Water is renewed by removing contaminants.
Contaminants in water are nutrients that drive Biomass formation. That is because the Sun provides a constant Energy source that drive photosynthesis in any aquatic environment. Understanding and managing the dynamics at this Water-Energy-Biomass nexus (the WEB Nexus) is critical to achieving Renewable Water.
The inflow of a high level of contaminants/nutrients into a water body can result in two possible outcomes
- The water body becomes eutrophic, causing the nutrients to be directed into the formation of excess Biomass in the form of algae and cyanobacteria as it reverts to “primordial soup”
- The nutrients are directed into a productive biodiverse Food Chain, eutrophication is prevented and water is renewed.