We humans have our own water cycle that interacts and is dependent on the natural water cycle.
Humans and other animals intercept fresh water somewhere on its passage from the sky to the sea. We extract water for our domestic and industrial uses, to irrigate our crops, for certain industries, and to help process our waste. Unfortunately, the contaminants that we introduce to the environment through our use of water ultimately come back to us, as well as to other various life forms.
In Ireland we have a significant issue with water pollution – it is surprising to see the number of areas discharging raw sewage to the sea… even towns with populations over 10,000 people.
For many years it was believed that “dilution is the solution’, but this has since proven to be untrue because pollutants can be harmful even in small amounts. We frequently have media reports about particular water treatment issues.