Water Conservation

MyMedical Forum Water Conservation WHILE IT'S TRUE THAT MORE THAN 70% OF THE PLANET IS WATER, about 96% of that is in the oceans. That doesn't leave much for drinking or other daily uses. In fact, in the United States alone, more than 36 states face some degree of water shortage. To celebrate Earth Week, learn all about where our water comes from, how much we use, how much goes to making everyday products and producing food - plus ways to conserve every drop you can. Water Sources on Earth 96.5% MAGNIFIED 3000% Oceans, seas and bays 1.74% 0.0132% Ice caps, glaciers and permanent snow Lakes and rivers FACT 98% of all accessible freshwater comes from underground. DAILY American Water Use 2 gal 3 gal Brushing Toilet Teeth Flushing 36 gal Bath 20 gal Hand Washing Dishes 10 gal 25 gal Dishwasher Load of Wash 25 gal 1 gal Shower Shaving The typical American uses 80-100 gallons of water. American industries use 18,200,000,000 gallons of water. EVERYDAY. 1,320 gal 1 Pound of Cotton 700 gal 1 Cotton Shirt 500 gal 1 Pound of Chicken 150 gal 100 gal 1 Pound of Wheat 1 Potato 35 gal 1 cup of coffee 110 gal 50 gal 1 Egg 1 Pound of Corn 10 gal 1 Slice of Bread FACT It takes 24 gallons of water to make 1 pound of plastic. 27,093,000 tons of plastic are thrown away each year. That's 1,300,464,000,000 gallons down the drain. FACT A faucet that drips just 1 ounce per second, wastes 27,000 gallons of water each year. Enough to fill a backyard pool. 10 Tips to Conserve Water Turn off the tap to brush teeth 01 - Fix leaking faucets and pipes 02 * Wash full loads of clothing 03 Re-use pasta water for plants 04 Take shorter showers 05 Replace grass with desert scape 06 Only run full loads of dishes 07 Water plants in mornings 08 Collect rain water for plants 09 Recycle all paper, glass and metal 10 SOURCES http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanwater.html http://www.epa.gov/oaintrnt/water/ http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclegwstorage.html http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/stories/20-ways-to-conserve-water-at-home https://water.usgs.gov/edu/sc1.html http://www2.worldwater.org/data.html http://www2.worldwater.org/data20082009/Table19.pdf