The facts below clearly illustrate the importance water has on this planet. Water is so vital to our entire existence it is the reason we all must do our part in conserving, recycling, and protecting our water.  It is the reason that BSI takes seriously its role in working with public water authorities to ensure their cross-connection control programs are the best they can be. 

  • Essential for all forms of life despite not providing any calories or nutritional value.
  • An organic, nearly colorless, odorless, and tasteless substance.
  • Potable water is water that is suitable for human consumption.
  • Despite 71% of the Earth’s surface covered in water, only 0.5% of that water is available fresh water.
  • 97% of the Earth’s water is found in the oceans and is too salty for consumption. 2.5% is unavailable freshwater found in glaciers, ice caps, or the atmosphere.
  • The process of converting sea water to fresh water is called desalination. Due to high energy production costs, desalination is not an economical alternative for fresh water.
  • Other than drinking water, the Earth’s water is additionally used for agriculture purposes, food processing, transportation routes, industrial applications, and recreational activities.
  • 80% of water withdrawn in the US is for cooling electric plants and irrigation.
  • On average, each person in the US uses between 80 to 100 gallons per day, or nearly 100,000 gallons per year per household.
  • By comparison, the average European uses only 50 gallons per day, while in undeveloped parts of Africa, an individual may use only 3 to 5 gallons per day.
  • The average body is between 50% to 65% water.
  • The average person can live a month without food yet can only survive a week without water.
  • A leaky faucet can waster up to 100 gallons of water per day, while a leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons per day.
  • There is no new water. The water we have today is the same water Earth had when the dinosaurs were alive.