Since that second grade science lesson with Mrs. So-and-so, you’ve been familiar with the water cycle (also known as the hydrologic cycle). Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection, and repeat. The process begins when the sun heats up bodies of water and vaporizes into the air. The vapor eventually gets cold at higher elevations, and changes back into a liquid state, forming clouds. Precipitation, which falls in many forms, occurs when condensation has amassed greatly in a cloud, and the air can no longer hold it. Once the precipitation reaches the earth, the water collects in rivers, lakes, oceans or soaks into the earth as groundwater.

Source: Water Cycle Diagram

As the image shows, this natural process reproduces and cleanses water in a continuous cycle. The amount of water within this natural cycle remains constant, meaning the Earth will never have more water than already exists. Even though the earth is covered by 70 to 75 percent water, less than one percent of it is suitable for human uses such as drinking and cooking. The good news is that even though the percentage of water suitable for human uses seems small it is not a finite resource. This is because it is constantly being re-circulated as water from precipitation. While this occurs at a greater rate than humans consume it, the water distribution doesn’t occur proportionately to where populations are concentrated.

The challenge posed by disproportionate water distribution is further exacerbated by the increasing world population and the prevalence of water-contaminating pollutants. Currently, the world population is seven billion, which the UN estimates will increase to more than ten billion by 2100. Ever-growing population and industry contribute to increased surface water and groundwater contamination due to chemical discharge, pesticides and fertilizers from farming areas, wastewater and everyday garbage. These activities can impair and even cause water supplies to become unusable for drinking. Water distribution, population growth and water contamination are all factors that contribute to an increasing number of water scarcity events especially in arid and semi-arid regions.

While solutions such as ocean desalination and long-distance pipelines and aqueducts have been built to ensure adequate water supplies they come at a high price. Water conservation is one of the most effective, local and low-cost solutions. In the United States, the average person uses 80 to 100 gallons per day and typical usage includes:

• • 25 to 50 gallons to take a shower
• • 2 to 7 gallons to flush a toilet
• • 2 gallons to brush teeth

A few simple ways to reduce water use are:

• • Collecting water from your roof to water your garden
• • Soak dirty pots and pans instead of running the water constantly until the dish is clean
• • Always adjust the washer’s water level for the size of the load

What creative things do you do at home to cut back on water usage?

The Cooking Club of America has awarded Zuvo Water with it’s Seal of Approval.  Check out the February/March edition of Cooking Club Magazine or visit them at www.cookingclub.com.

We’ve been looking at water purification systems for quite a while so I was thrilled when Zuvo Water LLC contacted me about a review for their product. We received the Zuvo Water Purator and it was out of the box and installed in our kitchen in less than five minutes. It’s really very simple to install. You simply attach one end to your faucet and plug in the unit. It’s very quiet when it’s working too which is a huge plus!

We drink a lot of water but I really hate the environmental impact of all those plastic water bottles. There are times I’m concerned about the safety of our well water especially in the spring with all the run off.
With the Zuvo Water Purator, I don’t need to worry. With simply the push of a button, our water is routed through the Zuvo Water Purator. When we’re done, we simply turn off the water and the purator is turned off so I can use the water for dishes or other things that don’t require treated water. When the water is being routed through the Zuvo Purator, the unit glows a very soft blue due to the ultra violet light that is used. My son loves this part LOL.

The filter needs to be changed about every six months and a filter costs around $30.00. The Zuvo Purator came with one filter in the unit already and my registration card had a special on it so that if I registered the product, I could get a filter for free. Even if you do the math, these filters are no more expensive than filters for other types of water purification systems I’ve used before.