Part 1-a
After reading a water quality report for my hometown (Ramsey, New Jersey), I discovered that Ramsey obtains their water from a group of wells, and a bulk purchase from the United Water Company. There is a total of 10 groundwater wells, 8 are in Ramsey while two are located in a neighboring town, but are run by Ramsey. The wells range in depth, anywhere from 180 to 600 feet. The United Water Company’s water is mainly surface water. Ramsey’s water distribution system consists of several water towers placed throughout the town, along with 3 large storage tanks connected to the United Water Company. Since the water towers are driven by gravity, Ramsey will have water even during power outages. The water is pumped to households and businesses via 90 miles of water mains, the pipes range in size to help meet higher demands in certain sections of the town. The water is carried to treatment and disposal sites by over 100 miles of sewer mains that are monitored throughout the year through numerous man holes.
Part 1-b
| Activity that uses water | Amount of Water Used |
| Shower | 15 gallons |
| Drinking | .75 gallons |
| Washing personal dishes and silverware | 6 gallons |
| 2 loads of laundry | 2 * (25 gallons) = 50 gallons |
| Cooking (ramen) | .1 gallons |
| Brushing Teeth x2 | 2 * (2 gallons) = 4 gallons |
| Bathroom | 1.6 gallon per flush * 4 flushes = 6.4 gallons |
| Hand/Face Washing | 1 gallon |
| 2/5/16 | TOTAL = 83.25 gallons |
Part 1-c
*NOTE: I wrote this paragraph as the day progressed
2/6
I did not shower today (yuck), but I did use a handful of water to wash my face. I brushed my teeth once using only a spit full of water to rise out my mouth and clean my toothbrush. I washed no dishes and did no laundry. My priority for water usage was drinking and bathroom use. The best strategy I used to help conserve water was to not use the tap, by only bringing a small cup into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth made it easier to conserve my 2 gallons. My normal day was a lot more enjoyable than my two gallon day because a lot of my basic household tasks were either altered or erased. I believe I failed, because all of the bathrooms I have access to, they all are equipped with very old and inefficient toilets. I believe climate and geographical location to water plays a large role in water usage. For example if someone lives in the mid-west, it is much hotter and there is less groundwater available which leads me to believe they use less water, than I do living either in Ramsey or State College.
Hi Nick. I too thought about not showering while doing the experiment, but I found that a military shower was the best way to go. My priority was also drinking water. In my blog I looked at geographic difference of areas where the civilians do not have access to clean water. As a fellow New Jersey inhabitant, I found it interesting that your water came from wells, while mine came largely from rivers. Same state, but a big difference in terms of water.
You can check out my blog post below.
http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/02/07/the-water-of-westfield/
Hi Nick, my names Alyssa and I am also from New Jersey. I found your post to be very eye opening. You really used some great strategies to limit your water use, and I cannot help but think that these are the ways people in other countries without the privileges we have, struggle to conserve throughout the day. I also have very old bathroom fixtures in my apartment that made it difficult to use my water efficiently. You were truly honest about your experience and I thought was great for your understanding of these concepts. Here’s a link to my post if you are interested:https://wp.me/p3RCAy-blz