FYN: Water Conservation
Index of Topics:
Water Facts
- Many homes lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking and drinking.
- A faucet that leaks one drop per second will waste 3,000 of water in one year.
- Florida has more than 7,700 freshwater lakes and more than 8,000 miles of shoreline.
- Among all the states east of the Mississippi River, Florida ranks first in terms of amount of water consumed in agricultural irrigation.
- Typically less than 1% of all water treated for drinking is actually consumed by people. 99% of all water treated for drinking is used for things like showers, lawn sprinkling, to flush toilets, etc.
- A full grown tree emits 70 gallons of water into the atmosphere every day.
- In Florida we use twice the amount of water in Lake Okeechobee each year.
- It is estimated that each person in our region uses an average of 124 gallons of water each day. A large power plant often uses ,ore than 2 million gallons of water per day.
- The average Floridian uses about 124 gallons of water a day.
- Approximately 85% of our water supply comes from ground water pumped from aquifers.
- West-Central Florida receives approximately 53 inches of rainfall a year.
- Typically, we get 60 to 65 percent of our rainfall between June and September, but lose nearly three-fourths to evaporation.
- Typically, outdoor water use accounts for up to 50% of water consumed by households.
- A garden hose without a shutoff nozzle can pour out 530 gallons in an hour.
Water Trivia
- How much water does it take to
process a quarter pound of hamburger?
Approximately one gallon. - How much water does it take to make four new tires?
2,072 gallons - What is the total amount of water used to manufacture a new car,
including new tires?
39,090 gallons per car - How many households use private wells for their water supply?
17,000,000 households - Water is the only substance found on earth naturally in the three
forms.
True (solid, liquid, and gas) - Does water regulate the earth's temperature?
Yes (it is a natural insulator) - How long can a person live without food?
More than a month - How long can a person live without water?
Approximately one week, depending upon conditions. - How much water must a person consume per day to maintain health?
2.5 quarts from all sources (i.e., water, food) - How much water does a birch tree give off per day in
evaporation?
70 gallons - How much water does an acre of corn give off per day in
evaporation?
4,000 gallons - How many miles of pipeline and aqueducts are in the US and
Canada?
Approximately one million miles, or enough to circle the earth 40 times - What were the first water pipes made from in the US?
Fire charred bored logs - How much water is used to flush a toilet?
2-7 gallons - How much water is used in the average five-minute shower?
25-50 gallons - How much water is used to brush your teeth?
2 gallons - How much water is used on the average for an automatic
dishwasher?
9-12 gallons - On the average, how much water is used to hand wash dishes?
20 gallons - How many community public water systems are there in the United
States?
56,000 - How much water do these utilities process daily?
34 billion gallons - Of the nation's community water supplies, how many are
investor-owned?
32,500 - How much water does the average residence use during a year?
107,000 gallons - How much water does an individual use daily?
50 gallons - What does a person pay for water on a daily basis?
National average is 25 cents - How much of the earth's surface is water?
80% - Of all the earth's water, how much is ocean or seas?
97% - How much of the world's water is frozen and therefore unusable?
2% - How much of the earth's water is suitable for drinking water?
1% - Is it possible for me to drink water that was part of the
dinosaur era?
Yes - If all community water systems had to be replaced, what would it
cost?
In excess of $175 billion - What does it cost to operate the water systems throughout the
country annually?
Over $3.5 billion - How much does one gallon of water weigh?
8.34 pounds - How many gallons of water would it take to cover one square mile
with one foot of water?
219 million gallons - How much water is in one cubic foot?
7.48 gallons - How many gallons of water do you get per acre, when it rains one
inch?
27,000 gallons per acre - At what temperature does water freeze?
32 degrees F, 0 degrees C - At what temperature does water vaporize?
212 degree F, 100 degrees C - What is the most common substance found on earth?
Water - How much of the human body is water?
66% - How much of a chicken is water?
75% - How much of a pineapple is water?
80% - How much of a tomato is water?
95% - How much of an elephant is water?
70% - How much of an ear of corn is water?
80% - How much water does it take to process one chicken?
11.6 gallons - How much water does it take to process one can of fruit or
vegetables?
9.3 gallons - How much water does it take to process one barrel of beer?
1,500 gallons - How much water does it take to make one board foot of lumber?
5.4 gallons - How much water does it take to make one pound of plastic ?
24 gallons - How much water does it take to make one pound of wool or cotton?
101 gallons - How much water does it take to refine one barrel of crude oil?
1,851 gallons - How much does it take to produce one ton of steel?
62,600 gallons - How much water does it take to process one ton of cane sugar to
make processed sugar?
28,100 gallons - How much water does it take to process one ton of beet sugar to
make processed sugar?
33,100 gallons
