When All Hell Breaks Loose (33 page)

If all plumbing fixtures in the United States were replaced with water-conserving fixtures, we could save 3.4 to 8.4 billion gallons of water a day.

The average toilet uses five to seven gallons of water per flush. A shower uses five gallons per minute.

The average bath uses about thirty-six gallons of water.

An average American residence uses 107,000 gallons of water per year. (146,000 gallons per year in some Arizona communities.)

The United States uses about 346,000 billion gallons of freshwater every day, including water used for irrigation, industry, fire fighting, and street cleaning.

Americans use five times the amount of water that Europeans use.

Two-thirds of the water used in an American home is used in the bathroom.

Less than 1 percent of the water treated by public water systems is used for drinking and cooking.

The average person spends less than 1 percent of their total personal expenditure of money for water, wastewater, and water disposal services.

Water expands by nearly one-tenth of its volume when it freezes.

Frozen water is 9 percent lighter than unfrozen water, which is why ice floats.

Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.

Drinking adequate water can significantly reduce joint and back pain.

Adequate hydration can prevent and alleviate headaches.

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