20 Water Conservation Facts You Won't Believe!
Why Should You Care About Water Conservation?
Currently, in America, we waste 1 trillion gallons of water each year. Often times it goes unnoticed it could be as simple as a leaky shower faucet or a running toilet. Which may not sound like much initially but these trouble areas can quickly add up.
Unfortunately, water is a limited resource and a growing worldwide population contributes to a growing global water crisis. Despite much of the planet being covered in water only 1% of it is usable. The rest is either ocean water or frozen. Water is a limited resource it is more important than ever to practice water conservation.
Water Sustainability Facts In The Home
1. A five-minute shower can use 25 to 50 gallons of water.
2. The average bath takes 36 gallons of water.
3. Shaving using a filled sink basin is approximately 1 gallon.
4. Outdoor watering with an average hose uses 10 gallons per minute.
5. Fix that leaky faucet! If left alone it can waste up to around 100 gallons of water a day!
6. An automatic dishwasher uses approximately 9 to 12 gallons of water while hand washing dishes can use up to 20 gallons.
7. In a year, the average American residence uses over 100,000 gallons of water.
8. The average faucet releases 2 gallons of water per minute.
9. At one drip per second, a faucet can leak 3,000 gallons in a year.
10. The first water pipes in the U.S. were made from hollowed logs.
Indirect Water Conservation Facts
When we think of water conservation and usage we rarely consider indirect usage from everything we eat, purchase and use on a daily basis.
I bet you didn’t realize up to 70 percent of the world’s freshwater is used for agriculture purposes. That means everything we eat plays an important impact on our water supply. Oddly enough every manufacturing process also consumes water. Imagine things like computers, cell phones, and clothes have an impact on our water supply as well.
- More than 1,300 gallons are required to produce a 12 oz. steak.
- It takes about 37 gallons of water to grow coffee beans and process them to make just one cup of coffee.
- About 6,800 gallons of water is required to grow a day’s food for a family of four.
- Current growth rates of agricultural demands on the world’s freshwater resources are unsustainable.
- It takes .26 gallons of water irrigate one calorie of food.
- It takes 2.6 gallons of water to make a sheet of paper.
- It takes 924 gallons of water to produce 2.2 pounds of rice.
- It takes 2,641 gallons of water to make a pair of jeans.
- It takes 52 gallons of water to produce one glass of pasteurized milk.
- It takes 39,090 gallons of water to manufacture a new car.
The Benefits Of Water Conservation
When we reduce the amount of water that gets wasted in our homes it helps protect wildlife and cut the energy needed for treating and pumping water for domestic uses. Better yet water conservation naturally yields way to reduce your household water bill.
It’s important to remember we can run out of water. Further excessive water usage takes a lot of energy, resources and time to purify and administer. For drought-stricken cities throughout the U.S., it may have to be pumped from hundreds of miles away. So, we at Water Saver believe if more people understand what goes into water, they’ll be more likely to conserve it.
How To Save Water In The Bathroom
Tackle Those Leaky Faucets and Shower Heads: According to a previous study, your leaky faucet could be wasting you 2,500 gallons of water per year. Implement a shower attachment that slows the flow of water so it doesn’t run while lathering. Making sure your faucets and shower heads aren’t leaking is a good first step to water conservation.
Turn Off Water While Brushing Your Teeth: I know what you’re thinking this is a no-brainer right..? Well, did you know standard bathroom faucets use 2.5 gallons of water per minute? By turning off the water while brushing your teeth you could save 5 gallons of water per day. You can potentially save hundreds of gallons of water per year.
Take Short Showers: We know how tempting it can be to those long hot showers during the winter time. But keep in mind that showers use 2.5 gallons of water per minute. By keeping your shower time to a minimum it saves a lot of water. Keep in mind bathrooms account for approximately 75% of the water used in our homes. By practicing water conservation in your bathroom you can dramatically save on your water bill each month.
How to Save Water in The Kitchen: If the bathroom accounts for 75% of the waste in the home the kitchen accounts for the other 20%.
Install an efficient low-flow faucet: Older faucets tend to flow at 5 gallons per minute. By simply getting a new faucet you can save 3.5 gallons every minute.
Stop Defrosting Food With Cold Water: This is very wasteful. Instead, plan ahead set your food out a day in advance in your refrigerator.
Save Water In The Dishwasher: Always run your dishwasher when it’s full. Even if you use a water efficient dishwasher it’s still important to wait until the appliance is full before turning it on. This is because the dishwasher always uses the same amount of water despite the size of the load. This is why you should only turn it on when you are running full loads.
On average 95% of the water entering our homes gets wasted. It’s important to remember water is not cheap or limitless. We have to use this natural resource wisely and diligently practice water conservation.
