10 Amazing Facts About Worldwide Water Use

By Tina McCarthy, EcoSalon. Posted October 14, 2009.

Find out facts like how many million gallons per day the Tiger Woods Golf Course uses or the amount of water you can save by cutting your shower just one minute.

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Considering that less than 1 percent of all the water on the planet is usable freshwater, we’re not nearly as careful as we should be with this precious resource. Here are some amazing facts to put things in perspective.

Set in the desert of Dubai, the Tiger Woods Golf Course uses 4 million gallons of water every day to maintain its lush appearance.
Since 1950, water usage in the United States has risen 127 percent.
Even though each person only requires 48 liters of water on a daily basis, individuals in the United States use an average of 500 liters, those in Canada an average of 300 liters and those in England an average of 200 liters.
Of all the water that enters each household, about 95% of it ends up down the drain.
With access to just 5 liters of water each day, more than a billion people in water poor regions around the globe survive on the same amount used to flush a toilet or take a 5-minute shower.
If you shorten your showers by just a single minute, you can save approximately 700 gallons of water in a month.
Letting the tap run when you brush your teeth wastes up to 4 gallons of water every time.
It takes an average of 300 gallons to water your lawn. During the summer, this can account for almost half of your water usage.
Every time you throw your clothes in the washer, you use about 50 gallons of water.
Another wasteful desert endeavor, the proposed Waveyards water park in Mesa, Arizona will require up to 100 million gallons of groundwater every year in an area that receives a mere 8 inches of rainfall in that time.

So, what can we do? Learn more about water conservation, and check out 100 ways you can conserve water.

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Nonsense in the midst of hyperbole [Report this comment] Posted by: John Rice on Oct 15, 2009 8:49 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Tina,,, Your 10 amazing facts would be even more amazing if true. Unfortunately, many of the 10 are nonsense. To wit: (#1 and #2 are OK.) 3. “Even though each person only requires 48 liters of water on a daily basis, individuals in the United States use an average of 500 liters, those in Canada an average of 300 liters and those in England an average of 200 liters.” Wait now—you’re telling me that I need 48 liters per day—13 gallons of water per day--just to survive? Are you certain a decimal point isn’t missing—that it should be 4.8 liters per day? (Hint--It would also jive w/ #5 below with at least that part having correct data.) 4. OK 5. “With access to just 5 liters of water each day, more than a billion people in water poor regions around the globe survive on the same amount used to flush a toilet or take a 5-minute shower.” Ooops—logic error—you equate access to 5 liters of water to a 5 minute shower. That would be a liter per minute out the shower head—at most a fine misting. Suggestion—take a bucket to the shower with you and after you adjust it the way you like it, hold the bucket up to the shower head and time how long it takes to fill it, or 1 minute, whichever comes first. You might be amazed. 6. “If you shorten your showers by just a single minute, you can save approximately 700 gallons of water in a month.” Sure you could—if you took 11 showers per day or used a garden hose as a showerhead. With any kind of a normal shower head—no way. #7, 8, 9, are using meaningless numbers that mean nothing. 10. Yes—it wastes a lot of water—many other businesses waste more. So what? Your writing is on behalf of the betterment of the earth—a good thing. The facts are clearly in your favor. You do your arguments a disservice when the math is wrong or the facts are misstated—it destroys your credibility—and there is no need. Clean it up, get your facts together and keep on writing your good thoughts. Thanks,,,John [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: Nonsense in the midst of hyperbole Posted by: MonkeyDaddy » RE: Nonsense in the midst of hyperbole Posted by: astron0t Fountain Hills [Report this comment] Posted by: ezside on Oct 17, 2009 6:54 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] The fountain in Fountin Hills, AZ (not too far from the water park in Mesa) uses between 1.6 and 2.5 million gallons of water per day -- close to a billion gallons a year, at full tilt. At least Tiger woods is a golf course and the water park could be fun... [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Nonsense in the midst of hyperbole Posted by: MonkeyDaddy

» RE: Nonsense in the midst of hyperbole Posted by: astron0t

» RE: Nonsense in the midst of hyperbole Posted by: MonkeyDaddy

» RE: Nonsense in the midst of hyperbole Posted by: astron0t

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