Water Conservation

Water conservation is not only good for the environment; it is good for the household budget as well. Here are some tips and tricks to reduce water usage as well as some fun facts about water.

The first, and easiest, thing to do is to check for leaking faucets and running toilets. A faucet dripping at a rate of one drip per second can waste 2700 gallons of water per year. To check for a running toilet that isn’t audible, place dye in the tank and if it reaches the bowl within 30 minutes, without flushing, the toilet has a slow leak.

On average, toilet flushing, bathing and showering use 73% of all water consumed in the home. Bathing and laundry account for 48% of the hot water a household uses.  In order to reduce usage in these areas old fixtures and appliances can be replaced with water saving toilets, low flow shower heads, front loading washers and flow regulating aerators for faucets. A water saving toilet can save the typical household 7,900 to 21,700 gallons of water per year. Installing a low flow shower head can save up to 10,000 per year.

Wash only full loads of laundry and run the dishwasher only when full. One study showed that it takes as much as 27 gallons of water to hand wash 12 place settings of dishes, compared to 4 gallons used by a dishwasher to wash the same amount of dishes. Avoid extra rinse cycles unless absolutely necessary.

Do not run water continuously while brushing teeth or shaving as this can use as much as 4 gallons of water in a single two minute brushing. Turn off the shower when shampooing or lathering up. Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of running the tap until water is cold.

Keep an empty container by the kitchen sink or a bucket in the shower to catch water that is typically wasted while waiting for the water to warm up. Pour leftover cooking or drinking water into the container as well; once full, use for watering the garden or house plants. Reuse dirty water from birdbaths, flower vases or pet dishes to water plants. Catch rain water in buckets, but be sure to use quickly to avoid creating a breeding place for mosquitoes. To supplement lawn watering, position downspouts, with an extension if needed, to flow out onto yard areas rather than onto the driveway or paved surfaces.

Please be aware of, and report, any unusual wet spots in your yard that may be an indication of a water leak.

Not only will these changes reduce water usage, some will also reduce electricity costs. If you have any water saving hacks that you would like to contribute to our page please send them to our email address.

Water Calculator

  https://www.watercalculator.org/wfc2/q/household/

Water Facts

~ Since 1900 individual water use has increased approximately 900%; the average individual uses about 50 gallons per

                day.

~ It takes the following amount of water to produce these food items:

                Tea takes 108 gallons of water per gallon of brewed tea.

                Coffee requires almost 10 times as much water, using 1,056 gallons of water per gallon brewed.

                Beer takes 296 gallons of water per gallon of beer.

                It takes 872 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of wine.

                Chicken takes 518 gallons of water per pound.

                Beef requires the most water, at 1,847 gal./lb.

                Sheep requires 1,248 gal./lb.

                Pork at 718 gal./lb.

                Eggs require 395 gal./lb.

                Cheese and butter take more than milk at 381 gal./lb. and 665 gal./lb. respectively.

                Milk by itself uses only 122 gallons of water per pound.

                Pasta requires 222 gal./lb.

                Rice requires 299 gallons of water per pound of processed rice.

                Bread (made from wheat) takes 193 gal./lb.

                Barley consumes 237 gal./lb.

                Unprocessed potatoes at 34 gal./lb.

                It takes 290 gallons of water to produce one pound of rolled or flaked oats.

                Sweet potatoes need 46 gal./lb.

                Unprocessed corn requires 146 gal./lb.

                For more food facts go to:

                https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/food-water-footprint_n_5952862.html

~ A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds

~ 80% of the Earth’s surface is water; 97% is oceans, 2% is frozen and only 1% id suitable for drinking.

~ There is the same amount of water on Earth now as when Earth was formed.

~ Water expands 9% when frozen.

~ A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.

~ Water is the only substance found on Earth naturally in three forms – liquid, solid & gaseous.

~ A cubic foot of water contains 7.48 gallons of water.

~ One inch of rain per square mile yields 17.4 million gallons of water.