Water Wednesday: Do You Know Where Your Water Comes From?

I'm always astonished when I hear about a child who was raised in the city, and thinks that carrots come from the store (rather than a farm), but honestly, if you asked me, "Where does your water comes from?" my minimal knowledge makes me only a step away from answering, "the faucet."

While researching the answer, I found the Nature Conservancy's online map that tells you where your water comes from.  I learned that Oakland's drinking water originates from six places:

• San Pablo Reservoir on San Pablo Creek
• Briones Reservoir on Bear Creek
• Lafayette Reservoir
• Upper San Leandro Reservoir
• Lake Chabot on San Leandro Creek
• Pardee and Camanche Reservoirs on the Mokelumne River

I had absolutely no idea that my water came from so many sources.

I'm guessing that unless things change quickly, it will become increasingly important for people to know, and care about their drinking water source(s).  According to the UN, "with the existing climate change scenario, almost half the world's population will be living in areas of high water stress by 2030."

I found the map to be a bit hard to navigate, so be patient as you play with it. If you'd like to get an idea of how much water you use, give National Geographics' Water Footprint Calculator a spin.

Where does your water come from?

Image credit: Cat in Sink by zestycarl

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