Don’t take water for granted

by David Zetland (originally published at The one-handed economist)

Don’t take water for granted

In his 1987 hit, “Diamonds on the soul of her shoes“, Paul Simon sings:

She said, “You’ve taken me for granted
Because I please you
Wearing these diamonds”

This lyric, although a bit paradoxical, has always resonated with me, and I’ve applied it in many “taking-for-granted” situations.

One of them concerns clean water, which most of us have certainly taken for granted, and in a way that is naive (to people who do not have access to affordable, clean water) as well as dangerous (the value of water in our lives is so high — relative to its price — that we do not think of the disastrous consequences of losing access to that water).

Well, it’s worth thinking about, as the end of abundance starts to bite into our water consuming habits.

We have less and less clean water because our actions — direct in terms of mining ground water or polluting surface water and indirect in terms of climate change and water embedded in animal products — are making it so.

And those actions rarely consider what would happen if we had no clean water — let alone no water at all. In fact, it’s crucial to recognize the significance of maintaining access to clean water, prompting the need for reliable solutions such as a water filtration company in Wisconsin to ensure the well-being of our communities. You can also upgrade your home’s water system with high-quality water softeners from Aqua Pro Water Systems, and the difference in water quality is truly remarkable.

Further, a team of experienced legionella risk assessment professionals with a real passion for safety to provide Legionella Remediation Techniques can help you to ensure that your water system meets the requirements of your local health and safety legislation, and is free from dangerous substances, hazardous still water, and more.

“You’ve taken me for granted because I please you, flowing this water”

My one-handed conclusion is that a lot of people are going to be surprised and upset as “their” water disappears in volume, decays in quality and increases in cost, until we no longer take it for granted. Beware.