I live in Graham, TX. It is a small town in north-central Texas with a population of about 7500 people. The city of Graham owns and operates a water treatment facility that supplies all of Young county which is home to a total of five towns including Graham. The water plant is designed to treat roughly 6 million gallons of water per day. In total there are 64.8 miles of waterlines. These lines pull water from Lake Graham and the Brazos river. The water is treated at the facility where it is then sent out to homes, businesses, and farms for use. We have a city sewer system that brings water back to the plant for treatment. The non-potable water is treated before being released back into the river system. The water system is basically a giant loop with freshwater being distributed to homes and waste water returning to the plant for treatment. Last year, Young county experienced a sever drought and each household was placed on water restriction. Homeowners were not allowed to water lawns, wash cars, or fill swimming pools. At the end of 2015 we experienced above average rainfall filling the lakes and rivers which alleviated the water restriction.

1-B.

Activity                   Water Usage (in gallons)

Brushing Teeth                          1

Shower                                      40 (5 gal per minute. 8 min total)

Hand Washing                          3.7

Laundry (HE washer)               10

Drinking                                     2

Flushing Toilets                         12 (1 gal per flush)

Total:                                        68.7

1-C.

Restricting my water usage to 2 gallons was impossible. I exercise every day so limiting my drinking water was not an option. It remained at 2 gallons. Because I was sweaty I still had to shower. I cut that in half by reducing my shower time to 4 minutes. I did not do laundry so I saved 10 gallons. I flushed the toilet at the end of the day (thank goodness I have 2 bathrooms as my wife did not appreciate that). I only used 8 ounces of water to brush my teeth (4 ounces x two times day). I never realized how much water I used in a day and have taken it for granted. I thought I had already done a good job of limiting my water consumption before this experiment. When my wife and I began living together six years ago, she would leave the sink running when she brushed her teeth. That was an easy habit to break. We both take short showers but now I am even more conscious of my time and the amount of water I use. Even the small things we can do to reduce our consumption can help. I have already began to encourage my friends and family to be conscious of their water consumption.