Water use can mean the amount of water used by a household or a country, or the amount used for a given task or for the production of a given quantity of some product or crop. The term "water footprint" is often used to refer to the amount of water used by an individual, community, business, or nation.
World water use has been growing rapidly in the last hundred years (see graph from New Scientist article). From 1900 to 2000, water use for agriculture went from about 500 to 2,500 cubic kilometers per year, while total use rose from around 600 to more than 3,000 cubic kilometres per year. Agriculture uses 70% of water resources.
In the U.S, the typical single family home uses about 69,3 gallons (262 litres) of water per day (2008 estimate). This includes (in decreasing order) toilet use, washing machine use, showers, baths, faucet use, and leaks.
Read more about Water Use: Water Footprint, Water Footprint of Products, Water Footprint of Individual Consumers, Water Footprint of Companies, Water Footprint of Nations, Criticism, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word water:
“The water never formed to mind or voice,
Like a body wholly body, fluttering
Its empty sleeves; and yet its mimic motion
Made constant cry,”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)