There’s more to daily water use than you think!
Most people go throughout their day without thinking about where exactly their water is coming from and how much of it they are using. We turn on our sink tap and always expect water to come flowing out. When we do take a moment to think about our water use, common activities come to mind: showering, brushing our teeth, flushing our toilets, etc. However, many of us forget to take into account the water that we use indirectly, like the water that is used to make our food, water contained in the products we buy, or the water used produce our energy.
Did you know that for each mile we drive, about 7 gallons of water is used? Do you have a cat or dog at home? There’s a lot of water that goes into their food too! Water is used to make the new clothes and products we buy. It takes about 100 gallons to grow and process 1 pound of cotton and on average, we go through about 35 pounds per person of new cotton each year. Reading this blog on your smart phone? Well, it took about 3,190 gallons to make your device.
On top of this, many Long Islanders love their lawns – or should we say Lawn Islanders! In the summer, about 90% of water use on Long Island goes towards watering lawns.
Although supply is cheap and plentiful, excess water use does threaten the quality and quantity of our water supply. In some areas of Nassau County’s north and south shores and around Montauk in Suffolk County, overuse is leading to saltwater intrusion –salt water seeps into Long Island’s sole source aquifer when the amount of fresh water being removed exceeds the amount being replenished by precipitation. Excess irrigation on lawns, golf courses and other green spaces also affects water quality. Runoff from watering lawns or irrigating farms causes excess nitrogen and pesticides to enter our water bodies.
Want to find out how much water you use? – Visit https://www.watercalculator.org/
After you discover how much you use, the site provides great tips on how you can reduce your water consumption!
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