Whenthatsoundisconstant,hesays,especiallyinthemiddleofthenight,it’sacreekimprisonedinasewerpipe,notsomebodyflushing.

t’sasmallsignofwater'shiddenlife,theactionsthislife-sustainingcompoundcontinuestopursue, despite our illusionthatwe controlit.

Evenwiththiswiderange,however,thetypicalenergyrequirementsforprocessingwater,even extensive processing,aresmallrelativetotheenergy associatedwiththeplastic bottleanditsproduction

two primary sources: municipal water systems (often called “processed” or “purified” or“municipal” water) and surface-water and groundwater systems (often called “spring”water).

Ifallbottledwater requiredanaverageof38gramsofPETperliter,approximately3.8milliontonsofPETwererequiredtoproducethe100billionliters ofbottledwatercontainerssoldworldwidein2008.Ifallbottledwaterproducersshiftedtowardthelightest bottles,PET productioncouldbereducedbyaround30percent.

Gleickand Coole