I’m from New York City, where the water source originates from three different major watersheds, the Delaware and Catskill system, East of the Hudson River and Croton system, located north of the city. The next step of this water supply chain is the water traveling from the reservoirs and lakes and into a system of aqueducts and tunnels that are used to further convey the water. The most popular aqueducts are the Catskill Aqueduct, which is 100 years old, extends 92 miles and relies independently on gravity to carry the water and the Delaware Aqueduct, which extends 85 miles and is much newer. The next step, after the water has traveled through these aqueducts is to disinfect it. This takes place the Kensico Reservoir, which is 3 miles north of White Plains in Westchester County, New York. Here the water is treated with fluoride (in order to prevent tooth decay) and is disinfected at what is known to be the world’s largest ultraviolet facility. The UV treatment is used to obliterate harmful microorganisms like Cryptosporidium and Giardia. The final stop the water makes before arriving into homes is in Yonkers, where it is further disinfected. The Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers is critical in this process because it balances daily demand and it also helps by elevating the water so that the force of gravity will be able to push it into homes. Finally, the water is propelled into the city’s 3 main tunnels and distributed in homes.

After conducing this experiment, I realized that the challenge to live on only 2 gallons of water a day is close to impossible for me. I hadn’t realized until I did this experiment that water use is a very important and crucial part of my day. Some of the strategies I used when conducting this activity was only taking one shower that day and brushing my teeth during one of them; I also drank less water than usual and skipped out on washing the dishes for that one day. For things such as toilet flushing or washing my hands, I didn’t really limit myself. My day of living off 2 gallons of water a day completely failed even though I did cut back on the amount I use significantly. When I compare this experiment to my daily use of water, I come to the realization that I really take the amount of water available to me for granted. I could never fully live off such a low amount of water. For the time being, 112.3 gallons per day is the best I can do unless I completely alter my lifestyle. Geography matters to water usage because it dictates how much water is available for populations worldwide.