Waterguide
Drinking water
What is drinking water?
The German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) defines “drinking water” as water that occurs in nature or has been treated (tap water) for the purpose of drinking, cooking or other domestic uses. This also includes water in food production for human consumption.
Where does drinking water come from?
Drinking water as a natural product is mainly sourced from groundwater, lakes and rivers. Groundwater is often of drinking water quality, and in many regions on Earth can be consumed directly without treatment. Lake and river water, on the other hand, requires treatment to reach drinking water quality.
Who ensures drinking water quality?
Drinking water has to meet certain criteria to ensure it is safe for human health, such as being free of odour, colour, taste and germs. However, the minerals in the ground can affect the taste, so depending on the composition of the ground, water can taste different from region to region – although this does not impair the quality.
In Germany, the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) specifies thresholds for substances such as minerals and organic matter, to ensure water is of drinking water quality. Any company that provides drinking water has to abide by the same rules and regulations. The health authorities are responsible for ensuring companies adhere to these standards.
Sustainability aspect: Why conserve drinking water?
Water is our most precious commodity, but in many regions on Earth it is becoming more and more scarce due to overconsumption and climate change. This begs the question, why? Can’t drinking water just be sourced from groundwater or from lakes and rivers at any time?
Although 70 % of the Earth’s surface is water, only 3 % of this can be drunk. Water is not evenly distributed throughout the world, and so many regions are already suffering from drinking water scarcity, and the groundwater is drying up due to overconsumption. This is compounded by the fact that we have more salt water than freshwater, and treating salt water is very labour and cost intensive. Due to the increasingly intensive consumption behaviour of modern humans, as well as the huge growth in population on Earth, our need for drinking water is also increasing. It is therefore becoming more and more urgent and important to use water sources responsibly, especially in large cities and industrial regions with high water consumption.
Drinking water as feedwater for Herco units?
Herco units usually use drinking water as feedwater, but special units for seawater and brackish water are also available. Process and well water have to be treated first before they can be used as feedwater in Herco reverse osmosis units. We offer the following units: Filter and softening units.
All of our products can be found in our product overview.
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