The water hogs in the house
Toilets waste more H2O than any other fixture in the home. Ceramic thrones from 1992 or earlier typically use from 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. And a running toilet runs up the water tab incredibly fast, sending up to 200 gallons per day down the drain. Clothes washers also rank high on the list; Throw in some T-shirts, set the dial on “Large Load,” and some 45 gallons of water swirl through a traditional machine. Luxuriating in the shower can rack up another 12 gallons per minute. Got a pesky dripping faucet? That annoying noise is the sound of up to 20 gallons a day pointlessly lost.
Americans love their gardens, and they value clean cars and driveways, too. The typical suburban household uses at least 30% of their water for irrigation. And a lot of us are wasting a good portion of that water. For starters, over-watering means large quantities of this valuable resource simply evaporate or spill down the driveway and run off into the storm sewer. And in many garden landscapes, extra-thirsty plants suck up much more water than drought-resistant species.
Swimming pool and spa maintenance also make the water meter whirr. Evaporation from uncovered pools means constant refilling to maintain the water line. And how often have you seen someone washing their car with the hose spurting onto the blacktop for long minutes while they soap their sedan?
