Response due at the beginning of class 04/19.
My relationship with water isn't just about water for bathing, swimming, drinking. Water is also iconic and powerful imagery. Image links to video: Come as you are.
Yup, I want you this week to think about water and then write fairly detailed explanations of your diverse relationship with water. Here is the deal, we know water is precious, however, we often do not realize how important water has been in our life in more ways than sustaining us physically. Once we start to see how water is part of our social life, family vacations and more, we begin to realize how integral this resource is to humans in more than just drinking.
(1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water? In other words, tell us about your relationship to water over the years. Some questions to consider when thinking about this question could be:
a. What was the drinking water like where you grew up? Did you parents teach you about drinking water? Were you on community water, well-water?
b. What was the recreational water sources like where you grew up/vacationed/traveled?
c. Where does your drinking water come from (the natural source)? If you don’t know the source of your drinking water, does that bother you that you don’t know?
d. Tell us any stories you have related to water in your life (i.e. gross water at your grandmother’s house (my grandma had soft water and it was gross, but what I didn’t realize when I was child was that her community water was treated through reverse osmosis.)
e. I would expect that this question about your history with water is rather extensive if you spend some time actually thinking about the role of water in your life over the past 20+ years. Please spend some thinking about this question and don’t just throw down a quick last minute answer.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. What water do you drink in Athens? Is it different than where you grew up?
b. Do you use bottled water as your main water source. Heck, do you even drink water (considering all those people that don’t really drink water because they drink juice, soda, sport drinks, etc..)?
c. Do you consume lots of water in a day where you live? Do your housemates consume lots of water in day? Does your bathing water use concern you?
d. As an independent adult have you changed your water habits recently? If so, how and why?
Filed under: Sustainable Design
Sustainable You 
a. What was the drinking water like where you grew up? Did you parents teach you about drinking water? Were you on community water, well-water?
I’ve always been around community water. I’ve lived different places my in my lifetime (MI, FL, IL, GA) and I can tell you that I’ve noticed differences. Whenever I visit Louisville, KY (where my wife is from) I love drinking the water, it’s just water. Rumor is that Louisville has some of the best drinking water in the country.
When I was young I never considered the “chlorinated” taste of water. In my early twenties, I started noticing the chlorine. Sometimes it’s overwhelming, the smell, the taste. The Louisville water tastes of no chlorine.
Growing up, I wasn’t really taught the importance of drinking water. When I got to high school though, I was always drinking water (80 degree days of football practice at 3pm in August!). At this point in my life, I can always tell when I haven’t drunk enough water. If I know I’m going to be out walking all day or on campus, I always make sure to drink enough. We were just in NYC and walked about 12 miles or so over 3 days, I couldn’t stop drinking water… it was pretty enjoyable.
b. What was the recreational water sources like where you grew up/vacationed/traveled?
Michigan’s state seal reads: Si Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam Circumspice , which translated means “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” People in Michigan love fishing, boating, jet skis, sailing, SCUBA, swimming… all of that stuff (unless their scared of the water).
I grew up in Saginaw. We had a polluted river there, but people still boated and fished on it. Just to the east was Saginaw Bay, again, another polluted water area, but people still fished and boated and even swam in it.
Lake Huron, which is on Michigan’s eastern boarder is beautiful. We would frequently take trips to Tawas City, which had great state parks and public beaches. It was a bit north of Saginaw Bay, but had remarkably differently and clearer water. I remember splashing around as a child and a teenager in the water there. We also had many inland lakes. We had a cottage on Houghton Lake and I spent a lot of time there as a child. The water wasn’t all that clear, but it was clean. I almost drown there once.
Lastly, I’ll just briefly mention Florida and the Gulf. I took frequent trips there with my family growing up as well. I was always a little more afraid of the ocean. My sister once got stung by a sting-ray and people were always catching baby Hammerhead Sharks in front of my grandfather’s condo. I’ve never been a huge fan of the ocean beachfront, I don’t know why.
c. Where does your drinking water come from (the natural source)? If you don’t know the source of your drinking water, does that bother you that you don’t know?
I’m not exactly sure. In MI I knew it came from the Great Lakes. Also, I would assume Chicago took their water from Lake Michigan. Here in Georgia, I know it comes from Lake Lanier and some rivers that border Tennessee and Alabama, but I can’t be sure. The Athens water is by far the worst water I’ve ever had. It tastes and smells like chlorine.
d. Tell us any stories you have related to water in your life (i.e. gross water at your grandmother’s house (my grandma had soft water and it was gross, but what I didn’t realize when I was child was that her community water was treated through reverse osmosis.)
We bought our house in July of 2008. We bought a shoddy lemon. We were going to Chicago for a few days 2 weeks after we moved in. I came home from work and noticed the kitchen floor was flooded. Our new GE Dishwasher had failed and flooded the kitchen floor, damaging our hardwood floors. This was the first of many water related incidences in our house.
As time went on we had a few minor plumbing issues. A clogged toilet, a slow draining sink or shower, inefficient irrigation systems, etc.
We again were out of town several months later and came home. The bathroom toilet was used and upon flushing it the toilet started overflowing, so much so that our hardwood floors in the hallway were damaged. There was no reason as to why this was happening, as we were responsible about what was flushed. We called the person who watched the house while we were away and she had told us she didn’t use anything out of the ordinary to flush and that everything seemed fine.
We called the plumber who did the original construction on the house. He came out and “unclogged” a buildup, which he said was our fault. We just assumed we had done something wrong and tried to be more careful.
Things were fine for a while, then one morning when my wife was in the shower I went downstairs to have breakfast. I started hearing a gushing noise coming from inside the wall and started seeing water coming up from under the baseboards. It was sewage. It was in the kitchen, living room, hallway… pretty much everywhere… more hardwood floors ruined.
This time we called Carson Plumbing, they came out and determined that the first overflow was because the drainage pipe from our house to the sewer was separated. It had been this way most likely since construction on the house was finished (a bulldozer or other heavy machinery most likely drove over it). So that was causing the buildup number one, number two most of the stuff that was supposed to be going to the sewer simply wasn’t.
The problem had been fixed, or so we thought. Over the next few weeks water kept being sucked out of our toilet and drains sounded odd. We next learned that the way our plumbing was “vented” in our home was to code, but not the way it should have been done. We kept getting “vapor lock” in our plumbing. Imagine no air allowing for anything to move in the plumbing, that’s what was happening.
After our first backup, I called our insurance company (State Farm) and told them about what had happened. They said they we should have a “Water Clause” put on our homeowner’s insurance. I added it. So when all the other damages occurred we ended up having to pay $1,200 for $12,000 worth of damages to our walls, floors, etc. and the cost to fix everything.
So, I think this story constitutes as being a water story, and yes, it’s gross. I hate our builder, I hate the code inspector. These people are irresponsible, dumb and just flat out evil.
e. I would expect that this question about your history with water is rather extensive if you spend some time actually thinking about the role of water in your life over the past 20+ years. Please spend some thinking about this question and don’t just throw down a quick last minute answer.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. What water do you drink in Athens? Is it different than where you grew up?
I use a Brita filter. I can’t stand the taste of chlorine in the water here. I think it’s a lot different than where I grew up, I don’t remember being so repulsed by water as a youngster. It didn’t have that smell or taste.
b. Do you use bottled water as your main water source. Heck, do you even drink water (considering all those people that don’t really drink water because they drink juice, soda, sport drinks, etc..)?
I used to drink bottled water, I would usually buy a 6 pack and just refill the bottles. When I started this class, I switched to a reusable bottle. I make sure to drink at least 32oz. of water each day. Sometimes more if it’s really hot.
c. Do you consume lots of water in a day where you live? Do your housemates consume lots of water in day? Does your bathing water use concern you?
Since our house is new construction, we have a lot of low-flow fixtures and toilets. We’ve also stopped using our irrigation system (because it doesn’t seem to make a difference either way). I take power showers (quick in, handle business, quick out). We also have an efficient washer/dishwasher. The dishwasher is complete garbage and rarely cleans everything spotless. I make efforts not to consume more water than is necessary.
I can’t wait to be a renter again and not deal with the disappointments of homeownership.
d. As an independent adult have you changed your water habits recently? If so, how and why?
Not recently, I made changes probably just in the last few years about water conservation. Quicker showers, turning off water when brushing teeth, no irrigation system. I also made the switch from bottled water (mainly) to filtered water in a reusable bottle, which I’ve gotten quite used to.
Lastly, I just wanted to add that a few years ago UGA got really into the water conservation movement by printing up thousands of flyers and stickers and posting them everywhere… it takes water to make paper… so that never made sense to me. Just sayin’.
1a. The drinking water where I grew up in Marietta, Georgia was community water. As a child, I remember my water to be clean, clear, and pretty tasteless. I grew up drinking both tap water and water from purchased purified water bottles. My parents did not necessarily teach me about the quality of my drinking water, but I remember a few “water comments” from my mom. For example, I remember my mom would tell me to drink a little tap water because it contains fluoride to protect my teeth. I am not sure if this is a true statement but I do remember hearing this as a child.
1b. The recreational water where I grew up in Marietta was mainly from the Chattahoochee River and Lake Allatoona. As far as for drinking purposes, these waters are out through a specific filtration process. There are no signs of contamination in these water areas but pollution and human activities cause these waters to not be desirable for drinking before filtration. Overall the recreational water in Marietta was fore the most part clean and enjoyable.
1c. In Marietta, the water comes from the Chattahoochee River and Lake Allatoona. The Cobb County Water System or the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority regulates the water treatment facilities at these two locations.
1d. I do not have any epic water stories as a child. My childhood was pretty water friendly and boring. I do remember that when my family would take trips to Florida the water tasted funny. I did a little research on the water sources for Florida and I found out that they use an aquifer system to filter out fresh and saltwater. The problem with this system is that it is possible that the water quality becomes more alkaline and can have higher traces of sulfate. Although I did not know this information as a child, I do believe this could contribute to the taste of Florida’s water.
2a. In Athens, I drink water from a filter that I keep in my refrigerator. The tap water in Athens is not much different from the tap water in Marietta. I can not seem to tell a difference in the taste or quality of both waters. I have no specific reason for using a filter here other than it is my roommates so I just use it because the water is really cold.
2b. I drink lots of water each day. I love ice water! I used to buy bottled water at the grocery store for my drinking source but I have stopped buying them and using refillable bottles. I have always had these reusable water bottles but never used them. I now use them more and enjoy not having to lug a 25 pack of waters from the store.
2c. I consume a lot of water in a day where I live. I drink water consistently throughout the day. My roommate also drinks a lot of water. We are constantly re-filling out water filter with the tap at our apartment. I do not really take baths. The water at my apartment does not stay hot for very long so therefore I only take showers. I try to take quick showers and not waste water or keep it all the way hot for long.
2d. As an independent adult I have changed my water using habits. I take shorter showers and I do not leave water running if I am not using it. I am more conscious about my water use lately and I try to conserve as much as I can. I feel that my changes have come primarily from growing up and taking this class.
(1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water? In other words, tell us about your relationship to water over the years.
I have always loved water, the beach, the lake, etc. When i was young i always said I wanted to be a marine biologist when I grew up. I especially love marine animals. The drinking water was always sufficient, I never noticed anything strange. It was just community water. My family has a lake house and we all enjoy going there and riding the boat, jet ski, and skiing/wakeboarding. I don’t know the source of my drinking water but I don’t really mind. I remember my grandparent’s house in Indiana having gross yellowish water. My mom always was grossed out and made sure we didn’t drink it. She told me about when they stayed there two summers ago and I didn’t go. She said that they didn’t brush their teeth for three days because doing it in their sink made her want to vomit. When I was in Italy, I loved how Rome had flowing water all throughout the city and water fountains on every corner
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. What water do you drink in Athens? Is it different than where you grew up?
I drink the standard tap water in Athens. I think it is basically the same thing. It doesn’t bother me. Usually, though, I drink water out of the refrigerator dispenser.
b. Do you use bottled water as your main water source. Heck, do you even drink water (considering all those people that don’t really drink water because they drink juice, soda, sport drinks, etc..)?
I use water bottles or the fridge water when I do drink water, but unfortunately I am addicted to diet coke and on a usual day probably don’t drink any water. (yikes). My roomate carries around a gallon jog of water because she is very work out and diet oriented. The bathing water doesn’t concern me, should it?? I love baths
d. As an independent adult have you changed your water habits recently? If so, how and why?
I have not really changed my water habits. I was on a short kick where I stopped drinking soda and drank water every meal, but old habits die hard because I am definitely back to drinking soda.
(1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water? In other words, tell us about your relationship to water over the years. Some questions to consider when thinking about this question could be:
a. What was the drinking water like where you grew up? Did you parents teach you about drinking water? Were you on community water, well-water?
I grew Up in LA and we could not drink water from the sink. Sometimes the water would run brown before it turned “clear”. And it taste very metallic. So we never drank from the sink. Other than my mom telling me to not drink from the sink my mom really did not teach me anything about water. Growing up I was a athlete so I had to drink water an hydrate. But other than that no my mom did not teach me about water. I believe we were on community water being that we lived in the city.
b. What was the recreational water sources like where you grew up/vacationed/traveled? Growing up we went to water parks so the water was chemically treated with chlorine. We took a vacation to the Bahamas and it was salt water. Any lakes that was present was very dirty and disgusting. Then there was a the LA River, but that was non existent growing up.!
c. Where does your drinking water come from (the natural source)? If you don’t know the source of your drinking water, does that bother you that you don’t know? Well i drink Dasani water and there has been a lot of controversy around that. A claim came out that coca cola is using nothing but tap water and that kind of scares me, growing up in LA where the tap water is not so good.
d. Tell us any stories you have related to water in your life (i.e. gross water at your grandmother’s house (my grandma had soft water and it was gross, but what I didn’t realize when I was child was that her community water was treated through reverse osmosis.) The water coming out brown before coming out clear at the house I grew up in in LA.
e. I would expect that this question about your history with water is rather extensive if you spend some time actually thinking about the role of water in your life over the past 20+ years. Please spend some thinking about this question and don’t just throw down a quick last minute answer.
honestly growing up I really did not have any outrageous memorable moments when it comes to water. Like I previously stated growing up as an athletic child I had to constantly drink water. But sadly growing up water was not a big deal in my household.The only time i could say my mom told me to drink water is if my face broke out or my lower back would hurt where my kidneys were.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this: currently all aI drink is water.
I gave up soda and juices when I found out that I was pregnant and after I just never went back to drinking sodas and juice. I would like to keep it that way because my skin is so much more healthier.
a. What water do you drink in Athens? Is it different than where you grew up?
I currently live in alpharetta and not in athens. And the water is WAY better in alpharetta than where I grew up. I feel a lot better drinking water from my faucet in alpharetta rather than back at home.
b. Do you use bottled water as your main water source. Heck, do you even drink water (considering all those people that don’t really drink water because they drink juice, soda, sport drinks, etc..)?
I currently use water bottles and filtered water from my fridge. I drink lots and lots of water being that I do not drink anything else. Well except for tea and coffee sometimes but other than that I drink water.
c. Do you consume lots of water in a day where you live? Do your housemates consume lots of water in day? Does your bathing water use concern you?
Being that myself and my fiance are gone from our home all day long and that we get home late I would say that we do not consume a lot of water. he takes a shower I take a shower, I give my son a bath and that’s really it. outside of everyone brushing there teeth in getting ready in the morning and taking showers, I would say a lot of water is not consumed in my household.
d. As an independent adult have you changed your water habits recently? If so, how and why? Like states previously in that past year I have given up other things such as soda and juice. I gave this up when I found out i was pregnant and just kept this habit up after i had my son. I believe I kept this habit up is because drinking solely water has had such a positive effect on my body. My skin looks brighter and “”hydrated”, I have lost the weight I have gained when I was pregnant with my son and I am at a smaller weight than I was before I was pregnant.
1. I have pretty much lived in Houston, Texas my entire life so I am familiar with community water. We had very hard water that has lots of calcium and other minerals in it that caused a lot of deposits on our water fixtures, so we got a water softener. The water softener takes out the hard water ions and replaces them with sodium and potassium ions. My dad doesn’t think this water tastes as good, but I like the taste. My parents never really taught me about drinking water, I just drank whatever came out of the faucet. I never thought about where it came from or anything like that. I lived in Austin, Texas for a small portion of my early childhood so that recreational water came mostly from the Highland Lake Chain (Lake Travis, Lake LBJ, etc.). People used that water to swim, boat, jet skiing, and other activities. The water was very pretty with little debris floating in it. The closest beach to Houston would be Galveston. However, I did not travel there frequently because of how disgusting the water is. The water so much trash in it and has a brown color instead of blue. The oil spill and other contaminants from ships in nearby ports have contributed to this unattractive coloring. However, when I traveled to the Cayman Islands and parts of Mexico the water is stunningly beautiful. I have never seen trash, and the waters are full of tropical fish. My drinking water at home comes from a mixture of surface water and well water. This water must be sent through treatment plants and filtered. I do not have any important or gross water stories as a child. The only thing I remember was the multiple times we traveled to Mexico we were not allowed to drink the water. The water had not been treated and was unsafe to digest and had previously made other people sick. I was careful to always drink bottled water when I went to foreign countries like Mexico.
2. In Athens, my drinking water comes from the Bear Creek Reservoir, the North Oconee River, and the Middle Oconee River. It is different from where I grew up because it does not go through a water softener. When I do drink water, I normally drink it in a Brita water bottle so that it can be filtered. I normally just drink water when I am working out or taking pills. I mostly drink milk, juice, or green tea though. I do prefer bottled water because I just think it tastes better for some reason, but because it is more expensive I buy water bottles less often at college than I do at home. I currently only have one roommate so I do not particularly notice her water consumption. Also, my bathing water use does not concern me. The showers at the dorms already do not have strong pressure, and I do not take extremely long showers. As an independent adult all I can think of is that I do not purchase bottled water as often as we do at home. Other than that, my water habits are pretty much the same.
1a. Honestly, I have never really thought about this question. I think I grew up with community water but pathetically have never thought about where the water I am drinking comes from. My parents never really taught me about water growing up. I think this is because we never had an issue obtaining the natural resource so therefore never needed to know in-depth information about it. The first time I really remember hearing about water and its conservation was actually on Barney. I remember there was this one particular episode that was about the harmful effects of being wasteful. In the episode there was a song that highlighted the importance of turning off your sink water while you are brushing your teeth, washing your hands, etc. For some, that has always stuck with me.
1b. I have always been a fan of the water. My family has a beach house in Debordieu, South Carolina, so almost all of my summers have been spent at he beach. The water and the beach there is very clean and natural. My family calls me a little fish while I am there because I spend most of my days either boogie boarding, body surfing, or just aimlessly floating in the ocean. I also attended a summer camp for 5 years, Seafarer, that was on the water. Every day, my friends and I would either take out a sailboat or a motorboat and spend the entire day on the Neuse River. The Neuse was also pretty clean from what I can remember.
1c. I honestly don’t know where my natural water source comes from and for some reason it doesn’t really bug me. I guess this is because I see third world countries who are having to walk many miles just to get water out of a dirty stream and so I just consider myself lucky to even have water that is so accessible. I also think I don’t really question my water source because it is the same water source I have had all my life.
1d. I am not a big fan of the drinking water at the beach. It has this weird bitter after taste to it that has always turned me away. However, my hair seems to think other wise because my hair feels the healthiest at the beach. In addition, ever since I have moved into my house this year in Athens, my hair has been falling out in much larger quantities than usual. It isn’t unusual for me to get out the shower and have at least 40 strands of hair on my shower walls. For the longest time I have been trying to figure out what could be the cause of this and it wasn’t until a few days ago that I thought it might have to do with the water. I am from Atlanta, so I never thought that the water in Atlanta to Athens could really be that different but the more I research the more I am starting to think that it doesn’t have something to do with the water that is coming out of my shower.
2a. In Athens and I Atlanta I drink the sink water. However, because these come from different natural sources, both waters are different.
2b. I am sort of water obsessed. I am constantly carrying around a water bottle and if I go more than 45 minutes without a sip I feel parched and dehydrated. Last year I gave up sodas, so therefore I only really drink water. In Athens, I find myself buying more water bottles than usual because I like to take them to class but I am not picky about where my drinking water comes from.
2c. I drink a ton of water a day. On average, I probably drink a 12 ounce water bottle every 45 minutes. My roommates on the other hand, drink a lot more sodas and juices than they do water. Like I said above, the biggest issue that I have with my water source is the water that comes out of my shower. Because it doesn’t go through a softener, it has caused some of my hair to fall out.
2d. As an independent adult, I haven’t really changed my water habits. I have always been pretty aware of the conservation of water and therefore have never been one to take a bath or to just let the water aimlessly run.
1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water? In other words, tell us about your relationship to water over the years. Some questions to consider when thinking about this question could be:
a. What was the drinking water like where you grew up? Did you parents teach you about drinking water? Were you on community water, well-water?
I grew up off of community water. We did not use a filter for our tap water, nor did we have a Brita filter (or anything of the sort). However, my family is bizarre, compared to most; we prefer seltzer water. I rarely drank just normal tap water. We would buy seltzer in bulk, and that is what I mainly drank.
b. What was the recreational water sources like where you grew up/vacationed/traveled?
I spent my summers for 12 years going to an all-girls camp in the Shenandoah Valley. Our camp was rustic to say the least. We swam in lake, and had no pool. We had outhouses, so no plumbing. As far as sinks and showers we had washstands that were outside that were used for washing your face, brushing your teeth, etc. These were clean the majority of the time, but sometimes they would have a brown tint from iron. There were roughly two outdoor showers per two cabins. The water in these were clean, but the hot water heater often ran out. There were also some summers when we were in a drought, and they monitored how long our showers had to be. One summer, I took an teen sailing trip to the BVI’s with my friend. We lived on a boat for three weeks with ten other kids, and showered and washed our dishes on them. We showered in the saltwater, and were only allowed to rinse off with freshwater for 10-20 seconds each day.
c. Where does your drinking water come from (the natural source)? If you don’t know the source of your drinking water, does that bother you that you don’t know?
After looking it up, I discovered that our drinking water in Athens comes from Bear Creek Reservoir, North Oconee River, and the Middle Oconee River.
d. Tell us any stories you have related to water in your life (i.e. gross water at your grandmother’s house (my grandma had soft water and it was gross, but what I didn’t realize when I was child was that her community water was treated through reverse osmosis.)
My least favorite thing is beach water. I lived in St. Simons for a summer, and I HATED the water. Everyone that is from there loves it, and thinks it tastes normal.
e. I would expect that this question about your history with water is rather extensive if you spend some time actually thinking about the role of water in your life over the past 20+ years. Please spend some thinking about this question and don’t just throw down a quick last minute answer.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. What water do you drink in Athens? Is it different than where you grew up?
In Athens I drink tap water, but more often, I drink water that comes directly from my refrigerator. I assume that this means it has a filter, because it tastes better than tap water. I also own a soda stream to feed my seltzer addiction. For this I simply fill up the bottle with refrigerator water, and attach it to the stream. I press a button, and it simply adds carbonation.
b. Do you use bottled water as your main water source. Heck, do you even drink water (considering all those people that don’t really drink water because they drink juice, soda, sport drinks, etc..)?
To be honest, I do not drink water that often. My water intake has definitely increased tremendously since college. However, I typically bring a water bottle to class then drink it at the gym, and have one more cup when I return home. I used to rely on bottled water until last year, I purchased a Camelbak water bottle. Since then, I do not buy bottled water, and I also drink a lot more water since I have it with me at all times.
c. Do you consume lots of water in a day where you live? Do your housemates consume lots of water in day? Does your bathing water use concern you?
We consume a fair amount of water in our house. One of my roommates and I shower every day—our other roommate tries to be very sustainable- and she does not shower everyday. We do laundry a lot, but I think our dishwasher consumes the most water. We typically have to run in every 2-3 days. Our water bill is usually around $50.00 which includes trash, so I do not think our usage is out of this world.
d. As an independent adult have you changed your water habits recently? If so, how and why?
As an adult, I have started to drink more water. I do this because I know it is important. Also, I feel like my body started to need it more. When I was younger, I could get away with drinking juice and soda, and would never crave water. Now I crave water. As far as showering and washing my face go, I haven’t changed anything. I will, though, not flush the toilet every time. I do this because I was at an airport (or arena, or something of the sort) and there was a statistic in each stall that stated something like “one flush is how much drinking water people in Africa get a day.” Obviously, this was not the exact statistic, but it made enough of an impact on me to change.
(1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water? In other words, tell us about your relationship to water over the years. Some questions to consider when thinking about this question could be:
a. What was the drinking water like where you grew up? Did you parents teach you about drinking water? Were you on community water, well-water?
I’ve never really drunk the water at home, but we’re on community water, and according to my dad, it is some of the cleanest/healthiest water in the country. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but he always drinks it. Also, a lot of people from out of town comment on the taste of the water in Florida. A lot of people don’t like it, but I think it has something to do w/ what they’re accustomed to. I really only drink bottled water, but there are a lot of brands that I don’t care for.
b. What was the recreational water sources like where you grew up/vacationed/traveled?
I live near the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Compared to other beaches I’ve been to, our water is kind of dark. For example: in Puerto Rico, you can always see the sand at the bottom of the water. The water there is crystal clear, but at home, you can’t see more than a foot or so below. For that reason, I don’t ever really get in the water because I’m afraid of what’s beneath. Also, I’ve never been in the Intracoastal, but it’s really dark. It’s brown/muddy—definitely not the kind of water I’d want to drink, plus it’s partially salt water.
c. Where does your drinking water come from (the natural source)? If you don’t know the source of your drinking water, does that bother you that you don’t know?
I drink Deer Park water while I’m at school and Zephyrhills while I’m at home, and they have a couple of the same sources, but there are a few differences. Deer Park’s sources are White Springs, Liberty County, FL, and/or Blue Springs, Madison County, FL, while Zephyrhills’s sources are Crystal Springs, Pasco County, FL, Cypress Springs, Washington County, FL, Blue Springs, Madison County, FL, White Springs, Liberty County, FL, and/or Spring of Life, Lake County, FL. I think that they do taste different though, so it’s strange to me that they come from some of the same sources.
d. Tell us any stories you have related to water in your life (i.e. gross water at your grandmother’s house (my grandma had soft water and it was gross, but what I didn’t realize when I was child was that her community water was treated through reverse osmosis.)
I always feel strange drinking tap water because I wasn’t raised on it, so when I went to Jamaica, I felt extra weird. I really didn’t want to drink the water because I wasn’t sure if it was safe, but I wasn’t allowed to bring my own water through customs and that was pretty much our only choice. For most of the trip, I only drank the Kool-Aid because I thought it was “safer,” but I really don’t like drinking sweet drinks, and I knew that it was made from the local water. The ice was made from the local water as well, and I noticed that as it melted, I would get little black specs, probably dirt, in my drink.
e. I would expect that this question about your history with water is rather extensive if you spend some time actually thinking about the role of water in your life over the past 20+ years. Please spend some thinking about this question and don’t just throw down a quick last minute answer.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. What water do you drink in Athens? Is it different than where you grew up? I drink Deer Park bottled water in Athens and Zephyrhills bottled water at home. But when I go out to eat, I don’t order bottled water. I just assume that the tap water is just as good as the bottled water, and most of the time, it tastes fine to me.
b. Do you use bottled water as your main water source. Heck, do you even drink water (considering all those people that don’t really drink water because they drink juice, soda, sport drinks, etc..)? Yes, I do drink bottled water as my main water source, and I prefer to only drink water from natural sources. I really don’t care for purified water, like Dasani. It tastes funny to me, and honestly, I don’t really know exactly what purification entails.
c. Do you consume lots of water in a day where you live? Do your housemates consume lots of water in day? Does your bathing water use concern you?
Yes, I do drink a lot of water. I usually drink two glasses with breakfast, one glass with lunch, and two glasses with dinner, and I also drink several water bottles throughout the day. I’m not sure what my roommate’s water consumption is like, but my bathing water doesn’t really concern me. I live on campus, so I assume that it’s pretty clean, and this sounds strange, but I don’t really bathe all that often anyways. I’m definitely not the kind of person that needs to shower every day.
d. As an independent adult have you changed your water habits recently? If so, how and why?
No, I haven’t. When I was younger, I definitely didn’t drink as much water as I should have because I didn’t like the taste of it, but I’ve been drinking water pretty regularly for several years. Also, I would like to know a little bit more about water so I can make more informed decisions in the future.
I was born in Texas and raised in Louisiana where water is very important for the economy as they both are very big agriculture states with Texas producing the most cotton in the United States and has some of the largest livestock areas, and Louisiana is known for seafood and does a good bit of cotton production themselves. I was a military child so I didn’t spend too much time in one place with Louisiana being the big exclusion as we lived there for 10years which is a lifetime for a military family. The drinking water when I grew for the most part was bottled water and we would drink occasionally for the faucet. I have never had well-water. For the most part thought we used bottle water to drink, but would you water from the faucet for cooking or making cups of tea, coffee, and Kool-Aid. This bottle water/ facet water usage is still how my family operates today. Although I think the bottle water thing got worse after the Y2K scare as my dad did stock tons of bottle water in preparation, no food but tons of water. My parents never did teach me about drinking water, but I knew it was important through their actions such as my dad’s water storage during Y2K and my mother’s emphasis on making sure we drank enough water a day for health reasons. The recreation water sources where I grew up were all lakes or pools. I use to live in Washington State for a time and in the summer my parents would take me out to the lake to swim, and in Louisiana as a teen we would spend our days in Alligator Lake (there weren’t actually any alligators in there), and as a college student at Clemson, the lakes (keowee and Hartwell) were the place to be. Water is very important for lakes as they are all fresh water and support aquatic lives as well as places for people to create fond memories of vacation. I remember when South Carolina was going through that extensive time of rain shortage and lake Hartwell lake level was horrible due to the lack of rain (keowee is a controlled lakes because it is used to cool the reactors as the nearby nuclear plant). I’m not entirely sure where my drinking water’s natural source comes from, I drink from the facet here in Athens occasionally, although I’m not a fan of how this water taste. When I drink/buy bottle water I buy purifies water which I believe is treated water in comparison to spring water that comes from a spring. I don’t buy spring water comes I’m not a fan of that grassy taste. I know when I traveled to South Africa for 6 months; one of the first things done was to buy a water filter for the facet despite the fact that South Africa was supposed to have the best tap water in the continent. We still wanted to be safe especially since there is such a stigma about drinking water when traveling especially if you’re traveling to a country that is not fully developed and even still sometimes there depending on where you are traveling to.
Here in Athens I drink from the facet, it has a different taste then where my parents live currently in Columbia, SC. I use tap water as my main water source, although, I have wanted to invest in a Brita filter I just haven’t yet. I do not use bottle water as my main source due to the cost of buying that much water especially in the summer time and the weight of carrying water as I live on the third floor and have pretty sad upper body strength. I’m usually not a big consumer of water because I’m not a fan of how water tastes overall but lately I can’t seem to get enough of it. I live alone so it’s only me consuming water. I for the most part try not to overuse water in a day mainly to keep the water bill down. So I shower once a day unless it’s the summer time and I’ve been out doing something outside extensively or working out. I wash clothes once a week, and try not to run the dishwasher until its full ( that is one thing my mom stressed growing up was not to waste water by running the dishwasher half full or only doing tiny loads of laundry). My bathing water does not really concern me although I do know a lot of water is used in the bathing process, I just do not see myself taking shorter showers or relaxing in a tub less. Bathing water is always a concern when traveling though as most of us wont drink tap water but do use it to bathe with, but in those situations what can you do. I do remember one time I was competing with a winter guard squad, and the competition was in Dayton, Ohio. I remember getting in the shower that night after a long day of a last minute practice, and we had put a towel down in the tub as not to have to come into direct contact with the tub. That water smelled like blood! It turned the towel orange in color. It apparently was very heavy with metals mostly likely iron in the water. I couldn’t imagine having to shower or use water like that every day. My water habits haven’t really changed other than being careful not to be reckless with my water usage. But this is mainly to cut cost as I pay my own bills now. I do know the importance of water though here in all forms of our life and the importance of having fresh water around the world.
1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water? In other words, tell us about your relationship to water over the years. Some questions to consider when thinking about this question could be:
a. I grew up in what you would call the “sticks” of Florida. Due to this, my family’s only access to water was through means of a well. In the area I lived in, wells were actually very common and efficient. I can’t recall ever having a problem with ours, mainly in part, because the water table was always so high.I remember my dad would add salt to the system once a month, but I was never really sure what for. I never thought to ask what is for and my parents never discussed it with me.
b. I was very lucky growing up and was able to travel to many exotic areas. I can remember pretty much drinking bottled water whenever we traveled outside of the U.S., like to India or Mexico. Everyone always warned me that if I drank the local water, I would get sick, because my body was not used to it. During the summer at camps though, I always just drank from the water fountain and that was always fine.
c. I honestly do not know where my natural drinking source of water comes from… I’m going to blame this on just moving to the area. It never really bothered me that I didn’t know, until this question was just posed lol. I think it’s important for everyone to know where your water comes, but it’s often one of those things that we put in the back of our heads and just assume it’s safe to use. One feature that has made me not as concerned, is that I always drink my water through a filter. I often think that that’s good enough.
d. There aren’t any real stories I can recall regarding water throughout my life. Although I can remember that a lot of my friend couldn’t stand to drink well water when they came over, but I could never tell any real difference to it and any other type of water. To me, it always seemed more like a mind game, than a real difference in the taste.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. Since I’ve lived in or near the Athens area, I have had city water. To me it always seemed fine. There was a couple times though when I lived in my apartment, that the City had done some work to the water lines and it would cause my water to turn brown for about 15 minutes. That, would make me wonder at times what was actually in my water. Other than that, the water has always tasted and appeared fine to me.
b. I go through phases with the kinds of water I drink. When I’m at home, it’s water straight from the refridgerator dispenser. When I’m on the go, I usually take bottled water. I try to stay hydrated off water alone throughout the day, but I don’t have what some may call a thirsty reflex? So remembering to drink is often something that slips my mind.
c. I consume around four cups of water a day on average, My husband on the other hand, much prefers a drink with taste =): juice, tea, beer, etc. Our bathing water doesn’t concern me. This may be a simple mind thinking, but it looks clean, smells clean, and does a good job of cleaning things in general lol. I hope those are all safe enough indications?
d. As I started to pay my own bills, I have definitely tried to cut down on my usuage of water. When I was a child, I would literally take a bath/shower for an hour. Now it’s fifteen to twenty minute showers and I’m out! Being the one that is responsible for the water bill at the end of the month definitely makes a person more aware of the level of consumption being used. As I’ve gotten older though, I do drink more water than I used to. I don’t necessarily “feel” the need to drink more, but I do try to be more conscious to what my body needs.
1.)
a. I lived in the same house my whole life and we have well water. The water always tastes so good to me, even though I can almost taste the high mineral content. My parents always taught me that tap water was as good as bottled water, so there was no reason to buy bottled water. My mom would save water in gallon jugs just in case the power went out, in which case we would use these jugs of water to flush the toilet. I don’t think that municipal water lines run all the way out to our house. There is a mountain community nearby that has a water line running through our property. My dad would forget where it was and sometimes bust the line with his tractor. We have had Ole Faithful in our backyard before.
b. When we were growing up, there was a pond across the street that we would go fishing in (sometimes swimming). Also, we could walk down a dirt road to a really cool creek. We would build dams from rocks and catch bugs, etc. We also have an intermittent stream in our back woods, which seemed really big as a kid.
c. Our drinking water comes from a well at home. Here in Athens, I’m pretty sure our municipal drinking water comes from Bear Creek Reservoir. Obviously reservoirs are not natural, but manmade. There are no natural lakes in Georgia.
d. One time my family took a week-long vacation to Cumberland Island in Georgia. Through some weird deal with the house we were renting, we got to bring our car (no one has a car on Cumberland except for the park rangers). There are no stores or anything like that, no paved roads. The water on the island was extremely sulfuric and tasted like rotten eggs. We had a little bit of water we brought from home, which we treated like gold. We had to make lemonade with the rotten egg water in order to drink it. I have since been back to the island backpacking and we were told to filter all the water we drank from random pumps across the island…my family did not do this.
e. Because I intend to work with water resource law, I have spent a rather large amount of time thinking and reading about water. I am mainly concerned with the way we see water in the East compared to the way water is quantified and divided up in the West. As water becomes more scarce in the East, we will have to reevaluate the way we use (and overuse) our water resources. We will be forced to move to a more quantified withdrawal system soon, and I hope to be on the forefront of this policy formation. Water (and other resource scarcity) is a main source of conflict around the world. For instance, most African disputes are about who has water and other resources, not necessarily about tribal and cultural disputes.
2.)
a. In Athens, I drink tap water. I have always drank tap water, but when I was a kid this tap water came from a well instead of the Bear Creek Reservoir (like it does in Athens).
b. No, I never use bottled water. But I drink water rather often. I probably don’t drink enough—I drink too much coffee, which makes me dehydrated, which makes me drink water. I don’t normally drink sugary drinks though, so when I drink something other than coffee or hot tea, I drink water.
c. My roommates are actually pretty good about drinking water. I know this because they leave their empty water glasses all over the counter. Normally, I take about 10 minutes to shower. This is probably too long. Showers are a guilty pleasure for me though. I love my daily shower.
d. I have started washing out large pans right after I use them so they do not have to go in the dishwasher and take up a ton of space. My recent debates with my roommates have been over the air conditioner instead of our water use. My roommates think it’s okay to leave the temperature on 70 degrees when it’s 85 outside. That isn’t gonna fly.
A. Fortunately, I was raised in a water conscious household. (Not only water conscious, but waste conscious.) My parents made sure my brother and I always cleaned our plates, and filled the dishwasher to its fullest possible- before running it on the shortest cycle option possible. We drank, and still drink tap water without flinching. We also reused spent water to water our plants. My father had economic motives, but my mother was just passing down what she learned growing up.
c. Hopefully not the Chattahoochee, but I have a bad feeling it does. So I did a little research and I found this super awesome website (http://watersgeo.epa.gov/mwm/) which maps out all of the water sheds! The only problem is the information is not necessarily user friendly. A lot of acronym are thrown around- and the best information I could find on my county is that its current status is both “Active” and “Closed.” Not sure how that works.
d. OOH. I have a good one. It might be better for me to tell it in person so you get the full effect of hand motions and facial expressions. Last summer, and hopefully this coming summer, I worked on the French Broad River as a raft guide. Pretty much of the rivers N.O.C rafts are polluted, and the sources of pollution are diverse as the rivers themselves. I guided on the French Broad, as well as the Pigeon. The joke was you first took a trip down the F.B and got pretty grimey, then you took a trip down the Pigeon and the radioactive pollution killed off all the germs. It was a bad joke with some scary truth to it. There is a very interesting history to those rivers and how they got so polluted. Anyways my personal experience with whitewater was actually not from the rapids. I woke up one morning to a spider biting my ankle. That day I had to work a double shift, meaning two back to back trips down the river. I wrapped my ankle in duct tape (what any normal person would do, right?) and by lunchtime after my first trip I unwrapped my makeshift bandage to check on the status of the bite. INFECTED. That’s right folks, when the river gets down to 800 cubic feet per second (pretty low for the average) the concentration of pollution rises. My summer quickly ended as my parents had to come rescue me as staph was taking over my ankle. Besides staph and a broken nose, working and playing on the river has taught me firsthand to respect water. On low days, like that 800 one, the staff (not staph) used to look to the sky and ask for rain. Other people would park on the USGS website and frequently check to see when the water would rise again. Water is powerful and potable water is a blessing not a given.
e. I wanted to briefly add two more experiences with water. On a recent trip to Israel I witnessed first hand what it truly means to be water conscious. Even more recently I went on a week-long hiking trip where I experienced the importance of water even more directly. In Israel water has long been a heated political issue as well as a practical one. With multiple countries arguing over the Jordan River basin, water is always treated as a privilege, and a limited one at that. All toilets are on a double flush system, which uses a considerably lesser amount than traditional models. Drip irrigation was first invented in the Negev, a desert which takes up more than half of the country. The culture as a whole knows to respect water, and I feel strongly tied to the culture. There is even a prayer for rain to come to Israel incorporated in Judaism’s daily prayers. While hiking I carried only two Nalgenes (water bottles) on my person so I was limited to that amount of water. Not only was I forced to be hyperconscious of my consumption, I also had to worry about where the next source would be along the trail, how clean it was, and time it so the four-hour chlorine tablets had ample time to purify the water. The vast majority of water was for drinking however I needed to save some for cooking, rinsing out the pots, and brushing my teeth. Coming back to civilization I was looking forward to a tall glass of tap water and a much needed shower.
I carry a Nalgene around with me and fill it up in my house. We are fortunate enough to have a filter so I drink often.
I actually have a paper due on Friday for my environmental health science class. We were required to track our water usage for two weeks and try to reduce our consumption the second week. The results from my data were:
Source Usage Total
Shower 3.5 gal/min 80.5
Toilet 4 gal/flush 156
Wash hands 2.2 gal/min 16
Brush teeth 2.2 gal/min 7
Laundry 35 gal/load 35
Week 1 Grand Total= 294.5
Week 2 Grand Total= 253.5
Overall water saved= 41 gal
The best thing I have going for me now, conservation wise is my showering habits. I run some water to rinse and wash off but shut the water off to wash/comb my hair and shave. I turn the water back on to rinse the conditioner out of my hair and soap off my legs.
(1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water?
a. What was the drinking water like where you grew up? Did you parents teach you about drinking water? Were you on community water, well-water?
. Drinking water when I grew up was done by everyone but me. I went somewhere and saw rust before the water cleared up and every since then I have been so reluctant to drink faucet water.
b. What was the recreational water sources like where you grew up/vacationed/traveled?
I grew up in Atlanta and my family even extended family took many trips together. The older folks loved to fish. My father owned 2 boats. we would go to Forida, Lake Lanier, West point and somethings hust go to Six Flags Over Georgia. The kids loved the waterparks. We had a ball.
c. Where does your drinking water come from (the natural source)? If you don’t know the source of your drinking water, does that bother you that you don’t know?
My drinking water comes from the Chataoochie (sp?) River. When I travel passed the water treatment center near Howell Mill Rd; it still does not make me fill better about the water.
d. Tell us any stories you have related to water in your life (i.e. gross water at your grandmother’s house (my grandma had soft water and it was gross, but what I didn’t realize when I was child was that her community water was treated through reverse osmosis.)
I do not have one particular story because everyday Istruggle with rinsing my mouth out with the water from the batroom sink after I brush my teeth. Water is the bathroom…YUK!
e. I would expect that this question about your history with water is rather extensive if you spend some time actually thinking about the role of water in your life over the past 20+ years. Please spend some thinking about this question and don’t just throw down a quick last minute answer.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. What water do you drink in Athens? Is it different than where you grew up?
I drink flavored bottled water while I am in Athens. I cringe when I see people drink from water fountains that are near restrooms. I guess I drink flavored water so I don’t have to worry about staring at my water and making sure that I do not see any floating particles.
b. Do you use bottled water as your main water source. Heck, do you even drink water (considering all those people that don’t really drink water because they drink juice, soda, sport drinks, etc..)?
Most of my adult life, I consumed sodas more than anything else. A nice cold, cold Coke Cola or a glass full of ice with Coke Cola was my beverage of choice.All of my friends and family knew this and they would make sure that when Icame to their homes for dinner they would have Cokes. Here lately, I am cut down on the sodas due to I am now holding the weight and can’t lose it. I am now making a conscious effort to drink water and green tea.
c. Do you consume lots of water in a day where you live? Do your housemates consume lots of water in day? Does your bathing water use concern you?
My husband and oldest daughter drinks plenty of water. Unfortunately, myself and my youngest daughter do not. I feel guilty that my youngest will not automatically get water; however, she is an athletic and she drinks a lot of poweraid, gatorade and water when the coach tells them to. My bathing water does not concern me.
d. As an independent adult have you changed your water habits recently? If so, how and why?
I often tell myself that Iam goinf to have a water cooler put in the house; however, the days come and go and I do not think about it again until it time for me to add water.
1. I have always loved water. The part of my childhood that I remember most was while my family and I were living in Texas. Texas is very dry and hot, so most of the days in the summer were spent in a swimming pool. My brother and I were both on the swim team growing up. I have always loved drinking water and our water has always come from a community source. I actually do know the source of my water in Athens, because I took the ecology lab last semester. We even went to the Athens water plant. If I did not know the source of my water in America, I would not be worried because the United States has very high standards for public water quality. There are higher standards for the water that comes out of your faucet than the water that comes in a water bottle. I believe that I have always had a very strong relationship with water, because I am constantly drinking it, bathing in it, using it to clean, etc. Our bodies are even made up with a large portion of water. It is essential to all life on Earth.
2. I have a similar relationship with water today as well. The water that I drink almost always comes out of a faucet. It all tastes the same to me and filling up by camelback instead of purchasing a water bottle saves me a lot of money, as well as creates less waste. Water is usually the only thing I drink besides the occasional soda, coffe, or alcoholic beverage. I probably drink at least 50oz of water per day. I feel like most of my water use is necessary and not wasteful. For example, I do not leave the water running while brushing my teeth, washing dishes, etc. The one thing I do some times feel guilty about is running the dishwasher. As an independent adult I have not changed by water habits because I have always loved water and I have known for a long time the scarcity of water in some areas and how important it is to conserve it.
1) a.I grew up in South Carolina, Maryland, and Georgia- in all of these places we had community water. Other than my parents telling me not to drink the water out of the pond in our backyard, I have no memories of them teaching me about drinking water. I’ve always loved water so I think my parents instead just zeroed in on my hatred of milk. I have always especially loved ice- I remember when I was younger my family got a make your own ice cone machine and when my sisters and I would make them I would always just want plain ice with no flavoring.
b. In South Carolina we lived on Lake Murray so I was in the water all the time as a youngster. I know the lake is one of the largest man-made reservoirs but since we moved when I was five, I can’t remember much about the water quality. Since I can remember, my family has always taken a trip to Topsail Island, North Carolina every summer. The tap water at the beach tastes terrible so we have to buy jugs or bottles of water every time we visit. I can’t think of a single beach I have visited that did not have weird tasting water.
c. I know at home in Marietta the drinking water comes from the Chattahoochee River. After shooting the hooch and seeing how dirty the water is, I wonder how much filtering it has to go through before it ends up in our homes.
d. The only water story that comes to mind is when there was an E-coli outbreak at White Water. Several children were hospitalized after visiting the water park. They believe the E-coli bacteria came from the kids ingesting contaminated pool water. Their families ended up suing White Water and it was all over the news. Side note- I am aware this has nothing to do with actual drinking water but it has to do with kids drinking water nonetheless.
(2) a. I still drink tap water in Athens. Growing up we had a built in under the counter icemaker. I don’t know if it is because I became accustomed to that particular type of ice but the past two places I have lived have old appliances and the ice from the freezer always tastes weird. Since I don’t like the taste of the ice, I have turned to using a Brita Filter Pitcher that I keep in the fridge in order to have cold water.
b. I use tap water as my main source of water. I used to purchase the 24 packs of bottled water from Costco to bring to class but this year I have started to refill my Camelback bottle instead.
c. My roommate Laura drinks 4 full Nalgene Bottle Servings of water a day, we have all told her this is not normal. We try to run the dishwasher and laundry machine as infrequently as we can. We replaced one of the shower heads in my house with the Water Saving one I got this semester so that made me feel better about our water consumption.
d. I have always considered myself to be fairly water-conscious so I can’t think of any water habits that have changed since I have been living on my own.
1a. I grew up in Gwinnett County, so all of my drinking water came from Lake Lanier. My parents and I never talked about water until the “water wars” between GA, FL, and AL a few years ago.
b. Lake Lanier is also a very popular recreational water source. My family owned a couple of jet skis that we docked at Lake Lanier.
c. My drinking water in Athens comes from the Oconee River. I never took care to look it up when I moved here or anything, just happen to know.
d. I went on a hike for a few weeks in CO when I was in high school. We got our water from streams and lakes and treated it with iodine. It was the first time I had drank water straight from a natural source (on purpose). My grandma lived in FL, and their water is gross. I left a glass out overnight, and in the morning, white flakes had settled out in the bottom.
e. I know that water is an integral part of my life. Not only do I depend on clean drinking water to live, I depend on it for the manufacturing and use of most of the things I come into contact with in a day. Water is used to grow crops, produce oil, generate electricity, water lawns, keep clean, and for recreation. People absolutely depend on water to live. Many know it is a limited resource (only 2.5% of Earth’s water is freshwater, and 99% of that is in ice and groundwater) yet do not treat it like one. Water scarcity is a very real issue in many parts of the world, and with our consumption habits, we are vulnerable to the same plight.
2a. I drink more tap water in Athens than I did when I lived at my parents’ house. It comes from Oconee River. The drinking water I grew up with came from Lake Lanier.
b. I drink mostly tap water. I use plastic bottles when I am on-the-go, but will reuse the same bottle several times before discarding it. I rarely drink soda, but I like Powerade occasionally.
c. I live by myself so I think my water use is fairly low. I do not cook very much, I do not shower every day, and I do full loads in both the dishwasher and laundry. However, by ordering in and going out to restaurants, I not only contribute to that establishment’s water demand, I also contribute to the mass amount of food that those providers discard as waste each day.
d. I have not changed my water habits very much recently. The only difference happened when I started college. I started not showering everyday just because I don’t have that kind of time.
a. Growing up, I would always drink tap water. I remember it tasted fine but about seven years ago my family bought a filter, so now that’s where I get my drinking water from. The only thing I can remember my mom teaching me was not to drink from the faucet on the outside of the house. We have a well in our backyard however it is used to water our lawn. We use community water to drink.
b. I grew up in Savannah, so water has always been a presence in my life. The strangest thing to me about being away from home is not seeing the marsh every day. My grandparents own a pool so as soon as the weather would get warmer our days would be spent at the pool or the beach.
c. I am actually not sure where our water comes from but I don’t think it really bothers me. I have never really had a bad encounter with gross water, when it comes to drinking water.
d. When I was in 10th grade, the pipe that carries the water for our washing machine and sink burst. So, I was able to see how water can affect the structure of a house.
a. I don’t drink the water in Athens, mainly because I don’t have access to a kitchen sink faucet. I drink a lot of bottled water and water from the dining halls.
b. As I said above, yes, I do drink bottled water as my main source. I drink water all the time, I love water. It is really all I drink, besides my morning cup of coffee.
c. I would say that I drink about three bottles of water and two glasses when I go to eat.
d. I still have the same water habits now that I am living on my own. I have always cut the water off while I’m brushing my teeth.
1. The way I look at it water is life. Water is the things that keeps the mechanics churning in our bodies, water is the thing that strengthens us to fight of sickness and exert ourselves, it supports the cogs in machines that create power, it heats the food I boil, it cleanses the body that I use to interact with the world outside of me, it’s the thing that flushes waste from my toilet. Water creates movement – within our bodies, throughout the outside words, and as the thing that propels the system we as human beings have built within that world. Without water, life is stagnant. It is that magic ingredient that makes everything “work.” I grew up with a mother that placed a high value on the water that went into my body. This means filtration from tap. And with that, she encouraged mineral additives to bulk up the good things in water that are stripped away during filtration. I remember being young, and thinking this was kind of weird, because this was not the norm for those I encountered outside the home. From a basic level, I understood that I didn’t want my water to by “dirty,” but the mineral thing really threw me for a loop and I completely convinced myself that between taste and the inconvenience this was a step that took the process a little too far. And, there were always weird recycled plastic containers at our house that were reused in different ways. I found this odd, but it’s also just what I knew and didn’t take into account that my water could be affected by the combination of heat and plastic. Also, the holistic lifestyle was one that classified me as different. Being young, it was a routine I knew at home, just because, but was something I did not entirely understand on a personal choice level. With that said, this approach on water was hard for me to really get behind, when I myself, as deciding individual, stepped out of my front door and into the world. It wasn’t until I went on a mission trip to Guatemala that I really began to understand the value of clean water – not just Marie Allen (mom) filter-mineral level clean, but even city-system clean. In Guatemala we traveled to areas were people lived in mud houses. Being a third-world country, water is huge. They used it for everything – things I realized I took for granted. And above that, the water in Guatemala made me aware of the clean water I am privileged with in the US. I had to actually be coincident of everything I ate, everything I drank, where my water originated, how it traveled to get to me, keeping my mouth closed in the shower (and being able to take a shower at all.) When I cam back to the US, something clicked, and my mom’s crazy system suddenly didn’t seem do crazy.
In elementary school, my mother and I started spending half of every year traveling around the country with my step dad – mostly out west. Whenever I was not in school, we left to join him on business travels + explore the open road. There was a year segment in my elementary years, between leaving Montessori + going to public school, that my mom home schooled me. We took a road trip around the country, went to every state, visited state parks, and embraced the road between visits with friends + family + my step dad’s business dealings. I started to understand the contrasts of the landscape across the country. Clearly, water played a big part in this. The bad lands were desolate, the scenery in Northern California was rich with greenery, the mountain rivers in Montana always granted an adventure, Washington was gray, the heat in Arizona was different than the sticky heat in Georgia, etc. Not only did I start to understand how water plays a part in laying the structure of a place, I saw how that structure really established people’s interaction with that place. Norms and activities became specifically driven by the area of the country we were in. I’d put on a wet suit + play in the waves in California, we’d go to the natural hot springs in Montana + go rafting down the river or fish, we’d walk around the alike in Utah, we’d drive, and drive, and drive in the desert. The week before school would start we’d return to Atlanta + my “Nanny” (Mom’s mom) would visit from Boston. With her I’d go on walks to the duck pond with bread in hand, we’d play categories in the pool at the building I grew up in, we’d roller blade around the water at Piedmont Park. These summers are some of the best memories I keep stored in the back of my head, they played a huge role in the structure I created as a child for learning about the world I live in + my place in. I can directly see links between the things I think now + the things I began to understand + learn then. Water played a huge part in the concept of living I established.
As I learn things now about global production and trade, I really start to see water’s role on an agricultural level, an economic level + political level. Water is power…it’s a simple statement, but it’s truth is hard to ignore.
2. Athens is in a level 2 drought now – a few years ago this was really bad + everyone became more aware of the water they were using. It became an issue that really couldn’t be ignored. The value of water became increasingly quantified. I started to check out the stats on the inter-webs. It’s pretty interesting when you really start to think about the amount of water humans consume + recycle.
➢ The Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department treats and delivers about 15 million gallons of drinking water each day to about 110,000 people. Our system has the capacity to produce 36 million gallons per day and deliver it through 785 miles of water lines.
The Utility provides wastewater collection and treatment to all industrial and commercial customers and approximately 75 percent of the residential population. The sanitary sewer system consists of approximately 470 miles of gravity sewers, one pump station, and three water reclamation facilities (WRFs). (via Athens Clarke County Unified Government.)
➢ At my home in Athens, I transfer water from my tap to a filtration system that cleanses the water + re-mineralizes it (see here for details: http://www.nikken.com/product/technology/piMag-water/) . I keep a glass bottle with me during the day. There was a period recently when I was very aware of the fact that I was not drinking enough water. When I started beefing up some reading on immunity, the body, food allergies, etc, I began to really understand how sufficient water intake, at the end of the day, is the underlying solution. I have recently been keeping a food journey to track my nutritional intake + my body’s response. With that I’ve been keeping count of the glasses of water I drink a day. Doing this has made me much more cognoscent of drinking water more regularly throughout the day.
a. What was the drinking water like where you grew up? Did you parents teach you about drinking water? Were you on community water, well-water? The water in Atlanta was perfectly fine to drink from the tap, which we did. I don’t remember a particular discussion about our community drinking water, but when we visited other places like Florida for example, we always complained about the taste and appreciated our water that much more.
b. What were the recreational water sources like where you grew up/vacationed/traveled? The most overwhelming memories I have of summers growing up all related to water. I spent every summer day playing countless games at our neighborhood pool, had my birthday parties there, and was on the swim team. I was truly a fish, I couldn’t get enough. I remember how much of a medium for imaginative thought it was for me- always trying to mimic the swimming style of a dolphin or pretending I was a mermaid. We annually visited my uncle at his lake house in Missouri where I learned to water ski and drive a boat. Our family reunion was always on the river at a state park and the week was spent canoeing, fishing, and “floating” down the river. Also, we have always gone to the beach multiple times a year and it is very close to my heart. Also, I have grown up knowing that my dream is to be a whale/dolphin trainer, and the ocean was always my favorite subject matter in class. It is still one of the most fascinating places/ecosystems in the world to me.
c. Where does your drinking water come from (the natural source)? If you don’t know the source of your drinking water, does that bother you that you don’t know? I don’t know the source of my drinking water, but I know that my Atlanta water at home tastes better to me for whatever reason. My house is old here which may have something to do with it, but it tends to make me nauseas at times.
d. Tell us any stories you have related to water in your life (i.e. gross water at your grandmother’s house (my grandma had soft water and it was gross, but what I didn’t realize when I was child was that her community water was treated through reverse osmosis.) My grandmother’s house also had bizarre tasting water. She lived in a very small town in Missouri that, depending on your location, smelled heavily of eggs. My mom later told me it was a sulfur smell from the water treatment facility, but all I knew was that you never could quite shake that taste from the flat, most times warm, water in Nevada (Na-vay-da) Missouri.
e. I would expect that this question about your history with water is rather extensive if you spend some time actually thinking about the role of water in your life over the past 20+ years. Please spend some thinking about this question and don’t just throw down a quick last minute answer.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. What water do you drink in Athens? Is it different than where you grew up? I drink the tap, but I try to use my roommate’s Brita whenever possible. It just tastes more metallic or sulfur-ish (which I think could have something to do with our old pipes) and for a while I couldn’t even think about drinking it without feeling sick. Back home however, I love our water and it’s all I ever drink.
b. Do you use bottled water as your main water source. Heck, do you even drink water (considering all those people that don’t really drink water because they drink juice, soda, sport drinks, etc..)? I don’t drink bottled water all that often unless I have to grab one before work, after the gym, or while on a road trip. I absolutely love water, it’s one of the only things I really drink. I gave up soda for Lent in 4th grade and since that time I just don’t care too much for the carbination or conflicting flavors while I’m eating.
c. Do you consume lots of water in a day where you live? Do your housemates consume lots of water in day? Does your bathing water use concern you? I don’t drink as much as I should; I’m perpetually dehydrated and it’s one of the things I always try to set as a New Year’s resolution- to drink more! My drinking habits are pretty unhealthy. My housemates consume a lot of water also- everyone is very active so Nalgenes are constantly being filled throughout the day. My bathing water use does not concern me at all. I get bored very easily or feel like I have too much to do to take the luxury of a lengthy shower so I’m not worried about it.
d. As an independent adult have you changed your water habits recently? If so, how and why?
Yes, I am trying to force myself to drink more so I can be a healthier person and avoid the headaches and dry skin I have as a result of constant dehydration. Also, I have had to use pitchers of filtered water lately because our house water makes me so queasy. It’s very much a pain with how often I fill up my glass, but it’s worth it to avoid the strange flavors that come with my water straight from the tap.
(1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water?
a. I grew up with community water and have never had any experience with well water. As far as I can remember our drinking water was fine, yet I don’t remember drinking much water out of the facet when I was young (it was used mainly for sweet tea). As we got older we always had bottled water at our house. There really wasn’t much emphasis on drinking water in my house growing up.
b. I grew up in Charleston, SC. There were many days especially in the summer, spent at the beach or the pool. From very young I was comfortable being in the water. We also had water parks in and around Charleston, which I just thought were so much fun. Now looking back on waterparks they make me a little creeped out. Too many people all splashing around in the same water. I can’t imagine how many chemicals they must have to put in the water at waterparks just due to the sheer volume of people. I think I’m much more comfortable at the neighborhood pool or the ocean. I love the ocean and I always have. I think I must have taken for granted that most people “vacationed” to the beach when it was in my backyard.
c. I honestly don’t know the source of where our water comes from, and it is actually a conversation I’ve had with my husband. It is just strangely fascinating to me that when we turn on a facet, water comes out, and we expect nothing less. I know this convenience isn’t the case around the world and if there is anything which bothers me it is the fact that not everyone has the same luxury of accessible water as we do in America.
d. The water in Mississippi at my grandparent’s house was very soft. I didn’t notice a difference when drinking it but I never felt like I got the shampoo out of my hair when I was in the shower. I also had a great experience with water in South Africa. The Western Cape in South Africa has some of the cleanest and freshest water in the whole country. Unfortunately I had great access to clean water in my dorm, yet just ten minutes away the townships had running water only occasionally.
e. I had a really great opportunity to participate in the Walk for Water in Charleston. It was an event to raise awareness for those communities around the world which do not have access to fresh water. We walked a total of three miles with an empty bucket. Half way through the walk, we filled our buckets with water and walked the remainder of the way. It was a great opportunity to be involved in such an important issue which affects so many around the world.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water? Some questions to consider when answering this:
a. I drink and use the water which is provided to our apartment complex from the city of Athens. It is community water and I do find it to be a little bit different then where I grew up. The water in Athens seems to be chlorinated more then the water I experienced growing up.
b. I go between drinking bottled water and tap water in Athens. If I keep a pitcher of water in my refrigerator and keep it very cold, I’ll drink the tap water. Otherwise I really do not like the flavor and often buy gallons of purified water from the store. Then sometimes I don’t drink water at all. I don’t seem to stick to any one routine when it comes to drinking water
c. As a household I think my husband and I consume a moderate amount of water. It is just the two of us and our consumption of water does come mainly from bathing, washing clothes, washing dishes, and water used for cooking. We seem to be drinking more bottled water recently. I don’t find our bathing water use too excessive. I feel if there was any place we could be more conscious of our water consumption it would probably be in washing our clothes.
d. I do try to be very aware of only running the dishwasher when it’s full or only doing a load of laundry when it is full or adjusting the water settings on the machine. Overall not much has changed in my personal water habits, but it is an issue that I find myself interested in and very curious about.
(1) Tell us about your history (relationship) with water? In other words, tell us about your relationship to water over the years.
I’ve had a long relationship with water. I can’t seem to remember a time when we weren’t together. It even composes roughly seventy percent of my entire body. Growing up, I used water for so many things it would be frivolous to enumerate them. However, as far as drinking water goes, I drank tap for the most part growing up; I can recall when bottled water started becoming more popular with those around me and in my household. I’ve always thought it funny people would pay for something they could get for free. Going swimming is one of my favorite past times for water. Running through the sprinkler, water slides, the pool, the beach, and the river also contain many water related memories. Whitewater rafting and kayaking is thrilling, sometime the the vastness and power of water can be awe inspiring. One time I was snorkeling in Mexico and came across a school of barracuda, boy are those some mean looking fishes. I have also taken too much water at once one time, that I wouldn’t recommend. Water related places and activities go hand in hand with parts of all our life experiences growing up. Water taught me how to hold my breath for a really long time, in addition to the fact that recreational activities can also be healthy and fun. Vital to human health and the Earth as a whole, just writing anything somewhat extensive on water seems to end up a water endorsement.
(2) Tell us about your current relationship with water?
Currently, my drinking water is filtered tap, which I boil occasionally for further purification. I can tell a difference in water quality from different regions, but for the most part they are negligible. I admit I do drink lots of juices and sports though, plain old water can get boring at times. For pure refreshment and hydration though, regular water is tough to beat. I try to stay hydrated for the most part which about sums up my habits of consumption, however I don’t buy into the eight glasses a day myth. I take short showers and conserve as much water as possible within reasonable standards. I’ve never really thought about my water habits in depth, I think we do what works for each of us individually. And then sometimes you’re just thirsty, ya know?
Me and Water are in Love
My history with water has been pround and important. One could say I almost need it to survive.
heh heh.
Growing up my parents were what one might call Health Freaks. I had an early understanding of how water was important for cleaning my body, and that I should drink filtered water. Every week me and my dad would take a trip to a little place called Life Water to fill up our jugs for his office (he is a chiropractor) and for our home. I remember the set up of the place, and i loved placing the massive plastic just at one of the filling spouts and playing a game where I competed with my sister to see who could fill the fastest, and most accurately. Special attention was payed at the very last few seconds, making sure not to spill over the top. Ironically my favorite part of the trip was when i got to go to the cooler and pick out a pink lemonade Snapple or other less boring drink than water. Something with a little fizz perhaps.
Though I didn’t realize it at the time, and upon reflection the idea of water, I tended to think of anything other than filtered water as gross. The lake behind my house should have been a place where, as an adventurous child, i should have liked to join my neighbor in splashing around trying to catch minnows. Rather, I just stood there with a look of disgust at their lack of attention for the fact that ‘the horses poop in the water. and ew so do the ducks’
At my grandparents house they always drank tap. I though it so odd and when my grandmother gave me a glass of water I tried not to think about the fact that it came from the sink, and focused on their cool shaped ice cubes instead. I remember noticing the difference in taste from my grandparents tap water, and drinking tap water still takes me back to those early days.
As I got older, the question of where my water came from never really crossed my mind, I heard rumors of the Chattahoochee and pictured sludge mixed in with the tap water coming out of the spout in my kitchen. My general thought were: I need to drink a lot of water, it needs to be filtered, and bottled is convenient.
There were slight deviations to the in this way of thought. One specifically I can recall. I was with my great grandmother and she said something that came as a huge shock to me:
“Whats with this bottled water phenomenon going on these days.Who is stupid enough to take water, put it in a bottle and sell it? Well I guess they’re not stupid because its certainly working. People buy bottled water as if thats the only way it can be consumed. What a waste of money”
I laughed. I thought she was silly. I had never thought of it that way before. it seemed so normal to me. Bottled water seemed more reliable and convenient.
Its funny how things come full circle to me. Now I feel like I can agree with her, and Im kind of looking around as well asking “wait, ok so were buying water in a bottle. what?”
Especially recently, I would say just over the past year or so, my idea of water has changed completely.
Two things changed my water drinking habits, especially concerning bottled water
1) My attention to the wasted resources going into the making of these bottles, and then the waste.
2) my attention to the chemicals involved in making the bottles for water and how they can affect the consumer when ingested
3)My knowledge behind how water has been marketed and the truth about water from the tap
I watched a video about bottled water that really helped me to understand just how silly our idea of water is. Its from a series called The History of Stuff. (i highly recommend it)
Nowdays its really important to me to drink a lot of water, avoid soda or juice, and avoid buying plastic bottles or cans as much as possible if there is ever tap water available. I also implemented recycling in my apartment since my room mate drinks an ungodly about of coca cola. Really its nuts. (but I cant lie, sometimes I sneak one. Those red cans, they just get me)
Now my normal habits include large amounts of water consumption(drinking water) and a Brita is imperative, though I do often drink water from the tap.
As far as water use I try to waste as little as possible and I find myself thinking about saving water in the silliest ways. I think its an OCD thing. Its always in the back of my mind. On the Up side, i think its paying off because I just calculated my apartments water use ratio and we’re ‘extremely efficient water users”
Im expecting a plaque from Athens clark county water any day now.