Part 1-a: Water in Shepherdstown, WV is taken from the Potomac River that drains into an area of 3,000,000 acres above the treatment plant intake. The water treatment plant pulls the water from the river. Here, the water runs through multi- media filters to make it ready for people to use. The water then flows to two elevated storage tanks. The tanks are 30.5’ in diameter and 89.5′ in height. PVC water lines that intersect with other water lines connected to the storage tanks carry the water to individual houses. The water lines range from .75” to 12”. There are also two reservoirs that hold water to release in times when the river is low. The water that runs through other areas before it reaches the Shepherdstown plant, which can sometimes cause water contamination from agricultural runoff or untreated sewage discharge. This service only provides water to 1,500 customers as Shepherdstown is a very small town. Once water is used, it is rerouted through other water line pipes back to the treatment plant.

Part 1-b: One days use of water

One shower, fifteen minutes: 75 gallons

Brush teeth twice: <1 gallon

Used one water bottle: 8 oz.

Used toilet three times: 3 gallons

Washed hands four times: 1 gallon

Washed dishes one time: 27 gallons

Total daily usage: Approximately 106 gallons

Part 1-c:

Attempting to live on two gallons of water for a day would only make it difficult for the purpose of taking a shower because showers use up to five gallons of water for only one minute. I would find a freshwater stream to bathe in and wash my hands. I would also go to the bathroom outside. To cut down on water I looked at what my main priorities would be for using the water. My main priorities for using the water would be to use it when I was brushing my teeth or needed a drink, as I would want the cleanest water going into my body. It would be easy to cut down my water footprint because of other resources I could use instead from the environment. Using water is only a main necessity when it comes to hydrating our bodies, so if I couldn’t use it for other things I would be fine with that, and the experiment would succeed. This experiment is very different from the life I live now because one day of my normal water use would last me 53 days if I could only use 2 gallons a day. Geography matters in every aspect of water use because it effects the availability of water everyone can use.The amount of water you take from the environment will also impact how much everyone else can use.