How Much Water Does the Average U.S. Household Employ?

The U.s. is deemed the "State of Plenty," partly for its abundant h2o resource. It'southward home to the largest freshwater lake system worldwide (the Great Lakes), which holds six quadrillion gallons of water. And let's not forget the mighty Mississippi River, which flows at around 4.4 million gallons per second, supplying h2o to nigh 15 million people along the way.

Commonly, the water from these and other sources is treated and delivered to homes and businesses, where it'due south used for a wide variety of purposes, such equally bathing, showering, washing our clothes and dishes, preparing our favorite meals, etc. Heck, some of us fifty-fifty use information technology for fun, outdoor h2o games, and filling swimming pools. But how much of it do nosotros apply every mean solar day? Where does it come from? Will it ever run out? Let's settle these concerns once and for all.

Water Usage in a Typical American Home: The Numbers

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the typical American household uses over 300 gallons of water per twenty-four hour period. To some people, that corporeality might not seem like a lot, simply when you consider that there are over 130 million households in America, the combined usage is massive!

Based on the most recent data bachelor from the U.s. Geological Survey (USGS), Americans used an estimated 322 billion gallons of fresh and saline water per twenty-four hour period in 2015. That means on any given day in that year, Americans withdrew enough water to fill 1,163 Empire State Buildings. Again, these are 2015 numbers. Until more than current information becomes available, we can assume that those numbers have probably increased somewhat over the past few years.

Where does the water come up from, and where does it become?

Well, based on 2015 data, the bulk – 61.5 percent or 198 billion gallons per 24-hour interval – of water withdrawals came from surface water, such as rivers, lakes, streams, etc. Approximately 25 percent of freshwater withdrawals, totaling 82 billion gallons per day, was from groundwater. The remaining 13 percent came from saline sources.

Toilet
Toilets use 24% of water in Usa homes

As for where the water goes, a survey conducted by the Water Research Foundation revealed that toilets employ 24 percent of the 300 gallons of h2o used per day by the average American family, 20 per centum is used for baths and showers, 19 percentage is from the faucet, 17 percentage is used to operate washing machines and dishwashers, 8 percent is used for various activities, and a staggering 12 percent is from h2o leakage.

Here'southward a breakdown of EPA estimates on the number of gallons the average American uses in each room each mean solar day:

Indoor sources of h2o use Gallons per person, per solar day
Toilet 18.v
Washing Machine 15
Shower 11.six
Faucet 10.nine
Dishwasher 1

Of course, other external sources eat plenty of water. For example, if you have a big yard full of thick, dark-green grass, you likely h2o it every day with a hose to maintain its lush, vibrant await. Or perhaps you have a sprinkler system in place to practise the job.

Watering a large lawn in dryer regions can account for more than than one-half of a household's h2o use. Worse, some sprinkler systems are inefficient, with only half of the water making it into the soil. The residue of the water is lost due to wind, runoff, evaporation, and poor design.

Swimming pools likewise consume large volumes of h2o. A regular swimming pool will agree at least 10,000 gallons of water, with larger pools holding well over twenty,000 gallons. In hot regions, evaporation can easily remove up to a quarter-inch of h2o daily in a 14 x 24-anxiety pool, which works out to over sixty gallons per day!

Before we motion on to the next department, go on in listen that the estimates stated in the tabular array above can change based on how many people you have in your household, your house'southward size, and several environmental factors surrounding your home. Also, be mindful that your household water use can be direct proportional to the number of people living in your area.

Some of the states with the highest household water usage over the decade experienced the most population growth. States, such every bit Utah, Idaho, Texas, and Florida, have seen increases in their average water usage per person, possibly due to population growth. Yet, other factors, like climate change, tin can dramatically affect water usage in your home.

How does increased household water usage touch on local h2o supply and quality?

The combined water usage of every household in your community collectively puts a strain on your local h2o supply. The higher the total use, the more water has to be treated and distributed to run into the increased demand. Now, any level of increase tin negatively affect communities where access to clean water is minimal. Besides, some cities with crumbling water treatment and commitment systems often experience service disruptions due to leaks and breakages, which could cause wastage or shortages and introduce toxic contaminants to your water supply. Furthermore, crumbling pipes, leaky water mains, and faulty meters could hateful higher prices for consumers (similar yourself), water restrictions for long periods to manage shortages, and expensive water treatment projects to upgrade outdated facilities.

Will America ever run out of water?

There's no definite answer to this question, but it'due south important to notation that households aren't the biggest consumers of water in the U.S. The agronomical industry uses up to 70 percent of clean drinking h2o globally. This makes sense since plants demand water to abound and produce, and animals need water to drink to remain alive and salubrious.

Technically, nosotros aren't running out of water on a whole – we're running out of admission to clean drinking water. And with factors similar climatic change, rapid population growth, and more frequent storms, fires, and drought, gaining access to make clean drinking water gets more challenging every day.

To make things worse, researchers at NASA discovered that 21 out of 37 of the world's largest aquifers have depleted lower than they tin sustain the populations that rely on them. In other words, nosotros're using water from these aquifers faster than they are being replenished. Even Americans are at adventure. A recent Reuters written report shows that 96 water basins out of the 204 supplying virtually of the country with fresh water could neglect to come across monthly demand in 2071.

So, what can you do?

For starters, learn more about your home h2o usage. Bank check your latest water bill to see how much water y'all used for the month. Most water bills volition include a monthly comparing for the previous 12 months.

Take things further by looking at some of the water-reliant fixtures and appliances in your habitation, including your toilet, dishwasher, washing machine, and water heater. For instance, by replacing one-time, inefficient toilets and other fixtures with WaterSense models, the average family could save thousands of gallons of h2o and reduce their water costs per year. You tin also retrofit your older appliances with WaterSense-labeled fixtures or upgrade to newer Energy STAR certified appliances. These simple actions can end up saving you hundreds of dollars a year!

Another smart matter to practice is keep lookout for leaks, including toilets that "run" continuously, dripping faucets, and leaking shower heads. According to the EPA, a typical family can waste 180 gallons a week (nine,400 gallons a year) from household leaks.

Several other unproblematic strategies include cut back on the time you lot spend running the faucet for daily tasks, similar taking a shower, brushing your teeth, or washing dishes by hand. But higher up all, investing in a water filtration system helps ensure access to clean drinking h2o in your habitation. Springwell'due south water filtration systems are uniquely designed to target and remove up to 99 percent of water contaminants that could wreak havoc in your dwelling and severely touch on your health and that of your loved ones.

Contact us today to learn more than about our water filtration systems, ask questions, provide feedback, or report a problem. We'll as well provide all the information you demand to choose a unit that best fits your upkeep and needs.

Last Thoughts

The average American household uses a lot of water – 300 gallons a 24-hour interval, to be exact. Unless we discover ways to cut back on our water usage, we will be heading down a dry path. Thankfully, nosotros've provided some simple steps above to help keep your household water usage in check, saving yous money and helping to preserve local water supply and quality at the same time.