The water in your glass gets a lot of love, as does the water that churns the world’s oceans and refreshes its rivers. But what about the water we don’t see, that’s quietly keeping the Earth’s water cycle on track beneath our feet?
"Groundwater" is the theme of World Water Day 2022. Celebrated each year on March 22, World Water Day is an international day of awareness that was introduced by the United Nations 30 years ago. We began campaigning for World Water Day last year, when we created a video documenting the Earth’s billion-year-old water cycle. This year, we’re joining other water advocates in a global conversation about the importance of groundwater.
What is groundwater?
Though we typically think of groundwater as excess water that seeps up from the Earth to fill a pond or create an oasis in the middle of a desert, it’s much deeper than that — literally. Groundwater is the source for natural aquifers: geological formations that hold and store water that can eventually be tapped for drinking. To put it another way, groundwater is the literal root of aquifer-sourced drinking water.
Groundwater provides drinking water
Groundwater is the root source of three members of our family of fine waters. In a suburban German town near the Taunus Mountains, a hidden aquifer fed by groundwater was eventually discovered, then tapped to source radius99. In Manitoba, Canada, another groundwater-sourced aquifer was tapped to source award-winning Jackson Springs. And in Ecuador, a natural groundwater-fed aquifer near La Maná is the running source for Splendor.
Protecting Groundwater
In many parts of the world, groundwater-fueled aquifers aren’t tapped responsibly; they’re exploited. When more groundwater is abstracted from an aquifer than can naturally be replenished by rain or snow, the groundwater will eventually dry up, leaving an aquifer barren and essentially killing off a natural source of water. This is especially problematic in light of climate change, as the Earth’s slowly rising temperature shifts the delicate water cycle.
One drop at a time
Though we can’t single handedly stop the Earth’s temperature from rising or adopt all of the groundwater sources in the world to protect them, we are happy to do our part to help spread awareness. At Soho Waterworks, we continue to support independent bottlers of pure, natural, sustainably sourced water, and share what we learn along the way in our journey of understanding the Earth’s water. Together, we can make a positive change one drop at a time, and help move toward our goal of providing Clean Water For All™.
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