Have you read about this recently? Thousands of victims of Hurricane Ike are still without basic services like electricity and clean water. This devastating event certainly puts the spotlight on inadequate drinking water purification systems. Most municipal water treatment systems are based upon outdated chlorination methods. As such, south Texas water utility officials are responding to the current crises the only way they can... by adding more chlorine to the system. But a disaster of this magnitude requires more that the disinfecting properties of chlorine. A truly comprehensive drinking water purification system is going to require filtration as well.

Its difficult to imagine all the different types of contaminants that were dumped into the south Texas water system as a result of the hurricane. That part of the state hosts dozens of oil refineries, as well as, numerous industrial facilities. It's highly probable that many of the synthetic chemical toxins that are created by these industrial processes ended up in the water supply. Add to that all the bacteria coming from hospital waste, sewers and local land fills and you've got a situation that this inadequate drinking water purification system can't handle.

But you have to realize that the need for clean water isn't just a result of natural disasters like Hurricane Ike. For decades, now, we've been dealing with increased water pollution caused by our chemically-driven society. 100 years ago, disease-causing bacterial contamination was the major concern and chlorine was a cheap, effective method that came to the rescue. But back then it was hard to imagine that 100 years later we'd be faced with contamination from industry, agriculture AND PEOPLE. Our chlorinated drinking water purification systems desperately need to be updated.

Bringing the majority of U.S. water treatment systems up-to-date is going to be quite costly. At some point in the near future municipal water treatment systems will no longer be able to justify chlorination simply because it is cheap. Citizens are not going to wait for another hurricane before they begin to demand a drinking water purification system that protects them from most types of chemical contamination...including contamination associated with chlorine.

So you may be wondering what you're supposed to do in the meantime? Well, the good news is that you can install a drinking water purification system in your home that will provide you and your family with water that is free of dangerous chemicals AND bacteria. While there are many in home water treat systems available, I have found that the most effective are based upon multi-stage filtration.

This is a comprehensive approach to water purification. The first stage is designed to reduce odor and unpleasant taste by reducing sediment and turbidity. Chlorine...the most concentrated and competitive chemical in tap water is also reduced at this stage. Then, in the later stages, heavy metals, synthetic chemicals and bacteria are removed, while maintaining the natural mineral balance of the water. So what you end up with is a drinking water purification system that delivers a great-tasting, healthy supply of water from the convenience of your kitchen faucet.

Make no mistake about it. You don't need a disaster like Hurricane Ike to remind you of the need for effective drinking water purification systems. You can have all the clean, healthy water you need at your fingertips if you take what you've just learned and spend some time comparing in-home treatment systems. After doing so, I believe you will find, like I did, that there are many passable products on the market, a few really good ones, and only a small handful that truly distance themselves from the rest.