Water is something that we must have for survival. Most of our bodies are made up of water – around 60% in total, but certain organs are more water than others. For example, the lungs are made of around 83% water and the brain is around 73% – so you can see how important it is to make sure that you are drinking plenty of water. You whole body relies on the healthy supply of water.
In the UK we are very fortunate to have a good supply of water available whenever we need it. Our sewer network is over 100 years old, and the construction of it started in the Victorian era, when a glut of people moving to the cities and huge population explosions that came with the industrial revolution, caused huge outbreaks of diseases like cholera.
This was a massive problem and once it was discovered that this was due to the poor-quality drinking water in the city, it was decided that something had to be done. The sewer system was designed and built, and it was a success. This was quickly repeated all around the UK, massively reducing the disease problems in the cities in particular, where the populations were only increasing at the time.
Nowadays, many of those Victorian sewer systems still exist and are still in use – that’s how good they were! Our fresh water in the UK is one of the safest in the world, but a lot has changed since the Victorian times to ensure that it stays that way.
Due to the differing geography and geology of the UK, you probably notice that water in different areas might taste different. Some people notice this when only going ten or twenty miles away, and this is likely to be because the water comes from a different part, and it is usually down to differing levels of water hardness, as well as naturally occurring minerals in the rocks where the water is sourced from.
Despite the ongoing debates on whose water is better, is usually comes down to what you are used to. The main thing to remember is that all the water in the UK is perfectly safe to drink and goes through a rigorous process to ensure that it is thoroughly cleaned starting from when it goes down your plughole!
Because many of the sewers, drains and water pipes are very old it is particularly important that you evade putting anything down them that could cause a problem – things like nappies, oils and fats and even dental floss cause big problems in the pipes – companies like this www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/sewer-repairs-drain-lining-concrete-cutting/drain-lining/ who conduct drain lining surveys report that causes of blockages are often down to things being put in the drains that shouldn’t be down there. Of course, when these items make their way further along to the sewers they can also mound up and become fatbergs – these are costly and time consuming to remove.
