Water Resources of the United States

INTRODUCTION

Water conservation is important for several reasons. The more water we conserve, the more we have for other uses and the less money we need to spend on treatment and treatment facilities. The following survey is designed to increase your students' awareness of the water they use, to reveal how water is wasted, and to encourage water conservation.

OBJECTIVES

1. Identity the ways we use water.
2. Identify ways the students and their families can conserve water.

MATERIALS

1. Copy of the "Auditing Water Use" worksheet for each student.
2. Two-liter soft drink container for each student. Have the students bring containers from home.

TEACHER PREPARATION

1. Make one copy of the "Auditing Water Use" worksheet for each student in your class.
2. Cut off the spout of a two-liter soft drink container. This will make it easier to measure the flow of water.

PROCEDURE

Give each student a copy of the "Auditing Water Use" worksheet and a 2-liter container to take home. Explain to the students that they are going to determine how each of them uses water and how much water they use. As each student completes the survey, ask them to think about ways that water can be used more efficiently in the home.

INTERPRETIVE QUESTIONS

After the students have completed the worksheet, list the total daily use from each student on the blackboard. Add these total daily uses together to determine total daily water use by the class. Use the following questions for discussion.

1. In which category is the most water used? Compare the water uses to the pie chart on the adjacent panel.
2. Discuss ways to decrease water use. Examples:
   1. Spend less time in the shower.
   2. Take a shower instead of a bath.
   3. Only flush the toilet when necessary: use waste container for tissue trash and paper towels.
   4. Run the clothes washer and dishwasher with full loads.
   5. Turn off the water while brushing teeth.
3. Ask each student to determine an improved daily use of water by applying the water-saving suggestions discussed previously. Determine a second class total based upon the savings. Compare totals.

EXTENSION

Determine what it costs in dollars to treat water for drinking purposes and for wastewater disposal. This cost can be determined by contacting the water-supply and wastewater-treatment facilities in your area. Use these values to estimate the potential savings in dollars for the class if water conservation methods were to be implemented. Multiply this dollar savings by the number of classes in the school. How much money could be saved if water-conservation methods were practiced by everyone at school?