Where Did All the Water Go?

  Did you ever think that the most plentiful resource on Earth could present an availability problem? If you start to piece the puzzle together with bomb-proof information, it will start to make sense. From water usage in the U.S. and other countries to conservation tips, there are some facts that can't be disregarded.

Let's get the facts. Annual precipitation in the U.S. is about 4.2 TRILLION gallons. That's 15 times what the U.S. currently use for consumption. How could this cause a problem? Almost 40% of what water doesn't seep into the ground or travel anywhere inaccessible is used for irrigation. Did you know that to make one little, juicy tomato uses up 8 whole gallons? That may seem small, but if you thought about all of the foods we eat, not just tomatoes, that's a lot, isn't it? An average U.S. citizen uses 65 gallons daily. Compare THAT to the fact that an average person living on the continent of North America uses 1,204 gallons daily. Where does all this water go? But for now, let's focus on that 65 gallons. Of the total 65 gallons, a whopping 45% is used for toilet flushing. WOW! That's almost half, so you could round that off to about 30 gallons. Of the total 65 gallons, 30% is used for grooming and bathing. 20% is used for dishes and laundry, and only a meager 5% is used for drinking and cooking. If you are interested in changing this, conservation is the answer.


   Even little acts of conservation kindness can make an impact. If you reduced your shower time by only 1 to 2 minutes for a month, you could be saving up to 700 gallons. If you simply adjusted your sprinkler to only spray within the perimeter of your lawn, you could save 500 gallons per month. But big changes can save massive amounts, too. If every plumbing fixture in the U.S. were replaced by conserving models, 3.4 to 8.4 BILLION gallons would be saved DAILY. That is truly conserving at its best. But even the simplest tasks can save. High-efficiency washing machines save 20 to 30 gallons per load, and if you only use the washing machine/dishwasher for full loads, you would be saving 300 to 800 gallons monthly. Now combine the two! If you use a broom, and not a hose for cleaning driveways and sidewalks, it saves 150+ gal. each time. So how much water is used for simple daily tasks that we take for granted? To wash your hands, one fourth of a gallon is used for every minute it takes. Showering takes up 30 gallons every ten minutes with the water 'n, and a bath takes 40 gallons. And for brushing your teeth, it takes 12 whole gallons. When you wash your car 20 gallons are spent. Remember how toilet flushing uses 45% of your daily 65? Well, to flush once, 3.5 to 5 gallons go down the drain. Now multiply that by every flush in your house every day. As an added bonus, low-flow toilets use 16 gallons per flush. Just to wash the dishes in a dishwasher, you use 10 gallons, and laundry takes up 30 gallons per load. Lawn watering takes the prize for the most water used. For thirty minutes of watering, you have just sprayed 240 gallons out of the hose. Only one half of a gallon is used for drinking water. Some results may vary, but some evidence can't be avoided. So now that you know what can be done, let's think of these ideas combined.


   Okay, let's re-cap our thoughts. We learned about how much we use, and the availability of this resource. We saw the stats of how much we use every day for daily tasks, and how much other the continent of North America uses compared to just the U.S. So, now that you have the facts, whose side do you stand on?    home



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