We all know that water is a simple compound but absolutely essential to life. But much of the water around us contains harmful substances like lead and chlorine, as well as natural toxins like viruses and parasites. Pure, healthy water is hard to come by these days without water treatment. This involves any method that reduces or removes contaminants to make water better suited for its end use. Here are four crucial reasons why water treatment should be a part of your business process.
1. Industry Use
Water is widely used in industrial processes for cooling, cleaning, and also for steam to supply heat through boilers or power machinery. Treated water is a concern since water-borne debris or minerals like calcium and iron oxide can clog pipes and drains and potentially create costly damage to water-dependent systems.
BWA Water Additives said, “Clean water is an essential part of consumer products such as lotions, cosmetics, shampoos, beverages, and many others.” It’s used in chemicals, cleaners, and industrial processes such as manufacturing paper. While you need a much higher quality of water in your orange juice than you do in your newspaper, better water means better, safer products. Water treatment facilities are a strategic move for businesses to ensure they get the water quality they need.
2. Water Conservation
With the vast scope of modern industry, commercial interests are the major consumers of the public water supply, now drawing hundreds of billions of gallons from the environment each day. While there are huge reserves of water to drive the Earth’s climate cycle, most of that water is the saltwater of the seas and oceans, frozen in the polar regions, or in natural reservoirs deep underground. Even the water that comes back to us as rain is contaminated by pollutants in the air or ground. Very little freshwater today is free of pollutants and must be treated for use. As the world’s population continues to expand, so does the need for fresh water. New studies suggest that adults need to drink a minimum of 9 to 12 cups per day. More widespread use of water treatment in industry helps to ensure more safe water is available in the future.
3. Healthy Consumers, Healthy Employees
No matter where you live, natural groundwater is bound to be full of contaminants from industrial, agriculture, and environmental pollutants. Heavy metals and chemicals settle into the soil, bacteria from livestock and fertilizer contaminates streams and water reservoirs, and heavy metals leach into the ground water from dump sites and mines. This wide array of pollutants causes a variety of ailments such as cancer and birth defects, digestive illnesses, liver and kidney problems, nervous disorders, and brain damage from such common elements as lead and mercury. Businesses that invest in water treatment are investing in their own future – in the well-being of their customers as well as their own employees.
4. Regulatory Compliance
Water quality laws have been enacted in many countries around the world. The U.S. established the Clean Water Act which regards any human-made or human-caused contaminants as pollutants, including bacterial-driven illnesses or radiation effects such as from nuclear waste. The EPA enforces strict water quality standards. Companies are obligated to take measures to reduce pollutants in water before it can be released to the environment, such as solid waste, chemicals, organic materials, agricultural waste, dirt, and even heat, which can have a negative effect on ecological systems. Industries that fail to do so can face heavy fines, civil lawsuits, and in extreme cases even criminal charges. It makes sense to observe all possible water treatment practices and then some, not just because it’s the law, but also for branding purposes. No company wants to be seen as a polluter of public water supplies, but an image as an eco-friendly company devoted to improving water quality could bring many more customers to support your products.
As both the biggest consumers and largest polluters of our essential water systems, businesses owe it to their customers and to themselves to be environmentally conscious of water quality and invest in water treatment facilities, both for their own use and the public sector’s. That’s an investment in everyone’s future.
