Water is a valuable resource that can easily be wasted. In this task you will Investigate how much water the average American uses each day. You will then
Investigate how much water a family of 4 could save using different strategies,
According to some estimates, the average American uses 80-100 gallons of water
daily. Of this total, the average American uses about:
• 27% by flushing toilets
• 25% while taking showers/baths
• 10% by running the faucet while brushing teeth, washing hands, and shaving
Water is also used for various other purposes (cooking, drinking water, watering
plants, washing clothes, etc.) that account for the remaining percentage of water
used by the average American.
Table 1 shows the average amount of water used during some activities,
Table 1. Water Used by Activity and Duration
Activity
Duration
Amount of Water
Used
Showering
11 minutes 20-25 gallons
Running water in bathtub
while waiting for water to minute 3 gallons
get hot
Leaky faucet
1 second
2 drips
*There is no standard definition of the volume of a faucet drip, but the USGS
Water Science School uses militer (ML) as the volume of a faucet drip. So, by
these drip estimates:
• One gallon = 15,140 drips
• One liter = 4,000 drips
1)What percentage of the average American's daily water usage is
described as "various other purposes"?