Essay Example: Water Usage

The above table shows the household water use in a daily schedule for a house in Toms River New Jersey town.

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Daily water use Myself Housemate

Shower 8 gallons Not Applicable

Bath Not Applicable 36 gallons

Teeth Brushing 4 gallons 4 gallons

Hands/ Face Washing 2 gallons 4 gallons

Face/ Leg Shaving 1 gallon 1.5 gallons

Dish Washer 8 gallons Not Applicable

Dish Washing by Hand Not ApplicableNot Applicable

Clothes Washer 40 gallons once a week 80 Gallons twice a week

Toilet Flush 6 gallons 6 gallons

Cooking 4 gallons Not Applicable.

Glass of Water for Drinking 1.5 gallon 1 gallon

Outdoor Watering 12 gallons twice a week Not applicable

Total water used in a day 86.5 gallons 132.5 gallons

Total water used in a week 365.5 gallons 447.5

The house has two occupants in total. In a week we use 813 gallons of water when everyone is in the house. This means that we use 5691 gallons of water in a month and about 68292 gallons of water in a year. This amount includes all the water used for house chores and personal consumption in a house with two occupants. However, daily use is not equal for everyone as shown in the table.

In my house much can be done to save the water I use. First I can reduce the time I take a shower to three minutes instead of the four minutes I take. On teeth brushing, I can replace the install a new bath faucet that uses less water compared to the old one in the house. While washing my hands and face, I wish to be turning off the tap before drying my hands and face. Another option is to install a faucet-head aerator to reduce the rate of water flow. In my house, we use the old model washer which uses more water for a single load. By the end of the year, we should have saved enough to buy a new model which uses less water. To save more water, the toilet needs to be changed, and a new design that uses 1.6 gallons per flush be installed. Before this change is effected, the water level in the tank will be adjusted. Y housemate should stop using the bath and instead use the shower that uses less water.

According to the 2010 united states census, the Toms River New Jersey town has a population of about 95, 000. If other town residents use the same average water in their houses as I do, then in a year the town will use 4336750 units of water.

Calculations

One person uses an average of 68292/2= 34146 gallons or 45.65 units per year (748 gallons are equal to 1 unit)

For the whole town = 95,000 x 45.65 =4336750 units.

According to U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Water Science School, an average American resident uses 90 gallons of water daily with much of that water used indoors where the bathroom is the largest consumer (Howard Perlman, 2017). My water consumption lies in line with an average American in while that of my housemate is beyond the average. By being an average user, it means that more water can be saved as after looking at various ways I can save water I have found that I still have some wastage in that I don't use the latest technology.

References

Howard Perlman, U. (2017). Per capita water use. Water questions and answers; USGS Water Science School. Water.usgs.gov. Retrieved 31 January 2017, from https://water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-home-percapita.html