The Importance of Water Conservation in the Coming Decade
Austin, Texas I saw T. Boone Pickens speak a few years back on the importance of water as a natural and national treasure and his concern for its growing scarcity. In Austin, Texas, for example, our lakes are down about 20 feet from their typical depths due to severe droughts over the past few years.
When it comes to thinking about water, there is often some confusion between renewable and unlimited resources.
Water is a renewable necessity, yet humans treat it as an unlimited resource, which it is not.
People use excessive amounts of water every single day, making it difficult for water to replenish itself at the rate that we use it. Although 70% of earth’s surface is water, 97% of that is salt water. Only 3% is fresh water.
A company called elocal, shared with me this accompanying image and facts.
Between doing dishes, washing clothes and watering our grass, thousands of gallons of water is wasted each year. For example, one household in the U.S. uses 127,000 gallons of water per year.
However, if a family used low-flow fixtures on the faucets, washing machine, shower head and toilet, a household could save 40,000 gallons of water per year. If every home also adopted these same fixtures, we could save 2 trillion gallons of water, worth over $4 billion dollars! As the population continues to grow, we need to think smart and start conserving now before it is too late. We encourage you to start the change in your community.
Think before wasting water. Encourage your family and friends to use it wisely.
Water is not an unlimited resource.
