What is the average use of water

JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. Please click here to see any active alerts. The Earth might seem like it has abundant water, but in fact less than 1 percent is available for human use. The rest is either salt water found in oceans, fresh water frozen in the polar ice caps, or too inaccessible for practical usage.

While population and demand on freshwater resources are increasing, supply will always remain constant. And although it's true that the water cycle continuously returns water to Earth, it is not always returned to the same place, or in the same quantity and quality.

Water plays a big role in supporting our communities. Without water there would be no local business or industry. Fire-fighting, municipal parks, and public swimming pools all need lots of water. An array of pipes, canals, and pumping stations managed by our public water systems are needed to bring a reliable supply of water to our taps each day. Where does all this water come from? It starts out as rain or snow and flows into our local lakes, rivers, and streams or into underground aquifers.

Global warming is compounding the problem. Unless we all take it seriously, soon we will have a water crisis in our hands.

We use water not just to drink or shower or wash our clothes, we use it through the products we consume too. The average person will need 5 liters of water to drink daily, to survive in a moderate climate with little activity. An average American uses to gallons of water per day. Globally, we consume around 4 trillion cubic meters of fresh water a year! Did you know that 1 ton of grain requires tons of water? The steak you eat requires 1, gallons.

I bet that never crossed your mind…. Our water consumption is not just computed by what we use for domestic consumption, but also by the products that we patronize. The water used for the production of items we use everyday such as cotton, paper, our clothes, etc.

The water consumed to produce our food plays an even bigger part in our consumption — it amounts to 3, liters a day per person. These invisible water that we consume without knowing about it, is called Virtual Water.

For us to understand how we can help minimize water consumption, in a way that would make a significant difference, we need to understand how we use Virtual Water. Very few people know about Virtual Water. We hope to make you aware through our site. Virtual water is the amount of water you use that is not visible to you.

It is in the products we buy and a larger chunk is in the food we eat. It was conceptualized by Prof. Tony Allan, to give us an idea how much water is needed to keep us comfortable and feed us. Did you know that the juicy steak you love to eat uses up 15, liters of water for every 1 kilo? Well, the cow needs to eat 1, kilograms of grains for 3 years before it can be slaughtered and produce kilos of beef.

Those grains require water to grow, the farm and slaughterhouse needs to be cleaned, the cow needs to drink — all of these adds up to 3,, liters of water! Go to privacy and cookies. How much water do households use on average each year? Of course, that depends on the number of people in a household. On average, a 1-person households use 52, litres per year. On average, 2-person households use 99, litres per year on average.

Therefore, the water use of multi-person households is more economical than 1-person households. On average, households of 3 or 4 people use , and , litres per year. Do you have a water meter? Then your water use is shown on your annual statement. Please view your annual statement via My Waternet.

Your water use is stated on your annual statement in cubic metres m3. One cubic metres is 1, litres.