Water Everywhere
March 22nd is World Water Day, a day established by the United Nations and a group of non-profit
organizations to highlight the need for clean and safe drinking water around the world. But we do not
need the United Nations to remind us that clean water is critical for our health. The nation has been
following the water issue in Flint, Michigan and closer to home, the presence of lead in the water of
some homes in Sebring, Ohio has been in the news. Thirteen other Ohio municipalities have also
recently found lead in their water system, probably the result of old plumbing.
Ohio is blessed to be a water-rich state. From Lake Erie to the north, to the Ohio River on the south and
east, we are connected to the rest of the world by water. Through the interior of the state we have
numerous natural lakes, remnants of the glaciers, and a large number of artificial impoundments that
protect us from floods, provide drinking water, and offer many recreational opportunities. Underneath
many parts of Ohio we have extensive aquifers from which we can pump water for drinking and othe r
purposes.
Nature has several wonderful way to purify water. The natural water cycle works much like distillation.
As water evaporates from the surface of land and water, the evaporating water molecules leave behind
nearly all impurities. Rain returning water to the ground is almost pure water. Unfortunately, there are
some pollutants in the atmosphere that can be picked up by water in the atmosphere, but the
precipitation that we receive is nearly always more pure that the water on or under the surface of the
landscape. Then, as the water moves across the surface of the ground or percolates into groundwater it
may pick up additional material, some of which may be harmful.
Headwater streams are often nearly pure. Their water has had little chance to pick up pollutants. As
the streams move downslope and join together, the concentrations of pollutants generally increase.
Streams do have the ability to purify water as it moves through them, but human activities often
overload this purification ability. When people lived far apart, their wastes could be eliminated by
natural processes, but today population densities produce a large amount of waste that cannot be
naturally processed. In addition, we have learned to contrite natural toxins such as heavy metal s, and to
create artificial toxins such as pesticides that are not removed by natural processes.
Wetlands also help to purify water. A wetland has large amount of organic matter that temporarily
retains water and the organic substances can hold on to many impurities as well as filter particles. Here
again, many wetlands have been drained or modified to the point where their services have been
diminished.
Sometimes we can see that water is of poor quality. If it is green with algae or clouded with mud, we
know that it is not pure, though it may or may not be particularly dangerous to our health. We can also
often taste or smell impurities in water. For example, we know if water tastes salty or if it smells foul.
But we cannot detect most pathogens or many chemicals that are harmful even at minute
concentrations. We do have the ability to test for nearly all waterborne pathogens and harmful
chemicals, but the cost of checking as frequently and as thoroughly as would be required to guarantee
safe water would be enormous. Our best plan for water quality is to work hard to keep pathogens and
toxins out of our water. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
This year for water day and every day, try to consider how very important water is to you and the rest of
humanity. And even though for most of us water is relatively cheap, clean water is priceless. Consider
what you can do minimize your impact on water quality. We can all drink to that!
PHOTO: The Ohio River as seen looking upstream from Rome, OH in Adams County. The river drains
about 2/3 of the land area in the state of Ohio. Here it is 500 yards wide.
Photo by CMcClaugherty March 15, 2016