Drinking water cycle – How Many People Consumed My Tap Water Before Me?

Drinking water is part of a continuous recirculation process and the two basic water sources are surface water and groundwater.

Surface water is every water source which is above earth’s ground, so for example rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and oceans. Instead, Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth’s surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations.

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There are two different cycles water can pass through, before it reaches our taps: The urban water cycle and the natural water cycle. In the urban water cycle water is treated in a drinking water plant before it is distributed trough pipelines to our taps.

After the tap water is consumed from private households or industries it drains into a main wastewater pipeline. The pipeline leads to the area’s wastewater treatment plant where water is either purified for direct reuse or for release into the environment for example lakes and rivers. 

Released river water might flow to another surface water drinking plant where the urban water cycle starts from the beginning. Otherwise the water enters the natural water cycle by flowing into the ocean or by evaporating into the air. Ocean water might be consumed several times from sealife before it also evaporates into the air where it forms to clouds. Then during condensation, the water vapor cools down so that water drops are formed. Precipitation takes place when the water drops fall down as rain, snow or hail to the ground. 

Read the full article on AET's blog listed below.

Attached link

Media

Taxonomy

• Treatment
• Solid Waste Treatment
• Biological Treatment
• Process
• Water Reuse & Recycling
• Water Treatment & Control
• Water Cycle
• Solid Wastes & Wastewater Recycling
• Water Recycling
• Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
• Pretreatment
• Video tutorials

2 Comments

1. Excellent question!.  To open our minds with the possibilities the earth science class opened with "the water you are drinking right now had a very good chance of being the exact same water used by Cleopatra". Maybe true. But modern days have been destroying all characteristics of water for 200 years. The #1 culprit is chlorine followed by centralization of WWTP. To repair any self sustaining system just stop destroying it. We now have the technology for 100% off the grid by being decentralized.  If anyone is not up to par on current technology just ask. Not to worry. I could never fly to the moon. But all things environmental I can do. Learn, share, teach. 

2. Вся вода, котор​ую мы используем​, и уходит в кан​ализацию и отсто​йники испаряется​ без выполнения ​природных функци​й. Исчезает звен​о естественного ​кругооборота. Об​ъемы таких вод с​тали критичными ​и поэтому мы име​ем изменение кли​мата и стихийные​ бедствия. Надо ​срочно возвращат​ь воде ее главну​ю функцию - пита​ть биоту. Среди ​множества способ​ов сокращения ис​кусственных испа​рений предлагает​ся ликвидация це​нтрализованной к​анализации. Для ​этого создается ​сеть малого быто​вого кругооборот​а. Отстоянная ил​и осветленная ис​пользованная вод​а возвращается к​ унитазам и смыв​ает нечистоты по​вторно. Создаетс​я другая сеть дл​я смыва, отключе​нная от чистой в​оды. Такие систе​мы давно известн​ы в туалетах сам​олетов. Сокращен​ие канализационн​ых вод может при​вести к полной л​иквидации центра​лизованных канал​изационных систе​м.

   Подробнее см.​ в ​https://www.​actascientific.​com/ASMI/pdf/​ASMI-02-0228.​pdf