Tonight all the little girls lined up at the water fountain at gymnastics and gulped up as much water as they could every time we took a break. If I was to ask them where that water comes from, I would get all kinds of answers. A few would probably tell me it just comes from the water fountain. A few bright tumblers might give me river or lake, and they would be closer to right.

Lincoln, Neb., where I live, are able to use riverbank filtration to not only get its water, but clean it as well. This water is defined as safe water.

Safe water is determined by Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) of certain harmful contaminants that can be found in water. States and cities can go beyond these regulations, but these are the ones the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): radionuclides, microorganisms, organic, inorganic, disinfectants and disinfection byproducts. I was astonished as I looked at the list and the levels. The EPA regulates more than 80 different contaminants in our water. Water seems so simple, but if the path it has to go, from cloud to faucet, is a long, dirty one, investigating the water we all drink makes sense.

Now if you are interested in seeing where your water comes from, and other cities and countries around the world, check out this interactive map from The Nature Conservancy.

(Oh, did you notice the new graphic at the top? I decided I would start off October with some style. I made images for each of my blogs and have been working on my Illustrator skills. So be on the the look out for some new graphics!)