Fun Water Facts
The human body is 70% water
Every system
in our body uses water. Water is important to our bodies because it
makes up 83% of our blood, transports body wastes, lubricates body
joints, keeps our body temperature stable, and is a part of cells,
which make up all living things.
75% of the earth's surface is covered with water.
Of all that water, 97% of it is salt water. We cannot drink salt water. It is difficult and expensive to remove salt from the water for drinking purposes, but some countries do have plants that do this. They are called "desalination" plants. Two percent (2%) of the water on earth is frozen in glaciers at the North and South Poles. This frozen water is fresh water and could be melted down and used. However, is too far away from where people live for this to be practical.
So, when
you think about why water is so precious, it is because less than
1% of all the water on Earth is fresh water we can actually use. We
use this water not only to nourish our bodies, but for
transportation, heating and cooling, industry, and many other
purposes.
All living things, including humans, animals, plants, and trees need water to live. Next to the air we breathe, water is our most important necessity. Without water, the earth would be very desolate -- something like the Moon.
Seattle is not always awash in rainwater.
The city known for its rainy reputation actually receives only 39 inches of rain in an average year. Surprisingly enough Atlanta, Houston, Washington DC and New York all receive more annual rainfall than Seattle. Western Washington has many overcast days with drizzling rain, but the total amount of precipitation is not that much.
Our summers are often relatively dry. Seattle usually receives .67 inches of rain for the entire month of July. Unfortunately, that's also during our peak demand season when people use the most water. That's why water conservation is an important part of managing our water usage. Can you think of ways to use less water?
Flushing toilets represent the largest portion of indoor water use.
Contemporary high-efficiency toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush. Older model toilets made before 1980 use 7 gallons of water each time they flush. This is to remove a relatively small amount of waste. In most homes, about one-third (33%) of the water used goes to flush toilets.
You can save water by making sure that you don't use the toilet as a trashcan for tissues and food that can be thrown in the garbage can instead. Why waste gallons of precious water if you don't have to?
