Water

My buddy Steve came by today and we ended up having a longer conversation about water filters, particularly about one that I sell. I did a taste test with him and he was blown away by the difference between the filtered water and the tap water. Here in Kamloops, we have one of the most sophisticated water treatment facilities in the world. We also have an old delivery network and therefore the city adds generous amounts of chlorine to the water.
When I moved to Valemount, a small town amidst mountains, from a city of 120'000 in Switzerland back in 2002, I remember how surprised I was that the water was heavily chlorinated. It was something I was not used to at all. We always drank the tap water back in Basel, Switzerland and it did not have any chlorine in it. Luckily the property we lived on in Valemount had a well with fantastic water. In fact, Monashee Spring Water is a company, which takes water right out of the ground in Valemount and puts it in bottles to sell. I couldn't understand why the town had to add chlorine to it, it tasted like pool water!
Of course the general premise is that chlorine in drinking water is safe at the concentration it is present in our tap water. However, I can't get over the fact that chlorine kills things that are alive. It kills living things and it does not stop doing that when it enters our bodies. So that can't be good!
Also, most places do not have a state of the art water treatment facility and therefore the water has various other contaminants in it also. Modern farming practices involve a host of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides which end up in the ground water. Cattle are given antibiotics and other medication which not only end up in the meat we eat of course, but also in the ground water.
But it's not just cows that pee out medications they are given, we too secrete chemicals that have gone through our bodies. Anything from over the counter medications to highly toxic chemotherapy drugs, ultimately end up going down the drain and into the ground water. And of course you can find heavy metals in your water too. Things like lead which is a neurotoxin. All these are reasons why I prefer to filter my water before I drink it.
Water is so important for our health that I think it's critical that we both drink enough and drink good quality water, that is free of contaminants and impurities.

I am passionate about water, so settle in for a few days of water-themed entries. I'll continue with some basics tomorrow and then slowly take it to the astro-plane!

Now go have a glass of water!