ABSTRACT
Introduction: Water sources While all communities are different, one element they all have in common is the need for water for industries, commercial enterprises, and residents to use. In fact, a regular supply of potable water is the most important factor affecting whether or not any living creature chooses an area to live. Stable and plentiful freshwater sources are not always readily available where they could be put to most practical use, however. We readily recognize that water is not uniformly distributed. The heaviest populations of any life-forms, including humans, are found in regions of the world where potable water is present, because lands barren of water simply won’t support large populations. The hydrologic cycle constantly renews our freshwater supplies, but population pressure is constantly increasing. As our population grows and we move into lands without ready freshwater supplies, we place ecological strain upon those areas, and on their ability to support life (see Figure 4.1).
