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.
The earth's surface is covered 75% 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 "desalinization" 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's not always rolling in water.
The city known for it's rainy reputation actually receives only 36 inches of precipitation in an average year. Surprisingly enough Miami, Boston, Atlanta 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 great.
Our summers are often relatively dry. Seattle usually receives .63 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.
Unless they are newer models, most toilets use 3.5 to 7 gallons of water each time they flush. This is to remove a relatively small amount of waste. Modern, high-efficiency toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush. 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 paper and particles that can be thrown in the garbage can instead. Why waste gallons of precious water if you don't have to?