Water Conservation

In recent years, the U.S. has experienced some of the worst droughts on record. Combine this with growing cities, and it is clear to see why demands on our precious water reserves are greater than ever before. Governments, water authorities, and the wider community are striving for dramatic long-term solutions. As water restrictions tighten, it's a timely reminder that we need to work together in order to preserve this resource for a sustainable future. By lowering the demand for water, capital expenditure on new water, storage, and sewerage works can be deferred.

Water conservation is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce our demand for water. Using less water also puts less pressure on our fresh water and sewage treatment facilities and reduces the energy to treat and pump this water.

The American Water Works Association states:

-1 out of 5 toilets are leaking over 20 gallons of water per day.
-A silent leak in a toilet can waste 500 gallons of water a day.
-85 percent of water leakage in residential plumbing systems is found in the toilet.
-The majority of toilet leaks are caused by a faulty or worn flapper.
-Toilets account for 26.7% of the National Indoor per capita use of water.
-13.7% of all indoor water use per person per day is due to leaking toilets and dripping faucets.

Did you know?




-The installation of the wrong flapper on a water-efficient fixture could result in water consumption amounts as high as 4.4 gallons for non-adjustable flappers and 3.4 gallons for adjustable flappers.

-Only a few toilet fixtures maintained a flush volume near 1.6 gpf when fitted with universal aftermarket flappers.

-Flapper replacements must be matched to the model of the toilet to ensure continued low-consumption characteristics.

-The bathroom accounts for 75 percent of the water used inside the home.

-The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are more than 222 million residential toilets, which means the United States is potentially losing more than 11 million gallons of water a minute due to faulty flappers.

 

Facts about the water in your home

• The majority of homeowners know that fixing a leaky toilet can help save money and water.

However, 35 percent are unaware that a leaky, running toilet wastes more water than a dripping faucet. In fact, reparing a leaky toilet can save hundreds of gallons a day.

• Approximately one in five homeowners suspects that at least one toilet in their home is not working properly

Signs that the toilet is leaking include the sound of running water and the toilet turning on and off without being flushed. After discovering that a toilet is not working properly, more than half of all homeowners indicated a willingness to go to a hardware store to buy a part and fix it themselves rather than having to call a plumber.

• Sixty-six percent of of Americans would be motivated to make more of an effort to conserve water if they were able to see water and money savings each month.

Sharing the monthly water bill and usages fees with all of the members of the household can help encourage water conservation in the home.

• Only one percent of the the world's water supply is avaliable for human use- the rest of the world's fresh water is locked in icecaps and glaciers.

This small percent must satisfy the world's argicultural, manufacturing, commercial, community, household, and sanitation needs. Americans actually drink very little of our processed drinking water. The rest of the water used in the home goes on lawns, in washing machines, and down toilets and drains.

• Nearly all homeowners in the U.S. consider water conservation to be important to them.

Now more than ever people are concerned about water conservation, and believe that their individual water-saving efforts can have a great effect on the national water supply.

• Homeowners can protect the environment while also reducing utility bills by ensuring that plumbing fixtures are functioning properly in the home.