Well Facts

  • 68% of ground water pumped each day is used for irrigation, making it the largest use of groundwater in the u.s.
  • Nearly 57 billion gallons of groundwater is pumped each day for irrigation.
  • An acre of corn transpires 4,000 gallons of water per day, adding more humidity to the atmosphere than a lake of the same size.
  • Water used for irrigating crops and raising livestock helps American farmers produce $197 billion worth of food and fiber every year.
  • An ear of corn is 80% water.
  • 75% of a chicken is water.
  • 80% of a pineapple is water.
  • 95% of a tomato is water.
  • An elephant is 70% water.
  • 82% of human blood is water.
  • Up to 60% of the human body is water.
  • 70% of the human brain is water.
  • Nearly 90% of the human lungs is water.
  • 1 out of every 10 people is served by a community water system reporting a health standard violation.
  • A clean US public water supply is one of public health’s greatest achievements.
  • The average adult body has 10-12 gallons of water.
  • Clean sidewalks and driveways with a broom not a hose.
  • 1 gallon of gasoline can contaminate about 750,000 gallons of water.
  • 218 million Americans live within 10 miles of a polluted lake, river, stream, or coastal area.
  • Almost 300,000 miles of rivers and streams do not meet state water quality goals.
  • More than 5 million acres of lakes do not meet state water quality goals.
  • Polluted runoff is the leading cause of water quality problems.
  • Pollution from agriculture, including cropland erosion, animal waste, and fertilizers, is the leading cause of polluted runoff.
  • Major threats to groundwater include underground storage tanks, septic systems, and landfills.
  • septic systems are a significant source of groundwater pollution.
  • 51% of the people in the US depend on groundwater for drinking water.
  • Of the Earth’s water that’s useable by humans, 98% is groundwater.
  • 17,000,000 households use private wells for their water supply.
  • Americans drink more than 1 billion glasses of tap water per day.
  • There are 54,000 community water systems in the US, processing nearly 34 billion gallons of water per day.
  • Bottled water may cost up to 1,000 times more than municipal water and may not be as safe.
  • You could be drinking water that was used by a dinosaur.
  • You can have about 1000 glasses of tap water for the price of 1 can of soda pop.
  • Manufacturers use about 9 trillion gallons of fresh water every year.
  • Birds, fish, reptiles, and other species that live in lakes, rivers and wetlands have decreased by 54%
  • The largest use of household water is to flush toilets.
  • The average 5-minute shower uses 25-50 gallons of water.
  • On average it takes 2 gallons of water to brush your teeth.
  • Nearly 3/4 of the water that comes to our homes goes down the drains.
  • Little leaks can waste alot of water.
  • An energy star washing machine uses 18-25 gallons of water per load, compared to 40 gallons for a standard washer.
  • Keep a water bottle in the refrigerator for cold drinks.
  • Each US household uses about 107,000 gallons of water each year.
  • Aquifer comes from two Latin words: Aqua (Water) and ferre (to bear or carry).
  • Gravity pulls water toward the center of the Earth, creating groundwater.
  • An aquifer is an underground geological formation (soil rocks) able to store and yield water.
  • A confined (or artesian) aquifer exists where groundwater is bunded between layers of impermeable substances like clay or dense rock.
  • Groundwater is a major source of water for lakes and wetlands.
  • most of the world’s groundwater is within 1/2 mile of the earth’s surface.
  • The age of groundwater can vary from less than a day to tens of thousands of years old.
  • Of all the freshwater that exists, about 75% is stored in polar ice and glaciers and about 25% is stored in groundwater.
  • There is over 33 times more freshwater in groundwater than is lakes and rivers.
  • Hydrogeology is the study of groundwater.
  • The US has at least 33,000 trillion gallons of groundwater-equal to the amount discharged into the Gulf of Mexico by the Mississippi River in the past 200 years.
  • Freshwater stored in rivers, lakes, and soil moisture amounts to less than 1% of the worlds freshwater.
  • Water regulated the Earth’s temperature.
  • A birch tree gives off 70 gallons of water per day in evaporations.
  • 1 gallon of water weight 8.34 pounds.
  • In the past century over half of all wetlands on the planet have been lost to development
  • Wetlands are important to the health of natural systems and people because they act as filters and flood buffers.
  • Pure water has a neutral ph; it’s neither acidic nor basic.
  • Water is called the universal solvent because it dissolves more substances than any other liquid.
  • There is the same amount of water on earth today as there was 3 billion years ago.
  • Water is the only natural substance found on earth in 3 forms-solid, liquid, gas.
  • 97% of the worlds water is salty or otherwise undrinkable, 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers, 1% is available for human use.
  • There is the same amount of water on earth as there was when the earth was formed.
  • About 3,100 cubic miles of water, mostly in the form of water vapor, is in the atmosphere at any one time.
  • If all the world’s water were poured on the United States, it would cover the land to a depth of 90 miles.
  • There is a theory that much of Earth’s water came from comets hitting the planet over billions of years ago.
  • Water expands by 9% when it freezes.
  • Between 70% and 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water.
  • Falling raindrops are shaped more like hamburger bums than tear drops.
  • 1.5 billion people worldwide depend on groundwater for drinking water.
  • 1 cubic foot of water contains 7.48 gallons.
  • The 48 contiguous United States receive about 4 cubic miles of precipitation each day.
  • All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was
  • And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years.
  • We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.
  • A river is the report card for its watershed.
  • When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.
  • When you drink the water, remember the spring.
  • Water is the only drink for a wise man.
  • Meditation and water are wedded forever.
  • Little drops of water, like grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.
  • the frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.
  • 345 billion gallons of freshwater a day are used in the us.
  • 2,072 gallons of water are needed to make 4 new tires.
  • 39,090 gallons of water are needed to manufacture a new car, including tires.
  • 1,303 gallons of water are needed to produce a single hamburger.
  • 24 gallons of water are needed to make 1 pound of plastic.
  • 101 gallons of water are needed to make 1 pound of wool or cotton.
  • 1,851 gallons of water are needed to refine 1 barrel of crude oil.
  • 28,100 gallons of water are needed to process 1 ton of cane sugar to make processed sugar.
  • 6 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 serving of french fries.
  • Only 0.3% of the Earth’s water is useable by humans.
  • The best time to water your lawn is early in the morning on a calm day.
  • Plant drought-tolerant plants in your yard to save watering.
  • Mulch your yard and garden to reduce water use.