Moms and Water--What's the Connection?

As another Mother’s Day has just come and gone, I was reflecting on how precious our moms are to us.  They are the driving force behind every family.  How does water come into this picture?  Just like moms, water is a very precious resource that is also the driving force behind everything we do on this earth. 

Below is a quiz to test your knowledge of water use in your home and suggestions to conserve water.  Good luck--answers are below!

Happy belated Mother’s Day!  Give your Mom a hug—water used = 0!

1. The average family of four uses approximately __ gallons of water per day?

A. 50
B. 100
C. 250
D. 400

2. How much water can you save per day by turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime?

A. Up to 2 gallons
B. Up to 4 gallons
C. Up to 8 gallons
D. Up to 6 gallons

3. Which of the following uses less water?

A. Taking a five minute shower
B. Taking a bath

4. In the average household, which of the following wastes the MOST water per day?

A. Running the tap while washing dishes
B. Using a garbage disposal
C. A leaky toilet
D. Long showers

5. How much water is saved per flush with a high-efficiency toilet?

A. 0.6 to 1.9 gallons
B. 2.2 to 5.7 gallons
C. More than 6 gallons

6. Which of the following uses less water?

A. Washing dishes under a running tap
B. Washing dishes in a fully loaded automatic dishwasher without pre-rinsing

7. High-efficiency washing machines save about how much water per load compared to traditional models?

A. 2-5 gallons
B. 7-10 gallons
C. 11-13 gallons
D. 14 gallons or more

8. Easily corrected household water leaks account for what percentage of the average water bill?

A. 2%
B. 4%
C. 6%
D. 8%

Answer Key

1. D	It may seem hard to believe, but the average person uses 100 gallons of water each day—that's enough to fill 1,600 drinking glasses. This water use can easily be cut by as much as 30 percent if American households took a few simple steps to use water more efficiently.
2. C	The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of 2 gallons per minute; by simply turning the tap off, you can save more than 100 gallons of water per person each month.
3. A	Taking a five minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons of water, while a full tub requires about 70 gallons. If you take a bath, stopper the drain immediately and adjust the temperature as you fill the tub.
4. C	A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water every day! To tell if your toilet is leaking, place a drop of food coloring in the tank; if the color shows in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.
5. B	If your toilet is from 1992 or earlier, you probably have an inefficient model that uses between 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. New high-efficiency models use less than 1.3 gallons per flush—that's 60 to 80 percent less water than their less efficient counterparts.
6. B	To waste the least amount of water in the kitchen, operate your automatic dishwasher only when it's fully loaded. Filling the sink or a bowl instead of running water can save an average of 25 gallons.
7. D	High-efficiency washing machines use less than 27 gallons of water per load, compared to traditional models that use an average of 41 gallons. To achieve even greater savings, adjust water levels in the washing machine to match the size of the load.
8. D	Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drip per second can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water each year. If you're unsure if you have a leak, read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.

Quiz was taken from WaterSense, a US EPA Partnership Program