What makes for Healthy Water?

We all take clean water for granted when we go into our kitchen and get a cup of water. But we wouldn't want to walk out into a nearby river and start drinking, would we? So how does water from our rivers become river in our faucets?

Most americans (around 80 %) get their drinking water from rivers. Water in rivers has mud, animal wastes, bugs, fish, plants, and lots of other stuff in it! So the water is pumped into a water-treatment plant, where it is cleaned so humans can drink it and use it to take baths and showers. This can be done in many different ways, but this is how some places do it. ?????? First the water is run through a big screen to get rid of large pieces of garbage, like branches from trees. Then chemicals are added to the water, to eliminate the bad taste and smell from the water and to attract smaller pieces of waste in the water come together and form bigger clumps of waste. When that happens, these big clumps (called floc sink to the bottom of the tank.

After that, the water is pumped into a new tank, where a chemical called lime is added. Lime will make a chemical reaction occur with metal particles in the water, making them come out and sink to the bottom. The water is then pumped out of the tank from the top, leaving the floc behind. This water is then pumped into holding tanks, where the chemicals chlorine and flouride are added. Chlorine is added to kill bacteria, while flouride is added to help keep people from getting cavities. The water sits in this tank for a while, to give the chlorine time to kill the bacteria, and then the water is moved through a filtering system. Finally, one more chemical is added which helps the chlorine disinfect the water for a longer period of time, throughout the time that it is being pumped through the system. The water is now ready for us to drink! It is sent to a well, where it is then pumped out to thirsty people like us!

OK, so now we know what clean water is for humans... but what about the rivers? What makes for healthy river water for plants and animals?