The water cycle of life is nature's efficient cleaning mechanism for cleaning and renewing water. Microorganisms found in water and soil serve a very important role in cleaning our water. In a water environment like a lake or pond, every microorganism is a waste-eating organism that metabolizes waste into food, which helps to cycle energy and nutrients back in water ecosystems. Many of the microorganisms that work to decompose the organic matter in water are also found in healthy soil. In clean and healthy soil, water is filtered so that disease-causing microbes are cleaned from the water. Plus, the microorganisms found in the soil itself serve to filter and clean contaminants in the water.

Many scientists respect the fact that nature has been purifying water since the beginning of time, and are trying to better understand and imitate nature's process. Many cities experience water shortages through drought or though the natural characteristics -- like being in desert regions -- of the area. These cities have found that reclaiming wastewater is a viable option for increasing its water supplies. In order to safely use wastewater, however, it must be free of contaminants such as parasites, bacteria and viruses, and must not contain excess nitrogen. To do this using traditional technology, the water must be filtered and cleaned through water treatment facilities using chemicals. In Tucson, Arizona, however, scientists are studying and developing an alternative soil aquifer treatment as a means of cleaning water without the use of chemicals.

The soil aquifer treatment system imitates mother nature's filter system by filtering water through a layer of soil. As the water moves through the soil, many of the harmful organisms die or are attached to soil particles, leaving purified water to collect in the aquifer below. This natural system for treating water reduces the chemicals required in traditional treatment systems to clean our drinking water. Not only is this system a more natural way of cleaning water, it is also less expensive.

Wetlands are anther great example of nature's water cleaning processes. Unfortunately, the benefits of wetlands were not understood or respected in the past and wetlands were dried up for the construction of industry and homes. Now that the true benefit of wetlands and their ability to naturally clean water is better understood, scientists are studying how the soil and the massive root system of the plants extract contaminants from the water. Today, wetlands are preserved for their many functions, including water purification, prevention of shoreline erosion and as a refuge for hundreds of plants and animals. Since natural wetlands don't have the capacity to clean all the water contaminated by humans, some states are building manmade wetlands that imitate nature.

The simplicity of nature's various systems for cleaning our water supply is ingenious. Fully understanding how nature cleans water and how these systems actually work without additives is the key to creating water treatment facilities that don't heavily rely on chemicals to clean our water. As we continue to study the tricks of mother nature and understanding more about how does nature clean water, technology will advance and our water supplies will continue to improve using cleaner and more natural methods.