1-a

I am from Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, which is part of Luzerne County. Mountaintop is a small town, with a population of about 15,000 people. In Mountaintop, the water we use is from Crystal Lake. Crystal Lake is the sole source of water for our area, for all residential, commercial and industrial uses. Crystal Lake Reservoir is capable of processing up to six million gallons of water per day.  The Pennsylvania American Water (PAW) maintains a treatment facility on the Crystal Lake Reservoir where the water is filtered and treated. Pennsylvania American Water adds zinc orthophosphate corrosion inhibitor to reduce corrosion tendencies of the water as it travels through the pipes to our homes. The chlorine, lead, copper, and nitrate levels are all maintained at the reservoir. The water is then distributed to us. Once the water leaves our homes and businesses, it goes to the Mountaintop Area Joint Sanitary Authority. The Mountaintop Area Joint Sanitary Authority supplies water waste treatment along with sewer services.

1-b

Tracked Water Use Saturday, February 6, 2016

Activity                                                 Water used (gallons)

Wash Face (1x)                                                         1 

Brush Teeth (2x)                                                      1

Shower (15 minutes)                                               75

Toilet (5x)                                                                  15

Wash Hands (7x)                                                      7

Dishwashing by hand                                               8

 Drinking water                                                          1

 Total                                                                          108

1-c

After tracking my water consumption on Saturday, I was really surprised at the fact that I used a total of 108 gallons. The thought of using only two gallons of water per day seemed impossible after figuring out my average amount used. On Sunday, I had to drastically cut down all of the activities I did that required water. To me, the most important things were to stay hydrated and clean. Instead of letting the water run while I brushed my teeth in the morning, I turned off the faucet. At night, I took a five minute shower, instead of a 15 minute shower. While I was in the shower, I brushed my teeth, instead of using more water to do that later on at the sink. I also had to drink less, so I was going to the bathroom less. That strategy helped me save some water too. Overall, I still used more than two gallons of water during my experiment. However, I used much less than what I used in part 1-b. I don’t think I could always conserve the way I did on Sunday though. Unfortunately, in some countries, they have no choice but to conserve like how I was forced to on Sunday. Living in different areas of the world definitely impacts the amount of safe water you have available to use. I am lucky enough to not have to worry about running out of clean water, but after doing this assignment, I am much more aware of my impact and will make a better effort in reducing my consumption of water per day.