K  O  I     C  A  R  P                   e drink, cook, wash and water
                  the garden with it – we even
                  keep fish in it. It is such a
commonplace everyday sort of thing it is
very easy to fall into the trap of thinking
all water is the same.      But water is a highly corrosive natural
‘solvent’ and contains more than just
H₂O. It seems to dislike being ‘clean’
and spends its time collecting ‘dirt’
during its travels. It is this ‘dirt’ that can
cause koi health problems.      Ground water is evaporated by the
sun, forming rain clouds that are often
‘contaminated’ by industrial effluent etc.
The water falls back down to earth and it
travels through earth and rock collecting
everything from everywhere – pesticides,
metals and substances from land fill sites
and industrial tips.        Before the water reaches us, water
companies ‘clean’ the water, turning it
into potable/drinking water. Some
waters come from relatively ‘clean’
sources and other waters may have been
more heavily contaminated, requiring
more ‘cleaning’.      UK water companies are required to
meet tight drinking water regulations and
are   carefully   monitored   by   the A  N  N     T  E  L  F  O  R  D We all know it’s an essential part of life but Ann Telford
explains that there’s much more to water than that… W Laboratory testing Photo: with thanks to Essex & Suffolk Water Company WHAT IS WATER?   Glass brimming with water
Photo: with thanks to Essex & Suffolk Water Company