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Clean Water Resources

Water covers about four-fifths of the earth's surface and is essential for the survival of animals and plants. Clean water finds multiple uses from domestic household uses, such as cleaning, bathing and washing, to applications in major manufacturing industries and plants. Clean water resources are important sources of fresh water that companies and communities can tap into to save on expensive water treatment infrastructure.

  1. Rainwater

    • Rainwater is a resource that occurs after a complete cycle in which water from different sources, such as rivers, oceans and forests, evaporates, condenses and precipitates as falling rain. Rainwater is harvested for human consumption and water conservation in indifferent ways, including placing barrels outside homes to collect the water and tapping runoffs from gutters, roofs or diversion pipes leading to water retention containers. In some urban areas rainwater may not be clean because it absorbs atmospheric contaminants as it falls, such as arsenic and lead.

    Rain Forests

    • Rain forests are water catchment areas that are a source of fresh water coming from precipitation, which leads to the formation of streams, creeks and rivers. Forest streams and creeks are naturally filtered and purified as they flow through porous forest soils and rocks, providing clean water resources. Forests also help curb soil erosion and reduce the costs of drinking water treatment since water is naturally filtered and purified, apart from being clean water sources. According to World Resources Institute, two-thirds of United States' water originates from forested lands.

    Aquifers

    • Aquifers are sub-surface groundwater resources that are a source of clean drinking water in some rural communities. When it rains, some rainwater flows along land surfaces as rivers and streams; some of it is absorbed by plants; some of it evaporates into the atmosphere; and some of it seeps underground into aquifers. Water suppliers and communities drill wells through rocks into aquifers and tap the clean water supply for human consumption.

    Surface Water Bodies

    • Naturally occurring surface water covers about 70 percent of the earth's surface. Oceans, rivers and lakes are surface water bodies that support multiple fish and water plant species. Fresh water lakes and rivers are diverted into dams, ponds and other water reservoirs to tap into the clean water supply, finding applications such as irrigation, fish farming and hydroelectric power generation. Oceans provide the largest water volumes but are largely untapped compared with other surface water resources, although modern developments are pointing to more utilization of ocean water resources.

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