If I was to ask you what the #1 threat to the future of your own safe drinking water was what would your answer be? Climate Change?  Industrial Pollution? Pesticides and Fertilizers? Fracking? Mining? Oil Exploration? Would you be surprised if I told you that none of those threats were the top threat to safe water? Would you be surprised if I told you that the #1 threat to the future security of water; the #1 enemy to the future of safe drinking water are the individuals and groups who promote “Save Our Water” type activities? Well, don’t be shocked, this is an absolutely, 100% true statement.

Am I just trying to piss people off, here? Maybe shooting for shock value? Honestly, I am on your side; I am on the side of our water. There is nobody more passionate or engaged with water than I. With that said, I reiterate, the #1 enemy to future safe drinking water are the very groups and individuals that garner attention with these “Save Our Water” activities.

Allow me to explain.

There are currently 7.5 billion people in the world. Each one of us a polluter, each one of us unpredictable. Our manufacturing, process, and life activities, even ones we think are green are constantly adding pollutants to the environment. So, whether we like it or not, by land, sea, and air our water is being inoculated with new contaminants at every tick of the clock. Likewise, our population growth has already created unquenchable demand in many places across the globe.

Our aquifers were filled hundreds of years ago when rainwater was far cleaner than it is today. So, even if our aquifers are being filled and maintained, the quality of the water in them is declining and will continue to do so.

There are two indefatigable facts about water that we not only ignore but beat our heads against the wall believing that we can make a difference and change these trends.

• Our water supplies will continue to degrade. Man cannot stop this unless man ceases to exist.
• Current water technology can make totally pure water out of the nastiest polluted water. We absolutely do not need clean water supplies to provide safe drinking water.

So then, here is the problem with “Save Our Water” activities. While such activities give us a good feeling the reality is that while we are all focused on one potential threat, hundreds of unseen threats are happening at the same time. While better water behavior is mandatory for mankind, more important is that we are prepared for the contamination that will keep coming at us, and coming from far too many sources for us to ever monitor, police or prevent.

My main focus is not in saving our water but rather providing safe water for all. There is a great difference between the two of these things.

If we are to have safe drinking water in the future, we must update our outdated water plants, accept that one day every home will be required to have a personal water purification system, and begin educating the public in basic water science. If we do not focus on these critical things we will continue to suffer an ever-increasing amount of water contamination issues that seem to hit the newswire almost daily.