There's a well-known phrase about farming that says, "Live like you'll die tomorrow; farm like you'll live forever." That same could be said about water—use water like you'll live forever. As this long hot summer drags on in my part of the world, I'm reminded daily of how critical water is to our existence. And although my city has put limits in place for yard watering, there are still no limits on the amount of water that, for example, a dentist's office or restaurant or manufacturing plant can use.

Although there are many places in the world where people have to walk miles each day just to have minimal water to drink and clean themselves, in urban America we disdain the water that is pumped into our homes and readily available to us. As a source of drinking water, it's our last resort.

Since I divide my time between Southern California and Oregon, I frequently pass through the town of Mt. Shasta City in Northern California. There I regularly stop to capture a jug or two from the headwaters of the Sacramento River that pour freely from the mountain. This water tastes markedly fresher than anything I can buy in the market, no matter what the label says. I'm sure it has something to do with the mineral content, but undoubtedly it also relates to the fact that it passes through only rock and earth, and never comes into contact with either plastic or metal.

Some manufacturers are now offering home technology that is said to revitalize water, and while it would be a difficult task to restore the minerals that leach out, perhaps their technology can restore some of its vital energy and remove toxins. The latter is accomplished through charcoal and other filters, but for the revitalization, they try to replicate the process of nature.

Left to its own devices, water finds its way to the surface through a circuitous passage. It bypasses obstacles, pushes through blockages, and moves in an erratic course. The water that comes into our homes, on the other hand, comes through straight pipes of metal or plastic. It often sits in the pipes or some other static area for an indefinite period of time before it even reaches us. This is like the vegetables that are picked early and left on a shelf. They may turn the color we anticipate, but their flavor and texture is all wrong. Think about, for example, winter tomatoes, which generally taste like a sponge, i.e. flavorless. This is one reason why tap water generally tastes lousy.

To compensate for its faulty delivery, some water systems pass the water over rocks and crystals in the belief that the proximity will remineralize the water.

An Austrian named Viktor Schauberger observed the natural movement of water, including the way fish were able to leap upstream to reach their spawning grounds, and deduced that in nature, water has a spiral movement that concentrates energy at its center. He forced water through a complex circuit that imposed this kind of movement on the water, thus, he believed, freeing its innate energy. Some water systems use his technology to force water through twists and turns, the way coursing over rocks in nature would agitate the water and bring in more oxygen.

I've started researching but haven't quite figured out which water system to purchase. However, I'm definitely done with having five-gallon bottles of spring water delivered. If I find a great system, I'll be sure to pass it along. 

Photo by The Dream Sky