Cool Water

At Alternet yestiddy, a very affecting musing on the state of H2O:

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.

1. Set in the desert of Dubai, the Tiger Woods Golf Course uses 4 million gallons of water every day to maintain its lush appearance.

2. Since 1950, water usage in the United States has risen 127 percent (per capita).

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.

4. Of all the water that enters each household, about 95% of it ends up down the drain.

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.

6. If you shorten your showers by just a single minute, you can save approximately 700 gallons of water in a month.

7. Letting the tap run when you brush your teeth wastes up to 4 gallons of water every time.

8. It takes an average of 300 gallons to water your lawn. During the summer, this can account for almost half of your water usage.

9. Every time you throw your clothes in the washer, you use about 50 gallons of water.

10. 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.

I have a xeriscaped yard that needs little or no water in addition to what is naturally available here (not much). I have suspended using my evaporative cooler in the summer. I have long since learned to shut off the water when I brush my teeth. I no longer shower every day unless I have exerted myself sufficiently to break a sweat (I'd shower in pairs, if I had a pair). I don't flush every time, only when I poop. I only wash clothes when the washer is full, and the washer is super-efficient, using only about 15 gallons per load, And I don't wash my vehicles, ever...

My one excess: I have a fish-pond which I keep full.