Not all water arrives by rain. Along parts of the California coast, redwood trees can pull moisture right out of fog.
Their needles and bark catch tiny droplets as fog rolls in. Some of that water drips to the forest floor. Some is absorbed and used by the tree. For the tallest trees on Earth, fog is not just weather passing by — it is part of the water supply.
That matters beyond the redwoods. Your drinking water starts long before the treatment plant. Rain, snowmelt, groundwater, streams, reservoirs, and even coastal fog all feed the bigger water cycle. When the source is healthy, treatment starts ahead. When the source is stressed, everyone downstream feels it.
Home takeaway: if your town is in a dry spell, do not just watch the sky for rain. Ask where your water actually comes from — reservoir, river, aquifer, or a mix. That one answer explains a lot about taste changes, restrictions, and why source-water protection is not somebody else’s problem.
Water does not always fall. Sometimes it drifts in and gets caught. iSee, iPour, iDrink.
Inspired by the Water Quality Association’s Friday Fact
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