Water conservation facts

The following water conservation facts and statements have been reviewed and approved by the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Communications Department and the Conservation Projects Section of the Resource Conservation & Development Department. These were approved in March 2006 and will remain in effect until March 2008. At that time, these will be reviewed to determine if any should be updated.

These facts and statements have been categorized by keyword and repeated as appropriate for ease of use.

Area Water Use, Water Supply and Rainfall Data

  • It is estimated that each person in our region uses an average of 124 gallons of water each day. A large power plant often uses more than 2 million gallons of water per day.

  • The average Floridian uses about 124 gallons of water a day.

  • By reducing water consumption from 9,000 gallons to 8,000 gallons per month, a family can save an average of $34.20 annually on their water bill (an estimated savings of $2.85 per 1,000 gallons) or $61.56 on their combined water and sewer bill (an estimated savings of $5.13 per 1,000 gallons). (This information came from Planning on 2/24/06.)

  • Approximately 85 percent of our water supply comes from ground water pumped from aquifers.

  • West-central Florida receives approximately 53 inches of rainfall a year.

  • In our region of Florida, we usually receive between 50–55 inches of rain every year.

  • Typically, we get 60 to 65 percent of our rainfall between June and September, but lose nearly three-fourths to evaporation.

Outdoor Statements: Miscellaneous:

  • Typically, outdoor water use accounts for up to 50 percent of water consumed by households.

  • A garden hose without a shutoff nozzle can pour out 530 gallons of water in an hour.

  • Definition of drought tolerant: describes plants that require less water because they are adapted to regions with frequent drought or to soils with low water-holding capacity

Watering Efficiently (from FYN Handbook 2006 version):

  • Most watering restrictions limit irrigation to certain days and times. But realize that even if it is your assigned day to irrigate, that does not mean you must irrigate. Scheduled watering can waste time, money and resources.

  • Follow your city or county water restrictions and water only on the day(s) specified. But before you water, check your grass to see if it is stressed and needs watering or whether you can wait until the next scheduled watering day. Stressed grass will have folded leaves and be bluish-gray in color. Apply ½” to ¾” of water.

  • Follow this simple watering schedule for grass: Apply ½” to ¾” of water when grass shows signs of distress (bluish-gray color/folded leaf blades). Do not water again until symptoms reappear. (They must still follow water restrictions. For instance, if symptoms appear after 6 days, but water restrictions are 1x per week, they can't irrigate yet.)

  • Don’t let the calendar tell you when to water — look to your plants for telltale signs of water needs.

  • Water lawns when 50 percent of the lawn shows signs of wilt: leaf blades folded in half, blue-gray color and footprints remain on the lawn.

  • If rain is predicted within 24 hours, don’t irrigate.

  • Water early in the morning (4 – 7 a.m.). This is the most efficient time because temperature and wind speeds are at their lowest, which reduces evaporation. Also, grasses are less susceptible to fungus if water is applied at the time that dew normally forms.

  • By choosing and operating a watering system correctly, you can reduce water bills, insect and disease problems, and maintenance problems. For example, the more you water your lawn, the faster it grows and the more it needs to be mowed.

  • If you have an automatic sprinkler system, install a rain shutoff device or sensor that will override the system when it rains. Set this device to shut off your system when a half inch of rain has fallen.

  • Use a rain gauge to measure rainfall volume.

  • Experiment with gradual reductions in irrigation to see if plants can tolerate less water. Some people use no irrigation, but have healthy plants.

  • Water less in cooler months (November–March). Turn off automatic watering systems in summer if rainfall is consistent and in winter months when little water evaporates.

  • Make sure your sprinkler system is applying uniform coverage and operating properly. This single action proves to be one of the best ways to conserve water.

  • Sprinkler water misdirected toward the pavement is more likely to run off the impervious surface and be wasted.

  • Check your sprinkler heads periodically for broken heads or leaks.

  • When micro-irrigation equipment is not properly used or scheduled, overwatering can result. Light, frequent watering can also encourage disease and create shallow root systems, which reduces drought-resistance. Check the soil moisture content around the plant’s root system to see if watering is actually needed.

Lawn maintenance:

  • Never remove more than one-third of the height of the grass at one time.

  • If your yard isn’t turf intensive, you’ll mow less, saving time, energy and money. Where grass doesn’t serve a function, opt for low-maintenance groundcovers instead of grass, or plant shade-tolerant shrubs and groundcovers under trees.

  • Maintaining a 3-inch layer of mulch will help retain moisture, suppress weeds, etc.

  • Position trees and shrubs strategically to improve your home’s heating and cooling capacity. Tree shade, for instance, can reduce air conditioning costs by as much as 30 percent.

  • Grass height:

    • St. Augustine – Keep at minimum height of 3”–4”, except dwarf varieties, which can be cut shorter.

    • Centipede grass – When actively growing, mow every 7 to 14 days to 1 1/2” – 2”.

    • Bermudagrass: Cut at a height of ¾” – 1 ½”. This may require mowing one to three times per week.

    • Seashore paspalum: Cut at a height of 1” – 2”.

    • Bahiagrass: Cut at a height of 3” – 4"

Indoor Statements

  • Faucets:

    • Repairing a dripping faucet can save up to 30 gpd.

    • If your existing faucet flows above 2.5 gallons per minute, install a low-flow faucet or aerator. For a bathroom faucet, a 1.5-gallons-per-minute flow will provide sufficient water for personal hygiene needs. For a kitchen faucet, you may want a 2.5-gallons-per-minute flow to make sure the flow of water is sufficient to wash and rinse dishes.

    • Water losses caused by dripping faucets can range from several gallons to hundreds of gallons of water per day.

  • Toilets:

    • Detect toilet leaks by adding leak detector tablets or a few drops of food coloring to the toilet tank. If the tank is leaking, color will appear in the bowl within 10–15 minutes. Flush immediately after testing.

    • Fix the toilet leak and you can save as much as 100 gallons of water per day.

    • Toilet water use can be cut by 30 percent with a toilet tank dam or displacement bag.

    • Place a dye tablet inside the toilet tank; if the tank is leaking, color will appear in the bowl within 10 to 15 minutes. Flush immediately after testing.

    • Since the mid-1990s, all new toilets have been redesigned to conserve water, using 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Older models use 3 gallons or more per flush.

  • Appliances:

    • When you replace clothes washers, consider a water-efficient model that uses an average of 27 gallons of water per load. Front loaders use 20–25 gallons. Older and non-water-efficient clothes washers can use as much as 56 gallons of water per load.

  • Showers and Tubs:

    • New low-volume showerheads deliver 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Older high-volume showerheads can deliver as much as 8 gallons per minute.

    • Check your showerhead. If it is leaking or the flow rate is more than three gallons per minute, you should replace it with a low-flow version (2.5 gallons per minute maximum). This can save up to 37 gallons per day.

    • Shower water use can be cut by 50 percent with a low-flow showerhead.

    • Save up to 1,000 gallons per month: Limit showers to five minutes and install water-efficient showerheads.

    • Dripping showerheads can waste 75 to several hundred gallons of water a week, depending on the size of the drip.

    • The older the showerhead, the more water it uses. New low-volume showerheads deliver 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Older high-volume fixtures can deliver as much as 8 gallons per minute.

  • Leaks:

    • Fixing leaks and installing a few inexpensive water-saving devices in your home could save you an estimated 20,000 gallons of water each year.

    • Leaks inside your toilet can waste up to 100 gallons of water a day.

    • If a leak inside your toilet is left unrepaired for six months, as much as 18,000 gallons of water goes unused down the drain.

    • After you fix your toilet, unless it is a newer water-saving fixture, make sure you install a toilet retrofit device. It saves about 9 gallons of water a day.

    • Water losses caused by leaking faucets can range from several gallons to hundreds of gallons of water per day.

    • To check for leaks, go to your water meter and record the current reading. Wait 30 minutes. Do not use the water within the 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, record the meter reading to determine if any leaks are present.

    • Repairing a dripping faucet can save up to 30 gpd.

    • Detect toilet leaks by adding leak detector tablets or a few drops of food coloring to the toilet tank. If the tank is leaking, color will appear in the bowl within 10–15 minutes. Flush immediately after testing.

    • Fix the toilet leak and you can save as much as 100 gallons of water per day.

    • Dripping showerheads can waste 75 to several hundred gallons of water a week, depending on the size of the drip.

  • Aerators:

    • If your existing aerator flows more than 3 gallons per minute, you should replace it with a low-flow aerator. This one simple step can save from 36 to 50 gallons per day.

    • In your kitchen, you may want a 2.5-gallons-per-minute aerator.

    • Bathroom faucet needs a 1.5- to 2.5-gallons-per- minute aerator.

    • Laundry tub needs a 1.5- to 2.5-gallons-per-minute aerator.

    • Faucet water use can be cut by 50 percent with a low-flow faucet aerator.

    • Even a small faucet leak can waste 300 or more gallons of water per month.

    • Leaky faucet (fast drip): 20–30 gallons per day

    • Leaky faucet (slow drip): 5–10 gallons per day

  • Miscellaneous Savings Statements:

    • Save up to 1,000 gallons per month: Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and shaving.

    • Save up to 250 gallons per month: Rinse fruit and veggies in a bowl of water instead of under running water.

    • Save up to1,300 gallons per month: Replace older toilets with new low-flow models.

    • Save up to 1,000 gallons per month: Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when full.

    Water-Use Activities

    General Water-Use Activities With Non-Conserving and Conserving Fixtures:

    Activity

    Non-conserving

    Conserving

    Dishwasher

    12 gallons per load

    7 gallons per load

    Toilet Flushing

    5 gallons per flush (average)

    1.6 gallons per flush

    Bathing

    36 gallons (full tub)

    Laundry

    47 gallons per full load

    27 gallons per full load

    Brushing Teeth

    4 gallons per minute

    1.5–2.5 gpm

    Washing Hands

    4 gallons per minute

    1.5–2.5 gpm

    Hand Washing Dishes

    4 gallons per minute

    1.5–2.5 gpm

    Shower

    4 gallons per minute

    2.5 gpm

    Yard Watering by Hand

    9 gallons per minute

  • General Water-Use Activities Involving Time:

  • Brushing teeth with water running: 5 minutes times 4 gpm

  • Leaky faucet (fast drip): 20–30 gallons per day

  • Leaky faucet (slow drip): 5–10 gallons per day

  • Shower: 4 gallons per minute

  • Running hose (9 gpm): 530 gallons per hour

  • Retrofit

    • Fixing leaks and installing a few inexpensive water-saving devices in your home could save you an estimated 20,000 gallons of water each year.

    • Most retrofit devices will reduce your water and sewer bill enough to pay for themselves within six months.

    • After you fix any toilet leaks, unless it is a newer water-saving fixture, make sure you install a toilet retrofit device. It saves about 9 gallons of water a day.

    • Since the mid-1990s, all new toilets have been redesigned to conserve water, using 1.6 gallons of water per flush.

    • If your existing faucet flows above 2.5 gallons per minute, install a low-flow faucet or aerator. For a bathroom faucet, a 1.5-gallons-per-minute flow will provide sufficient water for personal hygiene needs. For a kitchen faucet, you may want a 2.5-gallons-per-minute flow to make sure the flow of water is sufficient to wash and rinse dishes.

    • Toilet water use can be cut by 30 percent with a toilet tank dam or displacement bag.

    • Since the mid-1990s, all new toilets have been redesigned to conserve water, using 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Older models use 3 gallons or more per flush.

    • When you replace clothes washers, consider a water-efficient model that uses an average of 27 gallons of water per load. Front loaders use 20–25 gallons. Older and non-water-efficient clothes washers can use as much as 56 gallons of water per load.

    • New low-volume showerheads deliver 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Older high-volume showerheads can deliver as much as 8 gallons per minute.

    • Check your showerhead. If it is leaking or the flow rate is more than three gallons per minute, you should replace it with a low-flow version (2.5 gallons per minute maximum). This can save up to 37 gallons per day.

    • Shower water use can be cut by 50 percent with a low-flow showerhead.

    • Save up to 1,000 gallons per month: Limit showers to five minutes and install water-efficient showerheads.

    • The older the showerhead, the more water it uses. New low-volume showerheads deliver 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Older high-volume fixtures can deliver as much as 8 gallons per minute.

    • If you have an automatic sprinkler system, install a rain shutoff device or sensor that will override the system when it rains. Set this device to shut off your system when a half inch of rain has fallen.

  • Reuse

    • The 259 reuse projects cooperatively funded by the SWFWMD include more than 850 miles of purple pipe, or approximately the same distance as Tampa to Washington, D.C. (If using this statement, check with District reclaimed water person to see if numbers have changed.)

The following water trivia statements have been reviewed and approved by the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Communications Department and the Conservation Projects Section of the Resource Conservation & Development Department. These were approved in March 2006 and will remain in effect until March 2008. At that time, statements will be reviewed to determine if any should be updated.

The following facts are from the USGS, EPA and www.watersmartsystems.com sites.)

1. How long can a person live without food? More than a month

2. How long can a person live without water? Approximately one week, depending upon conditions

3. How much of the human body is water? 65%, or about two-thirds

4. How much of your skin is water? 70%

5. How much of the human brain is water? 75%

6. How much of a living tree is water? 75%

7. How much of a pineapple is water? 80%

8. How much of a tomato is water? 95%

9. How much of an ear of corn is water? 80%

10. How much of a chicken is water? 75%

11. How much of an earthworm is water? 80%

12. How much of an elephant is water? 70%

13. How much of the earth’s surface is water? 75%

14. Of all the earth’s water, how much is ocean or seas? 97%

15. How much of the world’s water is frozen and therefore unusable? 2%

16. How much of the earth’s water is suitable for drinking water? 1%

17. Is it possible for me to drink water that was part of the dinosaur era? Yes - water is constantly recycled

18. What is the most common substance found on earth? Water

19. What does a person pay for water on a daily basis? National average is 25 cents

20. How many households use private wells for their water supply? More than 13 million

21. How much does one gallon of water weigh? 8.34 pounds

22. What is the weight of water in one cubic foot? 62.4 pounds

23. How many gallons of water would it take to cover one cubic mile of water? 1.1 trillion gallons

24. How many gallons of water do you get in one inch of rain per square mile? 17.4 million gallons – or almost the equivalent of all consumptive use of water in Washington D.C. for one day

25. How much water does a birch tree give off per day in evaporation? 70 gallons

26. How much water does an acre of corn give off per day in evaporation? 4,000 gallons

27. How much water does it take to process a quarter pound of hamburger? Approximately one gallon

28. How much water does it take to produce one ton of steel? 62,600 gallons

29. How much water does it take to make four new tires? 2,072 gallons

30. What is the total amount of water used to manufacture a new car, including new tires? 39,090 gallons per car

31. How much water does it take to process a pound of meat? 3.6 gallons

32. How much water does it take to process 1 chicken? 11.6 gallons

33. How much water does it take to process one can of fruit or vegetables? 9.3 gallons

34. How much water does it take to process one ton of cane sugar to make processed sugar? 28,100 gallons

35. How much water does it take to process one ton of beet sugar to make processed sugar? 33,100 gallons

36. How much water does it take to process one barrel of beer? 1,500 gallons

37. How much water does it take to make one board foot of lumber? 5.4 gallons

38. How much water does it take to make one pound of plastic? 24 gallons

39. How much water does it take to make one pound of synthetic rubber? 55 gallons

40. How much water does it take to make a pound of wool or cotton? 101 gallons

41. How much water does it take to make one gallon of paint? 13 gallons

42. How much water does it take to refine one barrel of crude oil? 1,851 gallons

43. How much water does it take to make one car or truck tire or inner tube? 518 gallons

44. How much water does it take to make one ton of cement? 1,360 gallons

45. How much water does it take to produce one ton of steel? 62,600 gallons

46. How much water must a dairy cow drink to produce one gallon of milk? Four gallons

47. How much water is used during the growing/production of a chicken? 400 gallons

48. How much water is used during the growing/production of almonds? 12 gallons

49. How much water is used during the growing/production of French fries? 6 gallons

50. How much water is used during the growing/production of a single orange? 13.8 gallons

51. How much water is used during the growing/production of a watermelon? 100 gallons

52. How much water is used during the growing/production of a loaf of bread? 150 gallons

53. How much water is used during the growing/production of a tomato? 3 gallons

54. How much water is used during the growing/production of rice? 35 gallons

55. How much water us used during the production of an egg? 120 gallons

(The following facts are from the USGS, EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the American Water Works Association sites.)

56. 79 percent of the US population uses surface water; 21 percent of the US population uses ground water

57. About 800,000 water wells are drilled each year in the US for domestic, farming, commercial and water-testing purposes.

58. More than 13 million households get their water from their own private wells and are responsible for treating and pumping the water themselves.

59. Industries released 197 million pounds of toxic chemicals into waterways in 1990.

60. The average daily requirement for fresh water in the United States is about 40 billion gallons a day, with about 300 billion gallons used untreated for agriculture and commercial purposes.

61. You can refill an 8 oz. glass of water approximately 15,000 times for the same cost as a six-pack of soda.

62. If every household in America had a faucet that dripped once each second, 928 million gallons of water a day would leak away.

63. One inch of rainfall drops 7,000 gallons, or nearly 30 tons of water, on a 60’ x 180’ piece of land.

64. 300 million gallons of water are needed to produce a single day’s supply of US newsprint.

65. A person should consume 2.5 quarts of water per day (from all sources of water, food, etc.) to maintain health.

66. Americans drink more than 1 billion glasses of tap water per day.

67. One quart of oil can cause a 2-acre oil slick (which is about the size of 2 football fields).

68. One quart of oil can foul the taste of 250,000 gallons of water.

69. One gallon of gasoline can pollute 750,000 gallons of water.

Water Conservation Facts – District-Approved, March 27, 2006