The Social Impact of Plumbing

Some of the most beautiful structures in the world were built out of the desire and need of humanity to move water. Some are meant to use water as a source of power, the Hoover Dam which is more awe inspiring for its size than it’s delicate architecture is one example, others are meant to move water so that it could be given to the people who needed it. The aqueducts of Rome are the preeminent examples. Water has shaped the course of human civilization since civilization began. Towns like Gilroy CA show both the historical tie humanity has had to the water, and the ways in which the relationship has changed with the advent of modern plumbing and water systems.

Most any city that someone can name off the top of their head is connected to a fresh source of water. London is on the Thames, Paris on the Seine, Rome on the Tiber, Cairo is on the Nile, Moscow has the Moskva River, and Beijing has multiple rivers running through it. This is no coincidence, people needed water to drink water to irrigate and water was a source of transportation and waste removal. A flowing river could take trash and waste away, and if you were close enough to a river you could get fresh water either from it or from wells. Modern plumbing has allowed us to build further away from sources of fresh water. Gilroy, CA does not have a river flowing through it, and while it’s close to the coast, it isn’t on it. Instead, the town can survive because modern plumbing and water systems allow water to be easily brought long distances and conveniently spread throughout the locale.

No longer does humanity have to cluster around the naturally occurring sources of fresh water. Instead it can easily pipe and move fresh water from great distances, or from greater depths underground. We no longer rely on rivers to remove our waste, and transportation has improved so that rivers aren’t the many source of commerce. Fresh water and coastlines will always be important. Water is an invaluable resource, but we now have greater control over it because of plumbing. Gilroy, CA and other towns in California show the difference in human development, just over the course of the life of America. Many of the towns in the east still cluster around water sources very closely. Not just the big cities, but typically their suburbs as well, whereas Gilroy, CA is a town that developed without a river running right through or against it.

Superior Plumbing a California based company servicing the area around Gilroy, CA. Their trained professionals can handle any plumbing job, from major repairs to simple drain cleaning, don’t fret and punish yourself with failed DIY projects when things get out of hand. They’ll take care of your problem quickly and professionally. Superior Plumbing reach via telephone at 408-528-4103.

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  • ELLIOTT RITCHIE