# How much water is actually wasted when I run the taps or flush the toilet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 26, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456 "2010-12-26T22:02:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FasterThanMeerkats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@FasterThanMeerkats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FasterThanMeerkats)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/21 "2010-12-27T15:15:58Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > How guilty should we really feel for running the tap for 45 seconds while we brush our teeth? Or fill a tub for a bath? IMHO, not much. There would be stricter regulations and/or higher prices for water if society really wanted us to save at that minute level. In fact, one might argue (and I will!!:)) that you are doing a service to the environment by wasting water now and exacerbating the problem so that it will be recognized sooner and addressed more swiftly!!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/22 "2010-12-27T17:24:14Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Saving water in my area has zero impact on Chicago. It is not a transferable commodity. Really? Then why does the state of Illinois receive an allotment of 2.1 billion gallons a day from the Great Lakes system and always is in a fight to demand more? Why are the western states always in legal battles with California because of the water that California uses that originates in its rivers? Why are there schemes to build pipelines and even create water transport ships to transfer water to drier areas? For those who say that we aren’t already in a state of water crisis, you are wrong. For those who think that their local consumption of water has no affect on anywhere else, you are wrong. For those who think that conservation is totally unimportant, you are wrong. Water will be as big a national battle as gas in a few years. It already is in some localities. It will hit you in your lifetimes. And when you come running to the Great Lakes for more, we’ll give you the same middle finger that the south and west has been giving us these last 50 years. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/23 "2010-12-27T18:26:06Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Really? Then why does the state of Illinois receive an allotment of 2.1 billion gallons a day from the Great Lakes system and always is in a fight to demand more? Population growth and development of municipal lake water systems rather than well systems. [Example](http://wauconda-il.gov/online/lake-michigan-water-project/) You can’t do that without raising the amount of water you’re using daily regardless of where it goes once you’re done. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/24 "2010-12-27T20:42:53Z")
This would make a good Cecil column. A lot of people I’ve talked with think most water used from home taps gets treated and recycled. Over watering lawns and gardens concerns people more. The utility bill we get (in my area) charges much more for garbage collection than water. We’re fortunate to get a lot of rain in my local area. I am aware other regions are having problems. Perhaps some facts from the press might change a few minds. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/25 "2010-12-27T20:58:11Z")
/hijack Many people thnk taking a shower is a water - waster compared to a bath, but IRRC, the opposite is true by a lot. Correct? /hijack ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/26 "2010-12-27T22:12:17Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Baloney. Every household could easily save a few gallons every week just by turning off the tap when you don’t need the flow. Ten gallons a week is a minimal number, equal to turning off a shower a couple of minutes early. I call baloney on your baloney. Any household where the occupants do not leave the water running when the flow is not needed is incapable of saving any water by that means. You can’t do something better that you are already doing perfectly. While that may (or may not) be a very small number, it seems likely that at least a few exist, and if even 1 exists, it renders your “Every” into baloney. And as far as the “easily save” goes, any household that is already doing a lot to save water can only improve further by expending more effort than “easily” covers. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/27 "2010-12-27T23:49:46Z")
You’re absolutely right. There is undoubtedly a family in America that is already doing all it can to conserve water. Therefore, in all further calculations make the correction and figure on only 51,999,994,800 gallons of savings per year in America. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/28 "2010-12-28T01:11:59Z")
Yes, much of this is related to where you are and where you get your water. If you get your water from an aquifer that is not being replenished as fast as it is being used, water waste is a big deal. If you live on a small town on a decent sized river (like I did) then it kind of silly. However, people enact water regulations and perform PR campaigns without any consideration of these things. I worked for a public utility company (specifically the water treatment plant). We took the water out upstream of the city, it was sent to the surrounding areas, and then we treated the wastewater downstream of the city. It was put back into the river cleaner than we took it out, so give me a break about this “the water was wasted” garbage. In that situation, there really was no “waste.” What if you flushed your toilet one less time? That was another gallon of river water that was not momentarily diverted and flowed down the river and went into the ocean. In terms of fresh water, it was destroyed anyway. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/29 "2010-12-28T01:35:29Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Yes, much of this is related to where you are and where you get your water. If you get your water from an aquifer that is not being replenished as fast as it is being used, water waste is a big deal. If you live on a small town on a decent sized river (like I did) then it kind of silly. However, people enact water regulations and perform PR campaigns without any consideration of these things. > > I worked for a public utility company (specifically the water treatment plant). We took the water out upstream of the city, it was sent to the surrounding areas, and then we treated the wastewater downstream of the city. It was put back into the river cleaner than we took it out, so give me a break about this “the water was wasted” garbage. > > In that situation, there really was no “waste.” What if you flushed your toilet one less time? That was another gallon of river water that was not momentarily diverted and flowed down the river and went into the ocean. In terms of fresh water, it was destroyed anyway. Oh, so I guess that means that it’s a good idea for everyone to go to every tap in the house and turn them on, leaving them running all day, since, after all, it’s not really “wasting” water. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/30 "2010-12-28T02:55:27Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Oh, so I guess that means that it’s a good idea for everyone to go to every tap in the house and turn them on, leaving them running all day, since, after all, it’s not really “wasting” water. :rolleyes: Well, its a fine idea if (noted in previous post) that water is a renewable resource in your area, and you have a lot of cash to burn on your water bill. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/31 "2010-12-28T03:57:19Z")
how many cities are on rivers with water suitable to treat to be potable? i recall cities on rivers that are used for discharge. wells are the only clean source. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/32 "2010-12-28T04:27:28Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Really? Yes Really. As I stated before, my area is sitting on a huge aquifer. In fact, people to the north of me are above the summit so the more water they use the more is returned to the Great Lakes. ---
**Author:** ![kristy01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c57346/32.png) [@kristy01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kristy01)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456/33 "2010-12-28T10:23:54Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Depends on where you live, I suspect. Chicago claims [90% of their wastewater](http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1324.html) is retreated, under normal conditions. I totally agree with you [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-water-is-actually-wasted-when-i-run-the-taps-or-flush-the-toilet/565456.md?page=1)