Natalie Hall M04

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Part 1-a:

I’m from West Chester Pennsylvania, more particularly East Bradford township. Our municipal water company is Aqua America – Pennsylvania. This company serves around 1.2million people around the Philadelphia area, 420,000 water connection, and 12 water treatment facilities. This is a large company which covers a lot of land, therefore I focused on the water treatment facility closest to my home. The Downingtown Municipal Water Authority has a treatment plant on Marsh Creek, a large lake near me. Each day 1.5 million gallons of filtered and purified water water passes through the plant into homes around mine. My house has a personal septic tank which is cleaned out annually, but for the rest of West Chester the sewage is immediately sent to Goose Creek plant. This plant receives around 1.6 million gallons of waste each day.

 

Part 1-b:

Shower – 80 gallons

Brushing teeth (2x) – .5 gallons

flush (6x)- 30 gallons

Drinking water – .59 gallons

Washing hands (7x)- 7 gallons

Total: 118.09 gallons

 

Part 1-c: 

To start off the two-gallon water challenge I prioritized drinking water as most important, closely followed by water needed for cooking. However, because I live in Pennsylvania and have a consistent water supply, I could potentially eat out and avoid using water for cooking myself. The other water components are all hygiene related. Brushing teeth, washing hands, flushing, and showering, are all part of my normal daily routine. However, I was able to wait 24 hours to shower and tried to use as little water possible brushing my teeth. I evidently failed the two-water challenge because I live in a dorm, therefore I flush for the sake of others and wash my hands because a lot of people are sick right now. This experiment forced me to consciously realize how much water I use daily, and then how insanely much my community, and the world use each day. Water is the backbone of life, therefore the conservation and sustainability of the earths water is so important, and often overlooked.

 

 

3 thoughts on “Natalie Hall M04”

  1. Hello Natalie my name is William and I really enjoyed reading your post. I noticed that you used more daily water than I did and I think people really underestimate how many gallons of water a single shower can use. I was surprised to see that a shower can use up to 5 gallons of water a minute, and a 10 minute shower can use 50 gallons. I try to drink only a gallon of water everyday and it seems almost impossible. I also agree that a lot of water use for hygiene is necessary for others around us as well as ourselves. I was also unsuccessful with my 2 gallon day and almost gave up being conservative half way through the day. If you would like to check out my blog I have attached the link below:
    http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/09/module-4-william-graf/

  2. Hi Natalie, I was immediately interested in how you contrasted your homes septic tank system to the sewage system used by most others. It brings up some questions like which is more efficient? which is better for the environment? all super important and interesting questions to some of the issues we are posed with in the world we live in today. Another comparison is how we both recognized the ability to use an outside food source to eliminate the water usage in cooking as well as cleaning what you cook. If you would like to check out my post the link is Hello William, first I would like to say I am super impressed with your hygiene! I would say it takes true dedication to get that third brushing of the teeth in everyday. On a serious note we both have similar sewage systems using gravity to pump water to treatments centers. Seeing how two different places have adopted the same system it must be the most efficient way to get the job done.In addition I also found it extremely difficult to live a full day on just two gallons of water, I think we would both agree its a great way to open our eyes to some of the problems faced by people around the world everyday. If you would like to read my post and look for more comparisons the link is http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/02/09/water-activity/ 🙂

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