Water

All About Water
by Carrie Eastman
Water is an essential nutrient. Without water, we die. Let’s learn about the sources of water, and how to have the healthiest water.

There are four major sources for water:

Rain (captured before it hits the ground – some people may call this Irrigation water) – is only as clean as your air, capture method and holding tanks. In some areas rain water is quite acidic.

Surface (ponds/streams) – From rain/snow, it runs on top of the ground and any chemicals or poo are mixed in from surface contamination.

Ground (Well or Springs) – I would expect Ground water (wells or springs) to have the greatest mineral content. Ground Water comes out of water sources under the ground, not underground rivers or lakes – actually more like a spongy diaper. Gravity holds in the water, and rock holds out the dirt. Either you drill down through dirt and different types of rock to get to it (Wells) or the land is worn thin in the spot and it bubbles up (Springs). A water source that bubbles up through pipes on it’s own without a pump is a Gravity Well. Which the old folks sometimes called a Deep Spring. Ground water ‘recharges’ from incredibly slow snow melt and rain trickling through all the rock and dirt to get to what is basically an area with lots of little cracks – like a sponge – that hold the water. Water in most wells is limited in amount to the size of the holding tank it is being pumped into or the size of the natural holding space, called the water table.

Municipal – Comes from a variety of sources (rivers, wells, reservoirs) and it may have been mechanically filtered, treated with chlorine, ozonation, flocculants or other chemicals such as fluoride – and is piped to your home. Most people would call this Tap water. To the best of my knowledge no municipal water system or sewage treatment plant has found a way to remove hormones and other drugs peed into the system upstream. (This information was based on US Government testing in the last few years and obtained directly from someone involved with the testing and reporting. Nobody is paying attention.)

Last water source, and often overlooked – Cloud or fog. Our pastures remain green at times when our down-mountain neighbors have dry fields. This was taken into consideration when choosing the location. Even if we don’t get outright ‘rain’, we get ‘dewed’.

An important point: Anyone using Well water should have it tested – check with your local Extension Service. Some wells need to be cleaned and flushed every year or two. (For those of you in areas where drilling may be occurring, test your water BEFORE they start work to get a base-line. You will need this to prove you had clean water before any drilling or fracking was done. All the testing in the world AFTER drilling and fracking is useless. You’d be amazed at the number of people who drink contaminated water for years and only test it after drilling starts.)

Water can be filtered. www.purewaterproducts.com sells filters that screw onto the end of a hose, as well as other types of filters. Ask about their discounted scratch and dent and refurbished models. The folks at that company have great customer service. Berkey also makes fantastic water filters. www.berkeyfilters.com

Many people water their livestock using hoses. Garden hoses contain lead and chemicals to inhibit algae growth. Potable water hoses are labeled for use for human drinking water, and are usually blue or white. These hoses are much safer. Hoses that have sat in sun should have water flushed through them before use, in case of leached chemicals.

Stock tanks and water buckets are made of hard plastic, rubber, or galvanized metal. In general, the hard plastic is the safest. Rubber has cancer-causing ethoxyquin added in the manufacturing process. Galvanized metal can leach metals into the water, especially if the water is acidic.

Water can also be cleared energetically. Sounds pretty whoo-hoo, yet I’ve seen it work. Dr Emoto has published a bunch of photos of the ways that water structure shifts in reaction to energy. http://emotopeaceproject.blogspot.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or American Veterinary Medical Association, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult your veterinarian about any changes to your animal’s health program.