The healthy growth of plants and animals is what allows human life to prosper. We are dependent upon our environment for water. The quality of the air we breathe and the food we eat is greatly determined by the quality of our water supply.

In turn, freshwater quality affects the plants, trees and animals we need in order to exist. How we take care of the water supply in our environment has a huge effect on the quality of life and the future of our planet.

Salt accumulation is increasing in the freshwater of our lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers. This salt makes it through the food chain and eventually arrives in our food and drinking water. Much of today's drinking water has twice the EPA limit of sodium content. Statistics show we consume two to ten times the amount of salt needed for a healthy existance.

From the Florida Everglades, to the lakes in Minnesota, to the California coastal waterways, we are experiencing a dramatic increase in salt content. This has been effecting the migration of bird populations who cannot tolerate the high levels of salt in their drinking water.

Countless species of frogs are dying off around the world as freshwater systems disappear.

Plants, fish and animals are forced to suffer from high amounts of salt in the freshwater supplies. Salt significantly reduces all aspects of plant growth. Root and shoot growth are reduced and tip burn is increased. Crops such as strawberries, lettuce and avocados are very sensitive to high salt content in their irrigation water.

For this very reason, water softener bans are in effect in many cities and states.