Water Knowledge

Interesting facts about all aspects of water, what you can do to protect the vital resource for future generations too.

A little water science

Imagine this: there are four glasses on a table. Each one has a different type of water in it: mineral water, table water, curative water, and drinking water from the tap.

Admittedly, at first glance you could probably only tell the difference between the still and the sparking water. And even though the taste of each provides some indication of the mineral content, it tells you nothing about the origin and the type of water. In fact, each of them has its own special properties. Reason enough to examine the four glasses and their contents more closely.

Drinking Water

... is subject to the most stringent quality specifications and controls. In Berlin, drinking water such as mineral, spring and curative water is abstracted from underground water sources. Since the capital city has the luck of being supplied with sufficiently high-quality groundwater. In water protection areas, around 650 wells bring groundwater to the surface, which is then piped to the waterworks. There the proportion of iron and manganese is reduced by aeration and filtering. The clear and fresh water, free of additives and at a temperature of around 11 degrees centigrade, flows into the supply network. Its quality is closely monitored around the clock.

Thanks to its high magnesium and calcium content, Berlin drinking water is very healthy.

Water requirements of the body

About two-thirds of the human body is water. This proportion must be kept constant so that we feel good. This means that we each need take in 2 to 2.5 litres of water each day. On hot days or if you’re doing sport, your water needs can rise by a factor of three to four. Under normal conditions, we lose about 0.5 litres of water daily just by perspiration through the skin alone. The same applies to breathing. We also excrete approximately 1.5 litres of urine through the kidneys.

Find out why water is so important for us humans and what happens if we do not permanently adjust our water balance.

Water is vital

For our blood

As part of blood, water supplies us with oxygen and all vital nutrients. At the same time, toxic substances are carried by the bloodstream to the kidneys and are excreted.

For controlling the body’s temperature

At an increased temperature we exude water as perspiration or sweat. If we have a fever our body temperature is higher but water is not discharged and that’s why we feel ill.

As a solvent

As a solvent, water maintains the consistency of all body fluids. For example, blood becomes thicker in case of water loss.

To split substances

Water plays a decisive role in splitting substances for their necessary further processing in the body. For example, the body can only use vitamins and sugar molecules after water has been added to them.

For cells and tissue

Water is an essential component of cells and tissue. 1,400 litres of bodily fluids flow through the brain alone each day, ensuring performance and concentration.

Too little water in the body...

... results in thirst and makes the mouth dry.

... makes you weak. With two percent water loss the ability to think and concentrate weakens.

... reduces the amount of harmful substances that can be excreted. Three percent less water results in reduced urine production.

... hurts. A five percent reduction means the heart has to use much more energy to pump thicker blood around the body. The resulting increased body temperature leads to headaches and muscle pain, our perceptive faculty reduces.

... means we can collapse. At ten percent water loss the body suffers from cramps. This results in a state of confusion, and there is a risk of kidney and circulatory failure.

Incidentally, water also acts as...

... a calorie killer Water contains no calories, but it consumes them. Drinking one and a half to two litres of water daily increases our calorie consumption by up to 100 kilocalories. That’s the equivalent of about ten minutes of jogging. Over the year, 36,500 additional calories can be consumed in this way, which is the equivalent of around five kilograms of fatty tissue. Tip: chilled drinking water also boosts energy consumption.

... a beauty elixir Drinking water regularly reduces wrinkles. Water collects in the connective tissue and cushions small wrinkles naturally from the inside out.

Flowers and Co.

This is the water that every Berliner uses individually. For example, the remaining 10 percent of the water goes to the houseplants that are thirsty. Or the floor needs a good scrubbing.
Personal hygiene

Clean: Bathing and showering use the most water, at 40 percent. Nevertheless, Berliners are no spendthrifts, preferring to take short showers rather than treat themselves to a full bath every day. By the way: Water is also used for brushing teeth or for a little cat wash in between.
Eating and drinking

Just 5 percent of water is used to prepare food or for drinking. Salads are washed, potatoes are boiled and a cup of tea is brewed in between or the ice cubes are prepared for the party at the weekend.
Washing and dishwashing

To keep clothes and dishes sparkling clean, the washing machine and dishwasher need about 15.4 liters per day, or 14 percent of the water. That doesn't sound like much, considering that not every day is a wash day. And if a T-shirt is still dirty and a clean plate is missing from the cupboard, you can do it yourself.
Water from toilet flushing

Flushing the toilet accounts for around 31 percent of daily water consumption. Despite the flush-stop button. There are between 6 and 9 litres of water in the cistern which are either partially or completely used, depending on the flush. It makes no difference that the water is good enough to drink. Quite the contrary: it’s actually cheaper to operate a single pipe system, for which strict quality management and guaranteed flow can be ensured. After all, even water can spoil and stagnate in pipes if it’s left sitting there too long. Then people would have to buy water for drinking and cooking, which would be much more expensive.

Virtual water

Apart from the direct use of water, on average, each German needs a further 4,000 litres of so-called virtual water. This water comes from other countries and is used for the production of meat, fruit, clothing or to provide services.

An example:

Anyone who wants to eat strawberries or asparagus out of season makes use, for example, of imports from Southern Spain, Morocco or Peru. These regions suffer from a shortage of water. Watering the enormous strawberry and asparagus fields – including with water from illegally drilled wells – causes the groundwater table to fall even further. A vicious circle.

Our tip: Make use of home-produced products. By purchasing regional seasonal goods you reduce your indirect water consumption. This is also easy on the environment and protects water as a resource. Worldwide. Immense quantities of virtual water are also used in the production of textiles - particularly those made of cotton.

Virtual water on klassewasser.de

Dosing cleaning agents correctly

It is important to dose cleaning products correctly to protect our environment. We give you a few tips on what you should pay attention to.

Clean correctly and reduce the impact on water

Less is more - that is our most important cleaning tip. This also applies to the use of cleaning agents:

Does your cleaning agents sparingly. In this way you reduce the impact on the environment and your household budget.
Limescale does not need aggressive chemicals. Vinegar or citric acid do the job in a far more environmentally friendly way. It is not always necessary to immediately reach for special cleaners to deal with other stains. A brilliant shine can also be achieved with an all-purpose cleaner, washing-up liquid or a scouring cream cleanser.
Sanitary cleaners for the WC are particularly aggressive. They are mostly superfluous. A simple all-purpose cleaner and a toilet brush remove the dirt just as well and are also more environmentally friendly.

Allow germs - disinfectant sprays and hygiene products tackle any germs. Allegedly. Yet the concentration and exposure time are hardly long enough to actually kill each and every pathogen. They really harm the environment and us. This is because: if the weaker pathogens are killed, the stronger ones are able to prevail more and cause harm. Moreover, our body’s own defences are challenged increasingly less. The consequence: Only a few pathogens are needed to make us ill.

Our recommendation: If you do not want to entirely do without a disinfecting effect, use white spirits, i.e. alcohol.

Washing laundry correctly

Liquid detergents pollute wastewater treatment plants and bodies of water more than compact powder due to their higher surfactant content.
Opt for modular systems or compact and super compact detergents in the tandem system. You achieve good washing results with them and avoid polluting the environment with superfluous chemicals.
Dose your detergent according to the water hardness (Berlin’s water is “hard”) . The information provided by the detergent manufacturer help you to do this.
By washing at low temperatures you spare the environment and reduce your energy consumption. 30 °C is sufficient. 60 °C is hot enough for bedding, hand towels or baby linen.
Fabric conditioner or softener is particularly water polluting. Fabric conditioners are not required for the actual cleaning process. If you don’t want to do without it, dose fabric conditioner as sparingly as possible.
Fill your washing drum optimally.

Our environmental tips for households

Do not throw away hygiene products, in particular cotton buds and moist baby wipes, cigarettes or medicines in the toilet. Only the rats are pleased about leftover food in the sewers.
Do without too much foam and shampoo when bathing or showering. They pollute the water.
Please do not use shower gels, peeling products, toothpaste, make-up, or suntan cream to which fine spherical plastic granulate, so-called microplastic, nanoplastic or microbeads, is added as an abrasive substance.

What does not belong in the toilet

We use water to cook, shower, to water flowers and, of course, to drink. Waste that is thrown away in the WC causes disruptions in the sewers and faults in our wastewater treatment plants. Solid waste, food leftovers, medicines, paint residues, solvents and other chemicals therefore do not belong in the toilet. Once they are in the water, pollutants are difficult to remove. Help to protect your water!

Microplastics

Cosmetics, clothing or car tyres - many everyday items and products contain or cause microplastics and therefore impact the environment. Berlin’s drinking water is free from microplastics, yet microplastic particles are increasingly detectable in the wastewater. Each person must therefore be called upon to prevent inputs of microplastics in wastewater. We explain this topic to you on our service page.

More about microplastics

Avoiding trace substances

Did you know that water in Berlin is managed in a cycle? This functions almost naturally when we treat groundwater without chemical additives and distribute it in the city through our pipes. We take back the used water, pipe it through sewers into the wastewater treatment plant and after treating it we return it to nature. The greatest challenge lies in also filtering out the invisible pollutants. This is because, wittingly and unwittingly, humans leave behind many microscopically small traces which can only be removed by complex processes.