Ben Ceci – Module 4 – Ways We Use Water

1 – A

The water supply chain in my hometown of Greenwich, CT is different for different people. Some use a well while others use water from the town. At my house, we have a well on site. When we bought the house, we did a lot of renovations and additions and at that time, in 2000, we drilled a private ground water well. This type of well absorbs groundwater after rainfall. Then a submersible pump with a motor pulls the water out through a plastic tube / pipe and into a blue pressure tank and then finally into the plumbing system in the house. Once the water goes down the drain, the wastes go through a main sewer line which comes out of one of the sides of the house and goes into a septic tank in the ground. Then most of the solids settle until the liquid goes into a drain field where pipes buried in the ground that have holes in the bottom. The water then comes out of the holes and goes into the ground. Every 2 – 4 years, a septic tank should be pumped to avoid clogging.

 

1 – B
Activity           Time / Repetitions      Water Per Use        Water Usage Per Activity
Shower                     1 x 7 mins           2 gallons / minute            14 gallons
Brushing Teeth         2 x 2 mins           1 gallon / minute              4 gallons
Drinking                    1 gallon jug          1 gallon                           1 gallon
Flushing                    5 flushes              3 gallons / flush               15 gallons
Washing Hands         6 washes             1 gallon / wash                6 gallons
Washing Dishes       1 x 10 mins       2 gallons / minute        20 gallons
Laundry                    1 Load               5 gallons / load                 5 gallons
Total Water Use:                                                                         65 gallons

 

1 – C

Living on 2 gallons of water a day in the summertime, or in a geographic location that is very hot, such as Mozambique or Haiti, would be very difficult. The high temperatures cause you to sweat more, which then calls for more showers and also for more drinking water so that you do not get dehydrated. If I had to do this, I would focus on hygiene and drinking water the most. I try to drink about a gallon of water a day but I think that I could do with half of a gallon if trying to cut back. I would then try to use .75 gallons for showering and use just enough water to wash my hair and body 3 times per week. I would use paper and plastic utensils or possibly no utensils at all to cut down on the washing time. I would also try to use the bathroom outdoors and not flush the toilet because at 3 gallons per flush, it all adds up. That leaves me with about .75 gallons to brush my teeth, and wash my hands, dishes, and clothes with. If I shut the water off when I brush my teeth and in between washing my hands and the dishes, I think that I could manage that. I would definitely be looked at as the smelly, dirty kid in the class and it would require a huge lifestyle change. I don’t know how long I would last in those conditions and this activity and part b combined really made me open my eyes and see how fortunate we are. When you count how much water you use per day and then see how much you can cut back on, it really is eye opening and we should all make a conscious effort to use less water. God bless those people in Mozambique and Haiti. That is unacceptable and something should be done to help them.

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