Part 1-a:
My hometown is Lititz, Pennsylvania. I live in the Lititz Borough, which is one of many boroughs and townships that make up our school district area. The Lititz Borough has several wells throughout our area, and the locations of these wells were not revealed to me. The well water from each of these sources is sent to the Lititz Water Treatment Plant. From there, water travels through a series of pipes that converge under the Lititz Springs Park. The water is then sent through pipes in different directions to households and places of work in the Lititz Borough. Water that goes down the drain is sent through sewer pipes to the Lititz Wastewater Treatment Plant. Unfortunately, information from that point forward would not be revealed to me; however, through my own research, the wastewater is sent into the Lititz Run, a stream in my borough that leads into the Chesapeake Bay, where the wastewater ends up.
Part 1-b:
Teeth brushing: .25 gallons
Water bottle in the morning: 16.9 fl oz (1.05 pints)
3 water bottles during/after morning workout: 50.7 fl oz (3.15 pints)
Post-workout shower: 10 gallons
Small cup of coffee: 6 fl oz (.373 pints)
3 Toilet flushes: 9 gallons
3 hand washes: 3 gallons
2 bottles of water during the day: 33.8 fl oz (2.10 pints)
Dishwashing by hand: 2 gallons
Bottle of water: 16.9 fl oz (1.05 pints)
Teeth Brushing: .25 gallons
Total: 25.47 gallons
Part 1-c:
Major areas of water use in the experiment for me were drinking water and restroom use. I chose a day in which I did not have to attend classes or try to impress anyone so I would not have to shower or shave. This left my main priorities to drinking, using the bathroom, and washing hands. I limited myself to not wetting my toothbrush before using it, and very quickly rinsing it afterwards. I also would take a sip of water to quench my thirst from time to time. Toilet flushing was the trickiest obstacle in this situation, so I was a slave to however much water flushed the toilet. Even my best attempt at this was a failure due to how much I rely on water on a regular day. Compared to part 1-b, I used much less water than I would on a normal day, which makes me seriously consider how much I need to do all of the things I normally do. Geography scopes the availability of water, essentially. Water is a natural resource more readily available in some parts of the world than others, which really shows how water usage is a collective action issue.
Hi Tom, my name is Devin, here is a link to my blog: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/10/module-4-devin-walk/
That was pretty smart of you to try only using two gallons of water and opting out of showering or anything. I can imagine for other people who only get two gallons of water they don’t really care about hygiene as much. I think you did a good job keeping track of how much you used for that one day. Good job.
Hey Tom, my name is Landon and I know exactly where Lititz is. It is interesting reading about how water flows through your hometown, because I live out in the country and everybody has well water. It is interesting to think that after the water is dumped into the stream, it will make it’s way to the Chesapeake Bay and into the ocean. I agree with you in that, geography allows how much water and where water will be available throughout the world. Here’s a link to my blog. http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/10/water-usage-landon-brenize/