Activity Books Watershed Defenders Comic Book | Page 12

Y ou can M ake a D ifference
The world faces many problems, but
runoff pollution is something you can
help fight today and every day.
Common sense is your best tool.
Don’t litter. Carelessly throwing
your garbage on the ground doesn’t
help anybody. If you’re in the car, put the
trash in a bag and dispose of it properly
when you reach your destination.
Be careful with paint, oil, medi-
cines and other household chemi-
cals. Don’t pour anything down storm
drains. Don’t pour harmful chemicals
down your household drains or toi-
lets. Call you city to find out how to
dispose of them properly.
Pick up after your pets. Pet poop
and all animal or wildlife waste can be
a serious problem.
Recycle. In many cases, it takes
less water to produce consumer
products from recycled materials.
All of these things should be a “no-
brainer,” but there is one more thing
you can do. Maybe you guessed it.
The number one thing you can do is
use less water. Every drop counts!
Clean, freshwater is in short supply.
Using less of it will help make the most
of existing supplies. We use less than
1% of the water coming from water
treatment facilities for drinking.
Using national averages, indoor
water use looks something like this:
• 26% of water used inside the
home gets flushed down toilets
• 20% is used in showers and baths
• 15% is used in the kitchen
• 3% more is used to clean and
wash dishes
• 23% is used to do the laundry
• 13% drips right down the drain
when a faucet, toilet or spigot
leaks
Studies show that indoor water
use can be reduced by nearly 30%
with water-efficient fixtures, dish-
washers, and clothes washers.
If you see leaky faucets, let some-
body know who can fix them.
More suggestions:
• Take a short shower instead of a
bath
• Turn off the water while you
brush your teeth
• Keep a pitcher of water in the
fridge instead of running the tap
until the water is cool
In Colorado, we use more water
outside the home than inside. En-
courage your parents to water the
lawn at appropriate times and not-to
over-water plants.
If you are at the store helping
choose plants for the yard, see how
much water they require. Are less
thirsty plants an option?
Saving a few gallons a day may
not seem like a big deal, but remem-
ber how the oil from a million cars
made a big impact?
If everyone in Colorado saved two
gallons of water on just one day, we
could turn a football field into a swim-
ming pool 29 feet deep.
For additional water saving tips,
contact your local water provider, visit
www.wateruseitwisely.com/100ways/
sw.shtml or search the Web.
30 ft
20 ft
10 ft
If everyone in Colorado saved two gallons of water
on just one day, we could turn a football field into
a swimming pool 29 feet deep.
Brushing Your Teeth
How much water can be saved by turning off the faucet when you’re brushing
your teeth?
Place a large container in your sink under the faucet. Turn on the faucet while you
brush your teeth and keep it running until you are finished. Measure the amount of
water in the container.
How many quarts of water can be saved every time you brush your teeth?
Multiply that number by two since you brush your teeth twice a day. How many
gallons is that?
With 365 days in a year, how many gallons of water could you save in a year?
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Watershed Defenders produced by Colorado Foundation for Agriculture