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A country defined by one Bottled Water. Beneath the Yaqara Valley floor on the island of Viti Levu lies a vast artesian aquifer, a huge volcanic chamber encapsulated by the rock walls of an ancient crater. This aquifer was a great discovery — existing as it does in a valley on the northern tip of Viti Levu. Above the 4,000-ft. mist-shrouded peaks of the Nakauvadra Mountains, temperatures are always cool. Moisture-laden clouds gather here and quickly reach their dew point, dissolving in rain that falls on the volcanic highlands throughout the year.
From these peaks, rain water follows gravity on a long journey to the aquifer. Here it remains confined, straining to reach the surface in a naturally pressurized, sealed chamber that protects the water from all outside influence.
Carbon dating tells us this water fell as rain more than 450 years ago — 200 years before the Industrial Revolution. And it has been percolating ever since through layers of silica, basalt and sandstone. The result is a perfect natural filtration system, so perfect that municipal water systems try to emulate this kind of formation when designing water treatment plants. |
in Bottled Water Etiquette by Michael Mascha, 11-12-08
