Water Journey – Where Water Comes From

The water industry faces another challenging year. Reservoirs are low after a dry winter, while demand for water continues to rise, not just for personal use but to support growing urbanisation, consumer needs and a more sustainable environment. We’re approaching a time when clean, affordable, and plentiful water is no longer guaranteed, a reality that affects every country worldwide.

Hi. I’m Arno. I’m with the Aquanauts.

We’re wild about water and how to make sure there’s enough for everyone who needs it now and in years to come.

Here at Aquanaut HQ, we’re checking out where water comes from.

So… water, what’s there to know? Well, we all need it but making sure there’s enough for everyone and that it’s clean and affordable isn’t a sure thing.

Everywhere in the world has its own water challenges, shaped by its climate and population demands. Plus, things like growing cities, changing land use and climate, are making it tougher on our water systems. So what can we do? Let’s start by finding out where our water usually comes from.

Water doesn’t taste like much, huh? It doesn’t look like much either. But guess what? This simple glass of water has been on some wild rides. It’s easy to forget how special water is when it just pours out every time we turn on the tap!

Aquafact – Every drop of water has zipped zillions of miles to reach us. It’s part of the awesome adventure called the water cycle!

Think about this… all the water we have has been around for ever! Some of the water you drink may even have been slurped by a dinosaur! Water just keeps looping around our planet, getting recycled again and again. That’s why we call it the water cycle. It all starts out at sea.

Here in the vast blue ocean, the sun heats the watery waves every day, creating a mist of vapour which is lighter than the surrounding air and so floats upwards into the sky, just like steam from your kettle.

As the vapour rises, it cools and squishes up into tiny drops of water. Ever noticed how your bathroom mirror fogs up during a hot shower? It’s basically the same trick!

Billions of tiny water drops have teamed together to form clouds, but as they group together, they become bigger and heavier than the surrounding air. When a cloud can’t hold on anymore, down they come as rain, snow or hail. 

When rain hits land, it either flows into streams, lakes and rivers, which takes it back out to the sea, or it might be absorbed into the ground, filling natural underground stores called aquifers. Now, whilst river water is clean enough to support wildlife, it isn’t always safe for us to drink until it’s been treated. So, how’s THAT done?

At a water treatment plant, the first job is to remove big stuff like branches, leaves and even plastic bags that have been taken for a ride. Water is then processed through different types of sand and other filters to remove dirt and other particles, a bit like a magnet picking up metal objects.

After it’s been treated, a very small amount of chlorine is added to kill any remaining organisms and bacteria. It also helps keep the water safe, right up until it reaches your tap, whether that’s in the kitchen or bathroom. 

Whilst that sounds quite a speedy process, here’s a thing… once evaporated from the sea, those water drops can hang around in the atmosphere for around 9 days. 

Now, whilst that sounds an age, it’s the briefest part of the water cycle! When water falls back to earth, it might hang around in a number of places. It might be on the ground for a month or two, but if it trickles down into an aquifer, it might remain there for 200 to 300 years.

If it goes really deep, it could be there for 10,000 years… but that’s still quite a short period of time

If the rain fell onto the North Pole and became part of a glacier, well, it will see you again in 900,000 years!

With only 3% of the Earth’s water available as fresh water, and most of which is in glaciers and ice sheets, you can see we don’t have a huge amount of water to meet our everyday needs. Hence why we need to not waste water and to find ways to live using less, even here in the UK.

There’s plenty of ways to make a difference and YOU can be an Aquanaut by doing simple things, like turning off the tap when brushing your teeth.

You can also explore a career in water engineering and technology. 

Water Workers

There’s a wide range of jobs across the water sector and today’s water worker is Water Treatment Engineers!

Water treatment engineers design, monitor, and control the process of treating water. They work to ensure that water is clean and safe to drink, and that wastewater is disposed of properly.

They design, manage and improve the water treatment processes we’ve looked at – to get water to our taps that’s safe to drink! They also use systems inspired by nature.

Take the challenge!

The Pipe Maze Challenge is a hands-on project that helps demonstrate how water travels through pipes and the water cycle to reach our homes. Ready? Download here!

Want to know more?

‘This is Engineering’ is an initiative led by the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with EngineeringUK and major engineering organisations to encourage young people from all backgrounds to consider a career in engineering. Click HERE to find out more… or perhaps visit the Museum of Engineering Innovation.

Stick with us… we’re going to be helping you understand the challenges ahead, and discover some of the cool engineering and careers that are helping solve the issues. We’re also going to find out how we can all make a difference with more tips on how you can become an Aquanaut and help engineer our water future!

AQUANAUTS! CREATED WITH SUPPORT FROM A ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING INGENIOUS GRANT AND CARDIFF UNIVERSITY.