--- THE POWER OF WATER ---
Water is the absolute most important building block of life. It is the reason how and why life on Earth has started in the first place. Water has brought life into this world and continues to do so to this day. Clear examples of the power of water are displayed all over the world. Water is the reason on how single cell organisms had become multicellular organisms. Life would be IMPOSSIBLE without water. Most of the Earth's surface is covered in water. About 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water. That seems like a lot but in reality that 70% of water is not drinkable or usable. About only 2.5% of the water here on Earth is known as freshwater. Freshwater is the only water able to be used as a drinking source for humans. It is also a healthier water for plants and crops. This 2.5% of fresh water means that the source is very slim and if we're not careful we can use it all up carelessly. There are other ways of finding a freshwater source, but unfortunately some of these methods are dangerous and expensive.
- OTHER SOURCES -
PURIFYING SALT WATER
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/1/5/121599159/fishies2_orig.gif)
A simple process of removing the dissolved salt from the water turning it into freshwater. The ocean doesn't only have salt in it but also contains many different bacterias that along with the salt can make people very sick with the potential to kill them. This process is called desaltitation and is now a days being used more and more often to provide the people who need it the most. The reason why purifying salt water is becoming more common is due to the world's growing population. There are places in the world with very limited access to a clean freshwater source. This shortage will occur more often in the future.
The ocean is massive and have miles deep of water available to us. Desalination is still a work in progress. Sometimes the water is too contaminated or is currently undergoing a natural event like Red Tide. Homes located next to oceans or on islands do purify ocean water by boiling it and capturing the steam in another in closed container. This process is fairly expensive is its taking place on a large scale plant. Approximately $100 million is put into desalting ocean water to serve 300,000 people in that specific region. On top of this the costs of infrastructure for a large scale plant and distributing the water supply is and must be added to this.
The ocean is massive and have miles deep of water available to us. Desalination is still a work in progress. Sometimes the water is too contaminated or is currently undergoing a natural event like Red Tide. Homes located next to oceans or on islands do purify ocean water by boiling it and capturing the steam in another in closed container. This process is fairly expensive is its taking place on a large scale plant. Approximately $100 million is put into desalting ocean water to serve 300,000 people in that specific region. On top of this the costs of infrastructure for a large scale plant and distributing the water supply is and must be added to this.
RAIN/SNOW/ICE
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/1/5/121599159/snowing2_1_orig.gif)
You could be surprised on how fresh and clean the water that falls from the sky is. When water evaporates, only the water particles itself leaves the earth. No dirt or other bacteria comes with it. When it falls from the sky and hits the ground it can become contaminated because of how polluted our planet currently is. Some people collect the rainwater in containers and use it later. This same rule applies for snow. Snow is basically the same as rain water, just in the cold form of a snowflake. Its less dense and falls to the Earth at a slower pace. Fresh water can come in many different forms and one of the purest forms is ice. Water trapped in an ice like state means what's inside cane be contaminated and can't escape. As long as it remains cold the water is preserved and safe. Rain, snow or ice, can all be a free source to people living in regions that get regular rainfall or just have cold weather. The water might need some filtering if it was exposed to bacteria or dirt. But in heavily air polluted areas this might not be a good idea due to the water particles picking up the chemicals in the air while falling down to Earth. This becomes so bad that just standing in the rain in places like China can make you very sick.
THE SECRETS IN THE GLACIERS
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/1/5/121599159/editor/lights.gif?1544733181)
Glaciers are found on almost every continent including Africa if you can't believe that. But they become more and more common the closer you get to the Arctic. Greenland has a large supply of these giant formations of ice and snow. But the beauty of these glaciers isn't the most amazing thing they have to offer. Glaciers hold thousands and thousands of tons of fresh water within them. The water is there frozen in time, separated from the salty particles of the ocean. The glaciers are formed from compacted salt free snow also created by water vapor. These giant monsters of ice, when they reach the sea cost break up into big chunks becoming icebergs. But there is a technical problem to this. This would be a very expensive process to cut off chunks of the glaciers and moving them to areas where they would be melted and converted into fresh water. Not only expensive but difficult and in some cases dangerous.
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/1/5/121599159/deer-in-snow_orig.gif)
The glaciers also hide a dark secret in them. Some of the glaciers that break off annually have been found to contain dormant bacteria. Glaciers can be over 15,000 years old and sometimes have deadly bacteria frozen inside them. It was an extraordinary discovery that the bacteria found in glaciers are extinct in the outside world. Scientists have fears to what may happen if the wrong glacier chunk breaks off and releases deadly bacterias into the ocean or somehow makes it past water purification and processing. Another problem is the warming of our Earth and that leads to the glaciers breaking off more often now. Most of the bacterias contained in the ice have unknown capabilities and unknown effects. But others were found to be deadly or causing illnesses. Glaciers are a very difficult and unpredictable source to gain fresh water from and that is why it is not on the top of our list to drill into.
DRILLING FOR WATER
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/1/5/121599159/editor/water-monster-mabye_1.gif?1544735667)
Water wells are a clean and widely available resource that even small villages use them. A water well is a pipe or a long drill that forces its way down into the earth's crust gaining access to underground water. Most of this underground water when first encountered, is untouched by salt or other harmful chemicals, bacterias. Some drill systems are homemade or are manufactured and have great size to stretch for thousands of feet. Places everywhere use these water wells and see them as a extremely reliable source. Unfortunately when the ground is constant being punctured for water it can become overwhelming for nature. Sometimes the water can become contaminated from an over excessive amount of drilling. It can disturb the source too much. Sometimes drill lines cross paths or go into the same water source. Therefor taking even more water at a time. Sometimes frilling too much in a single area can be dangerous. Drills could trigger sinkholes or the rock could give away falling into the water supply below. More often now people get tough luck and go through an experience where they just can't seem to strike any water. Others get lucky and find some within the first 100 feet. That water source that is being used up can seem like its plentiful but can actually run out very fast if it's not monitored. The Aral Sea is a good example on how quick a important water source can disappear. During the time when the lake was shrinking, people didn't like about what they were doing and how fast it was happening. By the time they realised what has happened it was too late. The lake was overrun my salt and contaminates. This same thing can and has happened with groundwater. It's not there forever.
RUNNING LOWIt is certain that we are slowly running out of water and with the growing population, supply, and demand we are at a stand still. We have our hands tied because when we make rules to preserve water supplies not everyone listens. We constantly need more water for every new mouth to feed or more will die. There are not enough people in the world that want to try and reverse the clock and fix what the people of the past have done. The Aral Sea was affected by the carelessness and overuse of mankind and now may never be restored to its original glory. Now the people and animals living in that region have to suffer with the consequences. Most people just don't realise how precious and important our current usable supply of water is. It's not a forever lasting substance and will eventually run out. Other water supplies are currently too tricky to reach like glaciers for example. It will take time to better our methods and the rest of humanity needs to be patient.
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https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1CADEAF_enUS823&ei=QbQSXOCECYvBjwTy9ITYCw&q=desalination+cost+per+gallon&oq=desalination+cost&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i71l8.0.0..10129...0.0..0.0.0.......0......gws-wiz.i_aJa6Mb9pY&safe=active&ssui=on
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https://water.usgs.gov/edu/drinkseawater.html
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https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1CADEAF_enUS823&ei=SsQSXIXOMtOfjgSc8YNg&q=can+we+get+fresh+water+from+glaciers&oq=can+we+get+fresh+water+from+glaciers&gs_l=psy-ab.3...1951.4936..6377...0.0..2.289.3339.8j18j1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j33i10j0i30.x3PeNBt25wo&safe=active&ssui=on
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http://www.industrytap.com/tapping-90-of-earths-fresh-water-frozen-in-glaciers-and-icebergs/2607
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https://water.usgs.gov/edu/drinkseawater.html
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https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1CADEAF_enUS823&ei=SsQSXIXOMtOfjgSc8YNg&q=can+we+get+fresh+water+from+glaciers&oq=can+we+get+fresh+water+from+glaciers&gs_l=psy-ab.3...1951.4936..6377...0.0..2.289.3339.8j18j1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j33i10j0i30.x3PeNBt25wo&safe=active&ssui=on
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http://www.industrytap.com/tapping-90-of-earths-fresh-water-frozen-in-glaciers-and-icebergs/2607
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