Most of us fail to understand what a wonderful thing it is that we can turn on our faucets and have an unending supply of clean water flow out.
This luxury, which we take for granted, is something that most of the world lives without.
In the United States we never have to worry about getting sick because of the water we drink, because the Federal government has strict filtration requirements regarding water treatment.
One of the ways treatment plants make it possible for both urban and rural dwellers to access clean water instantly is by using environmentally-friendly diatomaceous earth filtration.
In recent years people have gotten the wrong idea that bottled water is cleaner and healthier than that from the tap.
This rumor has possibly been circulated by bottling companies who are anxious to sell their products.
Our government, however, isn't going to let that happen.
They conduct inspections to determine whether treatment plants are measuring up to their guidelines, and the majority are doing a better job of cleaning up the water than is done to the kind found in the bottles.
In fact, a lot of the water that comes in a bottle came right out of a municipal source wherever the plant is located.
It wasn't until the 1980s when people who lived in rural parts of the country started having access to public water resources.
Before that time they were responsible for their own wells and drinking water, and the result was a product filled with metals and particulates that treatment plants would filter out.
It was a great day when rural people finally could hook up to the rural water systems that were established based on the Safe Water Act of 1974.
Diatomaceous earth (DE) filtration systems are employed at treatment facilities all over the country.
DE is a naturally-occurring material made from the eco-skeletons of diatoms.
By nature it is a porous substance which is easy to use in filtration.
Although there are other uses for the substance, 68% of it is used in drinking water filtration.
It is able to remove smaller particles from the water than most other types of filters, it doesn't require the use of chemicals which are hazardous to the environment, and it is a renewable resource which means we aren't going to run out any time soon.
Even though we don't think about it often, water treatment and the unending supply of fresh drinking water are two things that make our society great and keep our population healthy.