WATER

A clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid, H2O, essential for most plant and
animal life and the most widely used of all solvents. Freezing point 0°C (32°F);
boiling point 100°C (212°F); specific gravity (4°C) 1.0000; weight per gallon (15°C)
8.338 pounds (3.782 kilograms).

1.
a. Any of various forms of water: waste water.
b. Naturally occurring mineral water, as at a spa. Often used in the plural.
2.
a. A body of water such as a sea, lake, river, or stream.
b. waters A particular stretch of sea or ocean, especially that of a state or
country: escorted out of British waters.
3.
a. A supply of water: had to turn off the water while repairing the broken
drain.
b. A water supply system.
 4.
a. Any of the fluids normally secreted from the body, such as urine,
perspiration, tears, or saliva.
b. A fluid present in a body part in abnormal quantities as a result of injury or
disease: water on the knee.
c. The fluid surrounding a fetus in the uterus; amniotic fluid.
5. An aqueous solution of a substance, especially a gas: ammonia water.
6. A wavy finish or sheen, as of a fabric or metal.
7.
a. The valuation of the assets of a business firm beyond their real value.
b. Stock issued in excess of paid-in capital.
8.
a. The transparency and luster of a gem.

A level of excellence. Water is a chemical compound needed by most plants and animals
on Earth in order to sustain life. Pure water is a tasteless, odorless, transparent liquid. In
small amounts it is colorless, but it takes on a bluish tint in larger amounts. Water is an
excellent solvent and as a result it usually contains a wide variety of dissolved minerals
and other chemicals. It can also carry and support bacteria. Most of the water distributed
through municipal water systems is treated to remove harmful substances. Some bottled
waters undergo even further treatment to remove almost all impurities. The English word
water is derived from the German word wasser, which in turn is derived from an ancient
Indo-European word meaning to wet or wash.

The controlled use of water dates to at least 8,000 B.C. when farmers in Egypt and parts
of Asia trapped floodwaters for crop irrigation. The concept of using irrigation canals to
bring water to crops, rather than waiting for a flood, was first developed about 2,000 B.C.
in Egypt and Peru. By about 1,000 B.C., the city of Karcho, in what is now Jordan, built
two aqueducts to bring an adequate supply of water for the city's population. This is the
first recorded instance of a planned municipal water supply.

Early water treatment was surprisingly advanced, although rarely practiced. An ancient
Sanskrit manuscript, from what is now India, advises that drinking water should be kept
in copper vessels, exposed to sunlight, and filtered through charcoal. Ancient Egyptian
inscriptions give similar advice. Many of these methods are still used today. In about 400
B.C., the Greek medical practitioner Hippocrates suggested that water should be boiled
and strained through a piece of cloth. Despite these early references, most people drank
untreated water from flowing streams or subterranean wells. As long as there were no
sources of contamination nearby, this was a satisfactory solution.

As the population of Europe and other parts of the civilized world grew, their sources of
water became increasingly contaminated. In many cities, the rivers that served as the
primary sources of drinking water were so badly contaminated with sewage that they
resembled open cesspools. Cholera, typhoid, and many other water-borne diseases took
their toll. In 1800, William Cruikshank of England demonstrated that small doses of
chlorine would kill germs in water. By the 1890s, several municipalities found that
slowly filtering water through beds of sand could also significantly reduce the incidence
of disease. The public outcry for safe drinking water reached such a crescendo that by the
early 1900s most major cities in the United States had installed some sort of water
treatment system.

Even with water treatment, water contamination remained a serious concern as an

increasing amount of industrial wastes poured into the nation's rivers and lakes. As the
adverse health effects of lead, arsenic, pesticides, and other chemicals became known, the
United States federal government was obliged to pass the Water Pollution Control Act of
1948. This was the first comprehensive legislation to define and regulate water quality. It
was followed by a series of increasingly tougher requirements, culminating in the current
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water quality standards. In addition to the
federal standards, most states have their own water quality laws, and some state laws are
more stringent than those specified by the EPA.

Types of Water

Pure water is an almost non-existent entity. Most water contains varying amounts of
dissolved minerals and salts, plus an abundance of suspended particles such as silt and
microscopic organic material. Different types of water are classified by the presence or
absence of these impurities.

Tap water, or municipal water, has under-gone a series of treatments to kill harmful
bacteria, remove sediments, and eliminate objectionable odors. It may also have had one
or more chemicals added for a variety of reasons.

Hard water contains high amounts of calcium and magnesium salts. This causes soap to
form curds. Hard water is further divided into temporarily hard water and permanently
hard water. Temporarily hard water contains bicarbonates of calcium and/or magnesium,
which react to form a hard substance called scale when the water is heated. Scale can
clog hot water heaters and pipes and leave deposits on cooking utensils. Permanently
hard water contains sulphates, chlorides, or nitrates of calcium and/or magnesium, which
are not affected by heating. Soft water contains relatively low amounts of calcium and
magnesium salts, although the definition of "low" varies. The term "softened water"
refers to hard water that has had enough salts chemically removed to avoid forming soap
curds. It is high in sodium chloride.

If water contains a large quantity of dissolved minerals, it is called mineral water. Mineral
waters can be divided into five main classes: saline, alkaline, ferrunginous, sulphurous,
and potable. Saline water has a high level of sodium or magnesium sulphate or sodium
chloride. Alkaline water has a high concentration of salts which give it a pH in the range
of about 7.2-9.5, where a pH of 7 is neutral and a pH of 14 is highly alkaline. Ferrungious
water is rich in iron, which gives it a rusty color. Sulphurous water is rich in sulphur
compounds and is distinguished by its rotten egg smell. Potable water has a mineral
content of less than 500 parts per million and is most commonly bottled and sold as a
specialty drinking water.
Carbonated water, soda water, and sparkling water all contain dissolved carbon dioxide.
This may occur naturally where limestone or other carbonate rocks are present, or the
carbon dioxide may be added artificially under pressure.

Spring water and artesian water are distinguished only by the fact that they flow from the
ground naturally without the aid of drilling or pumping. Otherwise, there is nothing that
makes them different than water from other sources.

Distilled water has been purified by an evaporation-condensation process that removes

most, but not all, impurities. Deionized water has been purified by an ion-exchange
process, which removes both positive ions, such as calcium and sodium, and negative
ions, such as chlorides and bicarbonates. It is sometimes called de-mineralized water.
Purified water is municipal water that has undergone carbon filtration, distillation,
deionization, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet sterilization, or some combination of these
processes to remove almost all minerals and chemical elements, both good and bad.

• In some water treatment plants, the water is initially disinfected by contact with
ozone-rich air in a series of chambers. This step is used by most plants in Europe,
but only a few plants in the United States. Ozone (03) is formed by passing
compressed air through a high-voltage electric arc. This causes some of the
oxygen (02) molecules in the air to split in half and reattach themselves to other
oxygen molecules to form ozone. Ozone effectively kills most germs and also
destroys compounds, which cause unpleasant tastes and odors. It has a relatively
short life, however, and does not remain in the water to protect it during storage
and distribution. For this reason, a small dose of chlorine or chloramine is added
to the water at the end of the treatment processThe water then passes through a
flash mixer where chemicals known as coagulants are rapidly mixed with the
water. The coagulants alter the electric charge around any suspended particles in
the water and make them attract each other and clump together, or coagulate.
• The water moves slowly through a series of chambers where it is gently mixed by
the swirling flow. As the water mixes, the charged particles continue to bump into
each other and form even larger particles called flocs.
• . The water flows into a settling basin or tank where the heavy flocs sink to the
bottom. Some settling basins have two levels to double their capacity. The
material that settles to the bottom is vacuumed out of the basin with a device like
a pool vacuum and is deposited in a solids holding basin. The trapped material
from the filter (step 7) is also added to the solids holding basin. These combined
materials are sent through a gravity thickener and then a press where most of the
water is squeezed out. The remaining solids are loaded into trucks and transported
to a landfill for disposal. As the water leaves the treatment plant, it receives a
small dose of chlorine or chloramine to kill any harmful bacteria that may have
found their way into the distribution system. If the plant does not use ozone as an
initial disinfectant, a larger amount of chlorine or chloramine is added to the
water.
• After the water leaves the plant, it is usually stored in covered tanks or reservoirs
to protect it from contamination. In some areas, these storage facilities are located
at a higher elevation than the surrounding terrain, and the water is pumped up into
the tank or reservoir. This elevated storage position provides the pressure
necessary for adequate flow through the water mains and pipes within the city. In
other cases, the water is stored in ground-level facilities, and the pressure is
supplied by electric pumps that run on demand.

Water is the most abundant chemical in the body, making up roughly 60 per
cent of body weight. It is an essential nutrient although it provides no energy.
It has excellent solvent properties enabling it to act as a transport medium for
many chemicals. It is involved in many chemical reactions including digestion
of food.

Evaporation of water as sweat is essential for cooling the body. However,

failure to replace water losses results in dehydration. This can adversely affect
physical performance even if relatively slight. Each 1 per cent loss of water
results in a 2 per cent reduction in aerobic capacity. Water loss causes the
heart rate to spiral upwards. A loss of 6 per cent of total body water is serious;
and loss of more than 10 per cent can be fatal. The amount of water an
individual drinks depends on water losses (see water replacement).

Hardness of water varies with geographical location. There is statistical

evidence that heart disease is more common in areas with soft drinking water
than in those with hard water. However, the link between type of water and
heart disease is not proven.

The quality of drinking water varies. In most areas of the USA and the UK,
tap water is safe, but in some areas it can become contaminated with bacteria,
nitrates, or other pollutants. Some people drink bottled water because they are
worried about pollutants, but others drink it because they prefer the taste, or
believe that bottled water has health-giving properties. Ironically, bottled
water is not always healthy. Some contain high levels of sodium and the same
pollutants as tap water.