Worldwide, the average water use per person (including water used in agriculture and industry) is about 145,000 gallons [550,000 liters] a year. The average North American, however, uses nearly 423,000 gallons [1,600,000 liters] a year. A former Russian republic uses the most, averaging over 1.4 million gallons of water[5.3 million liters] per person annually.
A few simple steps can conserve gallons of water.
- Repair leaky faucets.
- Keep showers short.
- Turn off the water while shaving or brushing your teeth.
- Reuse bath towels two or three times before laundering.
- Wait until you have a full load of clothes before using a washing machine. (The same principle applies to automatic dishwashers.)