What is happening in our nation? A glance at water practices and usage in the USA

Statistics:

• In 2005, about 410,000 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water was withdrawn for use in the United States.
• In 2005 California and Texas used the most water out of the U.S., between 20,000 and 46,000 gallons of water a day.
• Irrigation accounts for about a third of water use and is currently the largest use of fresh water in the United States.

• Nationally, most toilets use 3.5 gallons per flush.
• Toilets, showers, and faucets combined represent two-thirds of all indoor water use.
• More than 4.8 billion gallons of water is flushed down toilets each day in the United States.
• The average American uses about 9,000 gallons of water to flush 230 gallons of waste down the toilet per year
• Effective January 1, 1994, the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-486) requires that all new toilets produced for home use must operate on 1.6 gallons per flush or less (Shepard, 1993).
• Plastic containers (such as plastic milk jugs) can be filled with water or pebbles and placed in a toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
• Showers account for about 20 percent of total indoor water use. By replacing standard 4.5-gallon-per-minute showerheads with 2.5-gallon-per-minute heads, which cost less than $5 each, a family of four can save approximately 20,000 gallons of water per year (Jensen, 1991).
• On an annual average basis, outdoor water use in the arid West and Southwest is much greater than that in the East or Midwest. Nationally, lawn care accounts for about 32 percent of the total residential outdoor use. Other outdoor uses include washing automobiles, maintaining swimming pools, and cleaning sidewalks and driveways.
• SITE USED: http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/chap3.cfm

Tips/How our nation is conserving:

• Organizations offering water awareness courses for the public such as  Transition Santa Cruz- http://transitionsc.org/
• Conservation of water in the home and public spaces- More and more companies and consumers are converting their indoor plumbing to encompass more water saving practices such as low flush toilets, shower heads, faucets, and rerouting of grey water into the landscape.
• EPA Partnership Programs- These programs address environmental issues, including water conservation, and work collaboratively with entire communities on an individual and public level to covert to water safe practices
• Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems Program (Septic Systems)
• National Awareness through 100 water saving tips that can be implemented by every individual
• Domestic wastewater composed of wash water from kitchen sinks and tubs, clothes washers, and laundry tubs is called gray water (USEPA, 1989). Gray water can be used by homeowners for home gardening, lawn maintenance, landscaping, and other innovative uses. The City of St. Petersburg, Florida, has implemented an urban dual distribution system for reclaimed water for nonpotable uses. This system provides reclaimed water for more than 7,000 residential homes and businesses (USEPA, 1992).