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Water in Calgary is one of the most important things for life in general. The only thing we need more than water is oxygen. Without those two things and human life (or any life on earth) would be impossible. That is considering drinking water alone though. There are loads of other things that we do with water. We wash dishes with water, we clean surfaces with water; cleaning is an interesting thing to look at because water in Calgary is used in most circumstances for cleaning. This is because water will carry away dust and debris. Most dirt and grime will get mixed into the water and thus get lifted out of clothing or off a surface like a dish. The treatment process for water makes it so that water from the tap comes out clean, this of course is important for cleaning purposes. So with all this water use, most people don't even know where water comes from. Looking at the faucet in your kitchen, or the shower head in the bathroom, where do the pipes come form after that? Well, if you are a home owner it's a good idea to know a bit more about your water in Calgary because it can create big problems if not managed properly. Water comes from many different sources. There is water that gets circulated through a treatment plant to be delivered back to the home. Water originates in most cases from the ground or from an aquifer (also under ground.) What happens is that water that lands on the ground from rain, snow, sleet, or any type of precipitation, will either end up in a river, get evaporated (puddles), or it seeps into the soil. The soil is a natural filter. If you go deep enough into the ground you'll find the earth is very compact. It gets so compact that water particles can barely pass through. This acts as a natural filter, causing any larger particles to get caught in the soil. A home filter system often works the same way. There are filters for rain water that use sand, gravel, and silt to slowly filter water for drinking. In the earth this water eventually collects in an aquifer, which is a pocket of water underground. Depending on the rainfall for an area, there will always be moisture in the ground and a pump can suck it out for use. This water goes through treatment before being used widespread in a city or town. The treatment uses several process to eliminate any contaminants. The end goal though is to clean the water and store it in a water tower. A water tower is used because the pressure from being above the ground will act as natural water pressure. If you take a jug of water and attach a small hose to it's base, the natural flow of water due to gravity's pressure will cause the water to push out and through the hose, as long as the hose is not above the water line. So storing water in Calgary in a water tower, makes it so every time you open your faucet, that pressure on the water in the tower, pushes water down through the system of pipes, up and out through the faucet. This way no energy like electricity is spent trying to pressurize the water. The water reaches each home through a main line and the water is already pressurized from the water tower. The main line attaches to your home plumbing system. At this point the water is divided going to separate rooms. There is also a line that goes to the water heater for water to become hot, and then pumped through to be used as the warm side of each faucet. And just like that, water gets to your faucet.
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