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Independent, evidence-based water education · Reviewed for 2026

Resources & Science Library

Build real water knowledge

Follow a guided learning path, brush up on the vocabulary, or go straight to the authorities. Everything here points back to our evidence-based guides and tools.

Guided learning paths

Short, ordered routes through the library.

Absolute beginner

Start from zero and learn to spot a water myth.

  1. Water science basics
  2. The 8-glasses rule
  3. Hydration myths

Hydration essentials

Everything about how much to drink and when.

  1. Daily hydration
  2. Water and exercise
  3. Electrolytes vs water

Water at home

Make sense of tap water, filters and safety.

  1. Bottled vs tap
  2. Water filters
  3. Household safety

Types of water

Mineral, distilled, alkaline and the rest — decoded.

  1. Mineral water
  2. Distilled water
  3. Alkaline water

Water science glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms you’ll meet across the site. Prefer to search? Use the glossary finder tool.

Potable water
Water that is safe to drink because it meets recognised health-based quality standards.
Total dissolved solids (TDS)
A measure of the combined dissolved minerals and salts in water, often given in mg/L.
Hard water
Water with a high level of dissolved calcium and magnesium; it causes limescale but is generally safe to drink.
Soft water
Water low in calcium and magnesium; it lathers easily and leaves little scale.
pH
A 0–14 scale of how acidic or alkaline water is; most drinking water sits around 6.5–8.5.
Chlorination
Adding a small, controlled amount of chlorine to disinfect water and keep it safe through the pipes.
Fluoridation
Adjusting fluoride in a public supply to a level intended to support dental health.
Reverse osmosis (RO)
A filtration method that pushes water through a fine membrane to remove most dissolved solids.
Distillation
Boiling water to vapour and condensing it back to liquid, leaving minerals behind.
Turbidity
A measure of how cloudy water is, caused by suspended particles.
Microplastics
Tiny plastic fragments found widely in the environment and, at low levels, in some water; an active research area.
Electrolytes
Minerals such as sodium and potassium that carry a charge and help balance fluids in the body.
Virtual water
The hidden water used to produce food and goods — often far larger than the water we drink.
Aquifer
An underground layer of rock or sediment that holds and transmits groundwater.

Trusted external sources

For official, region-specific guidance, these authorities are excellent starting points. Links open in a new tab.

We link to these for reference and don’t control their content.

Learn by doing

Pair your reading with our interactive tools — calculators, a myth quiz and flashcards.

Prefer a course?

The Beginner Water Course walks you from basics to myth-spotter.