make sure the water we use and drink is as good as we can get it to be. It starts with the run-off and the things we put in and on the ground. We need to make sure water is treated as the valuable commodity it truly is. And while we are waiting for the government and public policies to catch up, we can be proactive with our own health and well being by being aware of what is in the water we are drinking, and then taking next appropriate steps whatever those may be.
Just in case you missed it in high school, you can find the Rime of the Ancient Mariner here. The story of the mariner has it all - death, spirits, guilt (survivor's especially), penance and redemption. It puts Johnny Depp's character Jack Sparrow to shame.
Just in case you missed it in high school, you can find the Rime of the Ancient Mariner here. The story of the mariner has it all - death, spirits, guilt (survivor's especially), penance and redemption. It puts Johnny Depp's character Jack Sparrow to shame.