What it Takes to Bring Water to Your Tap

Water is vital to human life. Adult bodies average 60% water, and our brains are composed of 73% water. Without water, there is no food production. Simply put, without water we die. Yet daily we turn on our faucets and don’t think twice about that precious, life-giving liquid flowing from the tap. This article is the first in a series by local freelance writer Lisa Jimenez, about town government and services. Today’s focus: our municipal water supply.

On the surface, Silver City’s water system seems as simple as turning on the faucet and watching the water flow. After all, the water just gets pumped from the ground and distributed to household and commercial taps, right? Yes and no. Yes, the system itself is fairly simple, but keeping a sufficient volume of potable water flowing smoothly through a vast, underground spiderweb-like distribution system is complex, requiring planning, maintenance and frequent monitoring.