1a) I live in a town called Colts Neck, located in central New Jersey. My town runs on a well water system. According to the 2014 Annual Water Quality Report conducted by New Jersey American Water, my town runs on the Coastal North System. This system sources water from reservoirs such as the Manasquan and Glendola Reservoir. The groundwater is sourced from an aquifer deep underground that is then pumped upwards. My house has a well system with an electric pump that sources the water from an underground aquifer. This pump is located in my basement.  Electricity pumps this water towards the surface where it is filtered in an individual filtration system for my house. Water is stored in a tank for usage and when a faucet is turned on, pressure pumps this water upwards until it reaches the faucet. Once used, the water is then drained to a septic tank that is located in my back yard. 

1b)

Daily Water Usage (in gallons)

1c) Living on just two gallons of water was very difficult for me. Things that are absolutely necessary for me to use are water for cooking, drinking water, as well as any cleaning necessities. I  had to prioritize which areas are most important to me given the day o the experiment. Staying hydrated is very important so I had to make sure that I rationed enough water for basic survival. I set aside about a half a gallon of water for drinking for the day. The next priority is cooking, another necessity for survival. Any water that I need for three given meals throughout the day had to be set aside. Lastly, I had to use whatever was left over for sanitation purposes. When dealing with germs and bacteria, it is very important to wash your hands for safety purposes. Some methods for cutting down my water use in other respects were to not wash my clothes and limiting my need for dishes and utensils by cooking meals that can be eaten with just your hands, like a burrito. Showering uses a lot of water, so I tried not to sweat too much, so as to avoid showering. My experiment for surviving on just two gallons of water was not a success. By the late afternoon I had to add more water because I felt very dehydrated and had to wash my hands more. In comparison to part b, this experiment was very eye opening. Limiting myself on cleaning dishes and washing my hands saved a lot of water. I did not realize how much water was used when flushing the toilet and for the experiment I tried to flush as little as possible. Geography is very important when considering water use. The way people use water is highly dependent on where they live and what resources are available in that given area. People don’t realize how their water usage can add up when accounted for on a larger scale. If we can take an individual action in each of our homes, we would be able to preserve a lot of energy.