Water is everywhere and, without it, we humans can’t survive!
Below you’ll find some fascinating fast facts about this very precious resource we call water.
Have fun!
Water... in Bunbury!
AQWEST pumps the water you drink, cook and wash with from a large underground freshwater source called the Yarragadee aquifer.
An aquifer is an underground body of porous rock (rock which has holes in it) through which water can easily move.
The Yarragadee aquifer stretches from Bunbury to Nannup and lies hundreds of metres below the ground.
Rainfall helps to restock the Yarragadee with water but it can take a long time for the water to reach the aquifer.
Because of this, we must be careful how much water we take out to make sure we have a constant supply from the aquifer.
Water can remain in the Yarragadee aquifer for many years and in some areas groundwater has been there for more than 30,000 years!
Water... in our world!
Water covers 71% of the earth's surface.
97% of the earth's water is found in our oceans.
3% of the earth's water is fresh water.
More than three quarters of the world's fresh water is not available because it is locked in ice caps, is inaccessible or is polluted.
If the world's water supply was only 100 litres, our usable amount of fresh water would be only about 0.003 of a litre – enough to fill half a teaspoon.
One litre of spilled petrol can pollute 750,000 litres of water.
Australia is the driest continent in the world.
Water... in us!
A person can live one month without food, but only one week without water.
Up to 60% of our body is water.
In fact, our brain is 70% water, our blood is 82% water, our lungs are 90% water and are eyes are 95% water.
Water’s ability to dissolve many substances allows the cells in our body to use nutrients, minerals and chemicals.
Water…and our health!
We need lots of fresh water to stay healthy.
It helps:
digest and absorb our food
keep our body at the right temperature
circulate blood around the body
carry nutrients and oxygen to the cells in our body
remove toxins and other wastes from our body
cushion the joints in our body
protect our body’s tissues and organs, including the spinal cord, from shock and damage
Not having enough water in the body (which is called dehydration) can be the cause of many health problems.
It is suggested that adults should drink about 8 medium-sized glasses of water every day to stay healthy and that children should drink about 4 medium-sized glasses of water every day to stay healthy.
Water... around the house!
Single flush toilets use about 44,000 litres a year (that’s bigger than an average swimming pool!), while dual flush toilets use about 11,000 litres a year.
Showers account for 36% of all water used inside the home.
If you take a 10 minute shower each day (in a shower without a low water flow shower head), you will use about 43,000 litres of water a year (remember, that’s bigger than an average swimming pool!).
Leaving the water running while brushing your teeth for two minutes each day uses approximately 14,000 litres of water a year. On the other hand, using a 250ml cup of water to wet your brush and rinseour mouth uses approximately 180 litres a year.
Leaving the water running while preparing food or washing dishes can waste up to 20 litres of water each minute (that’s ten 2-litre milk bottles!).
A leaking toilet can waste about 9,000 litres of water each year.
New water efficient dishwashers can use 64% less water than older dishwashers which means converting to a water efficient dishwasher saves about 9,000 litres of water a year.
Washing machines use about 27% of water in the home. Converting to a water efficient washing machine can save about 35,000 litres of water a year (again, about a swimming pool full of water).
The appliance that uses the most water in your home is the toilet.
