Water: It’s a hot topic where I live. California is suffering a shockingly severe drought and there are some pretty tricky politics around conservation in regards to which water users are carrying the burden and which users are exempt. Although I’m not going to get into that part of the water crisis, drought isn’t the only reason fresh, safe water can be hard to access.
We need to ensure the safety and purity of the water we drink, cook our food with and use to fill our pet bowls. Not to get all dystopian on you (I can’t help it, have you read my books?) but walking through life blindly assuming we will always be supplied safe drinking water through our local municipalities is not necessarily the best course of action.
There have been several instances in the past few years where local water sources **cough**West Virginia**cough** have become contaminated with harmful chemicals because of unsafe agricultural practices, illicit manufacturing practices or other occurrences of mishandling local water tables and ground water. And to be honest, pre-bottled water comes with its own set of risks including BPA leeching and bottling plant contaminants, so that’s not a great solution either.
To keep yourself and your family safe, make water filters part of your daily life. This can be as easy as breaking your bottled water habit and investing in a carbon filtered pitcher. These pitchers are inexpensive and user-friendly. And consider utilizing reusable filtered water bottles when you’re on the go. At the very least, you will know the water you are drinking is not only safe, but often tastes much more pleasant.
You can take it a step further and attach a water filter directly to your faucet. This is great when you have a bigger household or are looking for a filtration system that gives you access to filtered water in larger amounts than can be stored in a pitcher for drinking. There are even filters that attach to your shower head ensuring safe bathing, too.
Lastly, installing a household filter is great if it’s in your budget. There are many great options and you can learn more about which one is right for your home and equipped to manage the specific particulates in your local water by consulting EWG’s Water Filter Guide.