{"id":114392,"date":"2021-08-03T15:59:50","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T19:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/?p=114392"},"modified":"2021-08-03T18:41:32","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T22:41:32","slug":"from-nature-to-our-faucets-how-ecosystems-services-purify-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/from-nature-to-our-faucets-how-ecosystems-services-purify-water\/","title":{"rendered":"From Nature to Our Faucets: How Ecosystems Services Purify Water"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emma Cheriegate, Staff Researcher & Writer at Save the Water\u2122 | August 3rd, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

When you see water pouring from your sink, you probably don\u2019t imagine the journey it took to get there. If you hear the phrase \u201cwater quality,\u201d what comes to mind? Some of your initial thoughts might be about chemicals, pollutants, treatment plants, or even water sources: wetlands, lakes, aquifers, groundwater, etc. But there are complex networks in nature that support our access to clean water: ecosystems and their services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ecosystems are machines with many gears. If you remove one, benefits like water purification might shrink or disappear altogether. From the <\/span>southern tip of Florida<\/span><\/a> to the <\/span>national stage<\/span><\/a>, governments everywhere are pushing for protection of our water sources.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are ecosystem services, and which affect our water?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ecosystem services are the benefits humans receive from the environment. When an ecosystem is unhealthy, we lose out on some services. There are four types:<\/span><\/p>\n