After using the water calculator to calculate my water usage, the results reported that I use approximately 188 gallons per day, 1,316 gallons per week, 5,264 gallons of water per month and 68,432 gallons of water per year. My water usage was calculated by taking the total amount of showers I take daily, with the amount of times I flush the toilet and how long I leave the water running. I generally take 2 showers a day for approximately 15 minutes. In addition I sometimes leave the water running for approximately 15 minutes at a time when I brush my teeth or wash dishes by hand. Lastly, I flush the toilet approximately 2 times a day. My showers are even longer when I have to wash my hair. Rather than showering for 15 minutes I sometimes shower for 30 minutes in order to wash my hair. Similarly, when I have more dishes to wash, I sometimes wash dishes longer than 15 minutes.
I do not generally conserve water as much as I should. After completing this assignment I see the importance of conserving water. In places such as California, there is a drought and residents are not allowed to use water as freely as they would like. They must be more conscientious and sustainable when using water. For example, people who reside in California are not allowed to water their yard because they must conserve water as much as possible. At times, I tend not to think about my water usage because unlike California, we are not in a drought and always have easy access to water.
I am surprised by the amount of water I use daily because I can always take the necessary steps to reduce this amount by taking shorter showers or turning off the water when I am showering. I can also turn off the running water when I wash the dishes or while I am brushing my teeth. Lastly, I can reduce water usage by getting a low efficient toilet that allows you to do "full" flushes and "half" flushes. Some ways that water is used outside the home is using water to wash cars, or water the lawn, fishing, watering flowers and water beds, or to give our pets a bath.
