When making New Year’s resolutions for 2020, add water conservation to your goals! What’s your water footprint?, an article in our Fall 2009 txH2O, lists the amount of water used for many common activities.
A water footprint is the amount of water a person directly or indirectly consumes, including “virtual water,” or water used to produce food, clothing, energy and other everyday items. For example, a cup of coffee uses 37 gallons from growing and processing the beans to making the coffee.
For everyday water use, a bath uses 70 gallons of water compared to a 5-minute shower that uses 10-25 gallons. Non-efficient toilets use from 3.5 to 5 gallons per flush, while ultra-low flow toilets use 1.6 gallons.
The article also lists a few suggestions for reducing water use. Learn more on page 21 in the Fall 2009 issue.
