As bazaar as it might seem on the surface, recent flooding on the Cumberland River in Tennessee has caused the mayor to ask people to cut their water usage. “If you don’t need a bath, don’t take it,” he pleaded.
The problem is not that the Nashville area is short of water! That is obvious after thirteen inches of rain over the weekend in early May, 2010. Pictures show expensive homes, cars, property submerged. Damage will surely be in the billions of dollars.
No, the problem is not a lack of water. The problem is a lack of clear, safe water. Often with flooding comes damage to water supplies feeding the homes. When disease-infected water mixes with the water purified by the city, the result is, of course, unsafe water.
We all know that we are totally dependent on safe water for survival. We can live fifty or sixty days without food, but only a few days without water. Everything about the functioning of our bodies requires water: digestive system, electrical system, reproductive system- every cell in our bodies contains water. Sixty percent of our bodies is water, and 70% of our brains.
Therefore, even in prosperous America, a crisis such as experienced in Tennessee demands fresh, clean water for survival. Some no doubt had been relying on electrical filters to provide save water. These might include an ultraviolet light to kill germs.
But such systems are useless when the people need water but the power grid shows no sign of normal supply any time soon. During such times, those with gravity filters or water line filters are most grateful.
A gravity filter such as an activated charcoal filter works on a simple principle. The water is poured into an upper chamber and cannot get to the bottom chamber without passing over activated charcoal. The amazing adsorbing properties of the charcoal remove heavy metals, chlorine and chlorine compounds, volatile organic compounds, and pathogenic bacteria. In short, the unsafe water poured into the top is rendered safe just seconds later when it reaches the bottom reservoir.
We all hope we don’t face a crisis such as those in Tennessee have faced recently. They will be weeks and months cleaning up and getting their lives back to normal. However, those with gravity water filters will at least be glad they do not have to add sickness to their woes due to drinking unsafe water.
Possibly related articles:
- Berkey Filters Are The Premiere Home Water Filter
- How Do Activated Charcoal Filters Work?
- Well Water Contamination by Nitrogen Compounds
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