How Much Water Do you Actually Use...

Each individual or family uses water in different amounts.  For drinking, cooking, and personal use, an average is about 50 gallons/day/person.  If you have animals or landscaping, or use a swamp cooler in the summer, that amount will be much higher.

Here are some facts that may help you understand your water usage:

• Low flow toilets can save up to 5 gallons per flush.
• A running toilet can drain a water storage tank in a day.  This is the most common cause of water loss among our customers.  
• A hose left running can quickly drain your water storage.  Set a timer if you leave the area where the hose is running, so that you can remember to turn it off.
• Dripping faucets can leak up to 100 gallons per day.
• A 5 minute shower typically uses 25-50 gallons, but a low flow shower head can reduce that amount by 40%.
• Laundry and watering of landscapes use the largest amounts of water.
• Front loading washing machines use about 20 gallons/load.  Top loading machines use 40-80 gallons/load.  Most permanent press cycles include an extra filling which takes more water.
• In Arizona, horses need about 10 gallons of water/day, but in the summer they can drink 20-30 gallons/horse/day.
• Pools tend to lose 3/4 to 1 inch of water daily due to evaporation.