Water Use

Almost everything around you uses water. It’s not just the pools, gardens, and toilets you see. Think about getting dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. Where did those materials come from? It may not seem obvious, but those items use a lot of water. One cotton t-shirt and a pair of jeans take about 2,500 gallons of water to produce. And that doesn’t include the dyeing process, which can add thousands of gallons of water per ton of fabric. This means that the more you reuse every day items in your life before they are thrown away, the less water you are wasting.

While there is a lot we can each do in our own lives to reduce water waste, the issue goes far beyond us each individually. 

Industry

Water is needed to produce many products, like paper, chemicals, metals, and clothing. If we don’t include agriculture, fashion uses more water than any other industry. Fast fashion contributes to industry’s high water use, as people quickly buy and discard cheap clothing. Another factor that contributes to fashion’s high water footprint is how much water is used to grow cotton. But it is only one of many thirsty crops that are grown around the world. 

Agriculture

From the air, much of the American Midwest looks like a patchwork quilt, with circles of green crops in between dry land. The bright pops of color are areas that are irrigated. Farmers water their crops to make sure they grow as large and healthy as possible. 

Globally, about 70% of the fresh water we use goes to    irrigation. The High Plains Aquifer is found beneath parts of eight states in the American Midwest. In some places, the amount of water in the aquifer has declined due to pumping for irrigation. As water resources are diminished, farmers have to consider different ways to grow crops. Dryland farming is a group of farming techniques used in areas where water is limited. It may include tricks like growing certain crops outside of the normal season, but when more water is available, like winter wheat.  

When we think about the water used for agriculture, we also have to think about our entire food system. Water is used to grow the plants we eat, but those plants are also used to feed the animals that most of us eat. Meat, especially beef, is a very water-expensive food. It takes roughly 1,850 gallons of water just to make one pound of beef.

Within fruits and vegetables, there are also certain crops that use more water than others. Almonds, for example, come from trees that are very water-expensive to grow. Chocolate and other nuts also use much more water than most other foods. Check out a water footprint calculator to see how your diet measures up. 

Water In the City

Water is also needed for homes and public services. In Arizona, the current population is more than 6.5 times what it was in 1957, but the amount of water used is about the same as what it was then. This is due to positive changes in infrastructure and water conservation. Appliances are now made to use less water, and many people have removed their front yard lawns, and instead grow desert adapted plants. To save water, try taking shorter showers and growing native plants that are adapted to the environment where you live.

The demand for water for all of these different purposes is often greater than the supply. Changes in climate and use can affect the amount of water that is available. We should all think about what industries we support and what water we use to help reduce our strain on the water supply.