Water, Water, Everywhere, and Many Drops to Think

Have you ever thought about what role WATER plays in our daily lives? We’re used to its non-descript appearance and even its existence. Let’s ponder what we would miss if it weren’t convenient and in relative abundance. 

Water is a necessity for all of the following:

1. Washing and sanitizing self as well as home goods and foods
2. Hydrating and sustaining all living beings
3. Creating food and hydrational materials 
4. Producing energy
5. Performing medical procedures
6. Conducting research and development
7. Transporting
8. Entertaining
9. Participating in religious, cultural and athletic rituals and events
10. Maintaining day-to-day life… and the list continues. 

Consider how humans often don’t abide by basic requirements for ensuring a safe and accessible water supply. These facts may surprise you or at least enhance your sense of respect for water:

1. As much as 50% of our water supply is lost due to wind, evaporation and runoff from improperly designed automatic irrigation systems. This could equate to loss of 25,000 gallons of water annually.
2. Running the faucet during routine hand- and dish-washing can waste 10 gallons of water and uses enough energy to power a 60- watt bulb for 18 hours.
3. Leaking and dripping faucets, and other plumbing devices, can waste about 900 billion gallons of water annually, nationwide.
4. Watering the average-sized lawn 20 minutes a day, 7 days a week, can require the amount of water used to take 800 showers. 
5. When using WaterSense-brand aerators on water fixtures, you might save the amount of water required to wash 88 loads of laundry, thus the financial savings via the devices could result in the aerators paying for themselves in one year. 
6. The presence of toxins, such as cleaning agents, in our water supply, can result in up to 40% of wasted water supply, annually. 
7. Improper use of toilets, such as flushing garbage and other non-biodegradable products, can waste 5-7 gallons of water per flush, and degrade your corresponding waste disposal systems. 
8. Improper use of groundwater could increase salinity (a.k.a., salt content) and scarcity of potable water, which would require more intensive use of power to extract impurities. 

Our need to regulate water usage and to prevent water waste is universal because water misuse fuels climate change. Recent severe weather events in our country have been associated with water-related disturbances, both natural and human-generated. Working together, might we commit to conserving water for the betterment of our world? Perhaps make it a family-and-friends objective. 

To explore how to help collectively ensure healthy and sustainable water usage, please tap into these informative websites, and make waves!: 

1. https://www.thinkh2onow.com/
2. http://www.waterweb.org/
3. https://www.epa.gov/
4. https://wint.ai/ 
5. https://watercalculator.org/ (especially kid-friendly) 

‍Please help preserve and enjoy our water supply by honoring Mother Earth’s beverage!