WATER

Most of our water comes from Lake Michigan.  Lake Michigan supplies about 1 billion gallons of fresh water to Chicago and about 125 suburban communities. This done through a network of purification plants, tunnels, pumping stations, water mains, sewer mains, valves.  Our waste water in Chicago goes through a system that is called Tunnel and Reservoir Plan or TARP.  It is a large underwater system that contains many pipes.  The pipes carry the storm water and sewage to the water purification plant.  After the water is purified, the solid material left, gets carried out to a landfill.  Bacteria is added into the container, which eats up the waste material. 
After doing an assignment that allowed me to see how much water I (my self only, no family members) was using, it made me realize how much unnecessary water I was using on a daily basis (21 gallons a day).  My biggest problem was when I showered. I normally take two showers a day, but even though I have a low pressure shower head, I still took a 20 minute shower!!  That is way too long!!!  I try not to waste water in every other way, like watering the lawn and washing clothes, but never realized how much water I was wasting when showering.  I personally think that I contribute to some of the water pollution, when I used cleaning chemicals when cleaning the tub, sink, toilet and when ever I paint, and clean the brushes in the sink.  I mean all the chemicals, do get diluted, but I am sure I am not the only person doing this, which makes me think that all of these chemicals do add up.  I guess one way to minimize the water pollution is buying cleaning supplies that are eco friendly, but I've always wondered if they would do the job that the other strong chemicals do?  I guess I will just have to try it out.