10 facts about wasting water

One-third of the world’s population lives in areas affected by water shortages. It’s a shame that so little is done to preserve this life giving resource. Here are 10 facts about wasting water. Read them and think about what you can do to make a difference.

1. The amount of water we use is constantly growing. An average person uses 127% more water than in 1950.
2. About 95% of water that enters our homes goes down the drain.
3. Running the tap while brushing your teeth can waste 4 gallons of water.
4. Older toilets can use 3 gallons of clean water with every flush, while new toilets use as little as 1 gallon.
5. Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drop per second can waste up to 2,700 gallons of water each year.
6. A garden hose or sprinkler can use almost as much water in an hour as an average family of four uses in one day.
7. A water-efficient dishwasher will use as little a 4 gallons per wash cycle, whereas some older models use up to 13 gallons per cycle.
8. Some experts estimate that more than 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste due to evaporation or runoff caused by over-watering.
9. Many people in the world exist on 3 gallons of water per day or less. We can use that amount in one flush of the toilet.
10. Over a quarter of all the clean, drinkable water you use in your home is used to flush the toilets.

source: Water: Use Less—Save More by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert