The difference is that today many more demands are placed on the same amount of water. Because our demands on water continue to grow, but our supplies don't, drinking water counts on everyone lending a hand to conserve, protect and get involved with decisions that affect our water resources. Once you use water, it's gone. Some water is recycled for use within a week, other water may not be used again for years. Water is fragile and will be ruined by so much use.
Water is resilient and responds well to treatment.
However, using water and abusing water by contaminating lakes, streams, and wells with toxic chemicals are two different things. To keep our drinking water safe, we need not only appropriate treatment, but also appropriate source protection. Most of our water has been touched by some type of human or animal activity. Therefore, it's always best to drink water that you know has been treated. Bottled water is safer than tap water.