By Ashley Bouman

Water is the most important resource known to the world, without it, the world could not survive. Water conservation has played an important role in environmentalism for a long time, but not only is water conservation important to the green movement, so is how the water is treated for human consumption. Out of all the water on the planet, about 1% is actually drinkable, while 97% is salt water and 2% is sheltered in ice caps and glaciers. The drinkable water in nature is never "pure"; it picks up bits and pieces from everything it comes into contact with including minerals, vegetation, silt, fertilizers and agricultural run-off. Most of these bits are harmless but some pose a health-risk which is why the treatment of water is such an arduous process, not to mention it is laden with chemicals.

The most commonly used chemicals for water treatment are chlorine and ozone, both of which have been a water disinfectant for decades. The most frequent pathogens in water, lamblii and cryptosporidium can become resistant to these chemical treatments. Not to mention chemicals are commodities and therefore are subjected to price hikes and shortages. In the last decade, a commodities boom sent the price upwards which lead to over-buying and shortages. Water utility companies around the globe scrambled for supplies, even the richer nations were affected. This proves that public water treatment methods need to be more reliable than what the chemical market can offer.

Water is considered safe when it meets the requirements and regulations of the municipality. Chlorine is a dangerous chemical and can have dangerous effects on the body. Ozone is a corrosive substance and is used for bleaching as well as sterilizing water. Not only does water treatment need to focus on reliability, it also needs to look into safer and sustainable elements, which will be completely harmless.

Thankfully, Cavitations Technologies Inc. is working on the new method of water purification that is both environmentally friendly and 1000 times more effective than the previous chlorine/ozone conventional systems. This new process uses mechanical and electrical systems that blow the little bits and pieces of pollutants away. The CaviGulation reactor consists of a complex set of reactions based on kinetic energy, chemical, electro-chemical and hydrodynamic principles. The force builds up pressure in the chambers and acts as a vacuum as the water passes through, while the kinetic impact, electrical field and sonic waves cleanse the water. Hydrodynamic cavitation, which is the formation of vapour bubbles leading to shockwaves, literally shatters the microorganisms into pieces as the water passes through the chambers in the reactor. Not only is this new form of water treatment technology more effective, it can also be used with other sources of sustainable power to be even more environmentally friendly. The combination of this method and solar energy virtually erases the carbon footprint which is brought on by manufacturing, transporting and administering the chemicals.

In relation to this new form of water treatment, ultra-violet disinfection is also becoming popular as a more eco-friendly, and chemical-free way to clean water. This process is a viricide (an agent that destroys viruses) as well as a bactericide (destroying bacteria). It is used most commonly in treating waste water but has been growing rapidly as a technique to clean drinking water. Many companies that bottle spring water use this method to purify their water. Recently New York City approved the construction of a 2 billion gallon per day ultra-violet drinking water facility and there is one already in existence in Orange County, California.

As the water crisis and green alternative become more mainstream, more people become aware what exactly they are putting into their bodies and what can be done about it. A lot of people probably do not know the harmful pollutants that can be in everyday drinking water, and while bottled water is not a good alternative to the environmentally conscious. As individuals, we can learn how the water treatment facilities in our towns and cities work. We can easily find out what exactly is being put into our drinking water and what the rules and regulations are.