By the time most youngsters reach the 6th grade, they know that
H2O is the chemical "recipe" for water -- or two volumes of
hydrogen to one of oxygen.
Water is the only substance that occurs in all three stages of
matter: as a solid, or ice; in a liquid state as rain; and as a
gas or vapor in fog, steam and clouds. Because of its capacity
to dissolve numerous substances; however, pure water rarely
occurs in nature.
Water is the major component of all living matter. Between 50
and 90 percent of the weight of all living things is water.
In the United States today, each man, woman and child uses
between 100 to 250 gallons of water each day. That amount does
not include the water used to process all the goods and services
consumed by our families.
The ultimate source of all our natural potable water on this
planet is rain. While we no longer collect it directly for
drinking water, it soaks into the ground or runs off into
streams, rivers and lakes. Under natural conditions, the water
table rises intermittently as it is replenished or recharged,
and then declines as it drains into natural outlets and springs.
Operating under standards for drinking water quality set by the
U.S. Public Health Service, our water supply is treated to
remove undesirable tastes and odors by aeration -- or the
saturation of water with air (usually by spraying water into the
air in fountains). Bacteria is destroyed by the addition of a
few parts per million of chlorine, and then the taste of the
chlorine is removed by sodium sulfite. Almost all supplies of
drinking water contain fluorides, which, in the proper amount,
have been found to reduce tooth decay.
The first people to consider the sanitation of their water
supply were the ancient Romans, who constructed an elaborate
system of aqueducts to bring clean mountain waters into the
city. England invented the force pump, and installed the first
pumping waterworks in London in 1562. The first municipal
pumping station in the U.S. was built in about 1760 to supply
water to the town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. By 1800, at least
16 U.S. cities had water-supply systems.
Today, modern water treatment technology allows MUDS to supply
millions of gallons of clean, potable water every day.
The content in
this website is provided by Harris County Water Control and
Improvement District No. 132 (“HC132 or District”) for informational
purposes only. This website and the information contained herein
should not be relied upon or used as current information for the
purposes of securities disclosure about the District, its financial
condition, the bonds of the District, or property in the District.
Persons should not rely upon information in this website when
considering whether to buy, sell, or hold property within the
District. The District files official continuing disclosure
information at least annually in accordance with the rules and
regulations of the securities and exchange commission. The District
assumes no duty to update any information on this website at any
time.
