With many conversations recently turning to the state of our world’s environments, it is time to talk about the water quality. Recent water quality indicators are not showing positive news about the cleanliness and safety of it. It’s time to take a serious look at how we are treating the world around us, and make the necessary changes in order to attempt to reverse the damage we have caused.


Water quality analysis has shown that 44% of stream miles, 64% of lake acres, and 30% of bay and estuarine square miles are unsafe for fishing and swimming. In addition, two million tons of sewage and industrial/agriculture waste are released into the world’s water every single day. For the consequences, look no further than health: 3.1% of global deaths and 3.7% of disability adjusted life years are attributed to unsafe, inadequate water or sanitation and hygiene linked back to water quality.


Perhaps the scariest part of these statistics is the fact that water quality assessments haven’t been performed on all of the world’s water. This is what we know so far about the state of things. Many act as though we have an unlimited supply of clean water, but this is simply not the case, and if we do not get serious about reversing this damage soon, it may be too late to fix it. We need clean water to survive, and not taking it seriously simply is not an option any longer.


If you want to see for yourself, get your hands on water quality kits or water testing kits. Take water from a body of water near your home and test it. You will be surprised at just how disgusting the water is. With just a fresh water test kit and a simple water quality analysis, you will have evidence of the pollution in your hands.

It is time we changed the world for the better, and we need to start with our water? What will you do to help?