I did my research on the water supply chain of Philadelphia. (I got my information from: http://www.phila.gov/water/PublishingImages/WaterDiagramPoster.jpg). Before the water can be ready for use it has to go through many different stages. First, the water is taken from the Delaware and Schuykill Rivers. Then, it is taken through reservoirs to settle the materials in it. After that, it is disinfected using sodium hypochlorite. Next, other chemicals are added to the water to make flocs. Once these flocs are created, they need time to settle again before they can be removed. Once they are removed, the water is disinfected again. Then, it is run through filters to continue removing unwanted particles. Finally, fluoride, zinc orthophosphate, and ammonia are all added to finalize the cleaning process of the water. Then the water can be passed on to the taps in each household. Once the water is used, it is collected and through pipes underground. It is then cleaned and stripped of bad substances. Then, air is added to remove any excess contaminants. Everything remaining settles and is sent to Aeration Tanks. Sodium Hypochlorite is then added to get rid of any other contaminants. Finally, the water is recycled back into the Delaware and Schuykill Rivers.

The types of water that I used were: shower, brushing teeth, flushing the toilet, washing hands, and drinking water. I have some medical issues going on right now, so I knew I had to prioritize drinking water. With that being said, I had to cut down my water usage in other ways. In an attempt to do that, I focused on the area that I used the most water, which was showering. Normally, I will let the shower run for 5 minutes to warm up and then about 10 minutes in, which totals to about 15 minutes altogether. What I did this time was only allowed myself 1 minute to let the shower warm up and then I set a timer for 5 minutes in the shower. I also did things such as turning off the water when I brush my teeth and wetting my hands and then turning the water off to scrub my hands with soap, and then turn it back on to finish washing. Overall, I think the experiment failed because I used more than 2 gallons, but I definitely think my water usage was decreased by a good amount, which was a success. In comparison to part 1-b, my eyes were really opened to how much water I use, which can help me make better decisions in the future. Geography matters to water use because the water comes from the rivers near your area, which may be in different conditions in different places.