Water, Water Everywhere
What is the most sustainable supply of drinking water?
If you live near a surface water source, there are more than enough resources available for your family to drink. Unfortunately, in today’s world it might be a bigger challenge to find fresh, clean water that isn't contaminated by chemicals and pollution. Thankfully, these websites can help you collect rainwater or even collect fresh groundwater where you live. Even if it's below the surface in an aquifer or underground spring we have access to every resource we need as long as we know where they are located.
← Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting – This is simple enough where the worst/best case scenario is you still have access to a roof, so you can move your water tank to be on the roof if you don't get enough rain. If you live in an area that doesn't get much rain, or it's very hot outside, then it might be difficult. Hence why we bring up the underground well option. That might not be something most of us are willing to do and quite expensive in some areas!
Aquifers - We will continue this article later with another option on collecting groundwater.
If you have to rely on a surface water supply, the quality of the water is going to largely depend on your location. The further away you get from pollution and chemicals, the less likely you have to worry about them. Finding this out before you need your water supply is paramount, so we will go over some tools and techniques for finding sources of surface water using free online resources. After that we’ll give you a list of disaster preparedness websites that could help during an emergency or grid-down situation.
In times of no power or internet access, this information could be invaluable in saving lives. Water is life in the desert. Without it we couldn't survive as humans. Hopefully we can help keep people alive and healthy!
← Aquifers
Retrieving Water – No Power or Internet Access
To find water behind your home or in your backyard, you will need to use an old-fashioned treasure hunt. Here are some resources you can use if you have a source of power and no internet access:
Google Maps - If you are lucky enough to have a satellite connection, Google Maps is probably your best bet if you want to find water sources underground. The satellite views provide a look at all the roads and homes in your area. If you are lucky enough to have a satellite connection, Google Maps is probably your best bet if you want to find water sources underground. The satellite views provide a look at all the roads and homes in your area.
Water Table Mapping - If you don't have a direct link to the internet, but can still get power, you can use the Water Table Mapping program. This software will map the source of many underground water supplies near by (costs $15).
If you don't have a direct link to the internet, but can still get power, you can use the Water Table Mapping program. This software will map the source of many underground water supplies near by (costs $15).
Wet Areas Maps - You can also get a look at wet areas via either satellite or Google Earth. Google Earth is more accurate, but not free. Below is an example of what to look for in relation to your home:
← Aquifers
Disaster Preparedness – Water in the Desert
This section contains a list of websites that will help you find water if you are on foot or without power or internet access.
This website covers over 500,000 locations where you can find water sources. There are many categories of water you can search for and there is a lot of water in the world to discover.
This website covers over 500,000 locations where you can find water sources. There are many categories of water you can search for and there is a lot of water in the world to discover.
← Aquifers
Aquifers - Water Underground
Water underground is called an aquifer (with all the A's) and it's reservoir that stores underground waters. The term aquifer comes from the Latin word "aqua," meaning "water.” Aquifers, which are commonly found in areas where water can be found underground, are essential for maintaining healthy surfaces, freshwater, and drinking water supplies .
People get the majority of their drinking water from an aquifer. Most traditional sources of groundwater supply use surface runoff to storm drains which then flows into groundwater basins. Aquifers may be used as a source of drinking water recreation areas.
Aquifers are one of the most common tangible resources we humans depend on for our daily lives. Aquifers are a safe and important source of fresh ground water that can provide millions of people with potable water every day without having to tap into surface waters or draw down other sources that might otherwise be available sooner or later.
Aquifers are underground reservoirs that contain groundwater or subsurface water. They fill up with water and release it into streams, springs, wells and lakes. They're found in rocks and earth layers that can hold water in spaces between grains of sand, gravel or crushed rock.
Most aquifers are located in the uppermost part of the earth's surface, commonly under soil layers that hold a large amount of moisture. This is where we find aquifers reaching the earth's surface where we can draw from them with wells. Aquifers and wells might go hundreds or thousands of feet deep before a hole is drilled to reach it because it requires less energy to pump from deeper sources than shallower ones.
Aquifers are found all over the world and are sometimes called groundwater reservoirs. In some areas, the depth of aquifers may be very shallow on top of bedrock or buried at the surface. These areas might be very easy to access for water digging activities, while other places require more advanced drilling and digging projects to reach an aquifer by using vertical deep wells.
An aquifer can be either a confined aquifer or unconfined aquifer. Aquifers that have a layer of impermeable rock above them that won't allow water to move freely from one section to another are called confined aquifers since their water moves only vertically or through porous material found in its layers. Unconfined aquifers are the vast majority of aquifers in the world that are found everywhere since they do not have rock layers above them.
The quality of an aquifer depends on its composition, the temperature range it can exist in, and how quickly it can be replenished when it's running low. If a water source is confined, there might be very little oxygen available to support life because any sinking organic material will soon get completely consumed by bacteria in the water. Water high in carbon dioxide also is bad for humans since we need some oxygen for any chemical reactions to go through and provide life.
Water from any aquifer is not necessarily potable as long as its a known quantity that you know is safe for consumption.
Conclusion - You are not alone.
Aquifers can be a great source of water for those who know how to find them and how to access them. There are many opportunities to protect water from being drained and polluted. Aquifers are filled with organic material like algae, plants, dead leaves, and debris that can be consumed by bacteria and other organisms that serve as food for microorganisms that can then be consumed by higher organisms like frogs, fish, deer mice, snakes and birds.
Aquifers are really important places for protecting water bodies from overfilling or over consumption due to contamination caused by human activities like pollution sources or dumping industrial waste into it or sewage flowing through it without treatment.