Water Is Life Blog

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Clean Water

Aug 1, 2011

jimLexington, MA is where I live and Concord is where I swim!  Walden Pond, once Henry David Thoreau’s homesite (literally) is arguably where the American environmental movement began.  On a hot, sunny day, there is no better place to dive in and cool off.

Last week I looked at all the children swimming by the public beach and wondered how the pond managed to stay clean.  I approached the lifeguards and they reassured me that they check regularly for bacteria levels and it has always been fine.  They explained that the water is clear and spring fed and that the water gets disinfected by the sunlight!

I remembered the famous quote from Supreme Court Judge Louis Brandeis in 1913:  “Sunshine is the best disinfectant”.  He was alluding to the truth that when you bring things to light, you make all the facts clear, leaving nothing hidden.

Unfortunately, we don’t get our water directly from pristine, naturally-disinfected rivers, reservoirs and wells.  Our tap water is first treated with chlorine, and ammonia, and anti-corrosion chemicals and then piped through miles and miles of aging rusting water pipes  before it gets to us.  That is why I prefer to use a state-of-the art drinking water system like the one pictured above, a Multipure solid carbon block filter.

Jim McGrath (pictured above) agrees with me.  Jim is currently Captain of the Concord Minutemen and is also a long-time Multipure user!  Apparently, its all about life, liberty and the pursuit of clean water!