You use it when you brush your teeth in the morning. It’s an essential part of any shower. It’s there when you wash your dishes, or rinse your fruits and vegetables. You should also drink several glasses of it a day – some say eight 8-ounce glasses, if you’re good.

It’s water, of course. In our bodies H2O is a regular miracle worker, flushing toxins out of vital organs, regulating body temperature and carrying nutrients to your cells. Each day we need to replenish the water we lose through natural processes like sweating and breathing.

In truth, the “8 x 8 rule” for water intake is not supported by scientific evidence, according to the Mayo Clinic. How much water you should drink a day actually depends on many factors including your health, level of activity and where you live. Regardless of the exact amount, one thing’s for sure: We need water to live. It’s no surprise then, that we also need our water to be clean and safe. And our homes, where we use water in a variety of ways, are good places to start.

In Canada, all levels of government share responsibility for making sure drinking water supplies are up to standard. “In the provinces and territories, just about every municipality provides safe, clean and microbiologically safe water through their various safe drinking water regulations,” says Kevin Wong, executive director of the Canadian Water Quality Association. A main water treatment facility treats all the water before it goes out into the distribution system, which carries the treated water to homes, schools, businesses and other buildings.

Sometimes, though, things can go wrong. “What can happen is possibly something could break down at the water treatment plant,” says Melissa Lubitz, a certified water specialist and business analyst at the Innovation Group for Viqua, which designs, manufactures and sells water treatment equipment for residential and light commercial applications and is based out of Guelph, Ont. “Maybe there’s a leak in one of the distribution lines, and different bacterias, like E. coli or fecal coliform, can actually get into the lines.”

When the problem is discovered, a boil water advisory is issued. These public announcements advise the public to boil their tap water for drinking and other uses, and are issued when there is evidence of conditions such as unacceptable levels of disease-causing bacteria, or as a precautionary measure when there is concern that contamination may occur.

Lubitz tracks these advisories daily and says Canada had about 2,000 boiled water advisories currently in effect at one point last year. These advisories are the right course of action, but they may be too late for some, she says. “By that time, the water that’s got bacteria in it has probably already gotten into someone’s home. So we’re finding that more and more people are buying bottled water at the grocery stores because they don’t want to take that risk.”

But it may be the environment that is being put at risk by our bottle-buying habit. Green activists have decried plastic bottles for the fossil fuels used in their production and transportation. In Toronto alone, consumers toss an estimated 100 million plastic bottles a year and only about 65% are being captured in recycling. Some industry observers have also noted that much more goes into the treatment of tap water than bottled. In Canada local water supplies are inspected daily, while bottled-water plants are inspected every three years.

For those looking to turn back to tap, home water treatment may be the answer. That’s where Viqua comes in. Their key product lines, Sterilight and TrojanUVMAX, harness the power of UV light for water disinfection.

Aside from slightly different features, the two systems work in basically the same way, and it’s surprisingly simple. Water is purified as it flows through a stainless tube that has an ultraviolet lamp running down the middle. The lamp, which is run by an electronic ballast, emits a powerful dose of UV light that is absorbed by the bacteria, taking away its ability to reproduce, and the harmful organisms simply die. UV disinfection has several benefits over traditional treatments like chlorination. For starters, it is effective against Cryptosporidium and Giardia, harmful micro-organisms that are resistant to chemical disinfection. It is also free of the harmful by-products that have been associated with chemical disinfection. And, UV also does not compromise the taste, colour or odour of water.

FILL ‘ER UP
YOU'VE SWITCHED FROM BOTTLED TO TAP. NOW YOU'LL NEED A SPIFFY CONTAINER TO MAKE YOUR WATER, AND OTHER PORTABLES, PORTABLE.

NO MORE LEAKS
With the Leak-Proof Stainless Steel Sippy Cup with Handles ($17.99 - $19.99) from Foogo, messy spills are a thing of the past. The unbreakable stainless steel interior/exterior makes this item perfect for children six months and older, and they’ll love the soft spout and grip handles. As with all Foogo products, this 200 mL sippy cup uses Bisphenol A (BPA)-free plastics.

STRAW POWER
Thermos’s FUNtainer Bottles ($17.99 - $19.99 each) are a good way to keep your kids refreshed, thanks to a hygienic push-button lid with pop-up straw. Each 355 mL bottle has a non-slip, scratch-resistant base and a sweat-proof design that lets you say bye-bye to water rings. The line is available in a variety of fun designs that appeal to kids and co-ordinate with FUNtainer Food Jars (bottle and food jar sold separately).

IT'S A WRAP
The Stainless Steel Hydration Bottle ($25.99 - $27.99) is both stylish and functional. Its slim design makes it ideal for anyone on the go, as does the accompanying bottle wrap with handle and shoulder strap. Lightweight and durable, this 500 mL bottle has a push-button sipper lid with locking ring and keeps its contents cold for up to 12 hours.

All products feature TherMax® double wall vacuum insulation for maximum temperature retention. thermosbrand.ca

Trojan UV systems eliminate 99.99% of bacteria and viruses. Viqua tests all of their systems to see exactly how much bacteria they can handle. “We actually install them like they’re in a home and then we will run water through them and dose that water with bacteria,” she says. “The typical amount of bacteria that comes into the home, our UV system can handle ten-fold.”

The UV systems, which can be purchased from any one of Viqua’s distributors, cost between $500 and $600. Viqua also offers a smaller kitchen system at about $100 that homeowners can install right under the sink. The systems last up to 10 years, though homeowner must change the lamp, which costs $80 to $90, once a year because its intensity decreases over time. All of the systems’ ballasts are outfitted with a visual and audible alarm, which will let the homeowner know the lamp is due for a change or if the ballast fails for any reason.

Viqua recommends its UV systems be used together with filters and water softeners, which the company also offers. These items make the UV system more efficient by cleaning up the water before the water goes through the system.

The NSF-certified manufacturer has around 500,000 residential systems installed around the world, and every minute their systems are treating more than five million gallons of water. Wong says UV technology and Canada are tied to one another. “UV has been a trusted and established form of water disinfection for the last two decades in the residential market... It is even to the point that municipal water treatment facilities are using UV, for example, Vancouver’s newest plant.”

A major benefit of home water treatment is peace of mind, says Lubitz. “It’s just turning on any of the faucets in your home and being able to pour a glass of water and hand it to your three-year-old and know that they’re not going to get sick from that water.” And, she adds, the Earth will thank you. “We’re trying to keep the bottles out of the landfills. If everyone is just turning on their faucet and filling up their stainless steel bottle and taking it to work, we’re all doing our part.” •