"Reasonable" water use for family of 4

[azasadny]

Our monthly water use for our family of 4 is 12,000 gallons per month. Every time I look out the window at our pool, I think "that's 10,500 gallons on water" and we use more than that every month. We have 2 full baths, two teenagers who take long showers and we do alot of laundry. Does this seem reasonable?

[RallyJon]

Hmm, looked at my past few water bills, and me+wife+toddler somehow manage to use between 170 (lowest) and 248 (highest) gallons per day average! I have no idea how we use that much. A few flushes, a couple of showers and a bath. Washing some dishes. Dishwasher or laundry every couple of days. Amazing.

[Joeaksa]

Have made a very strong effort to reduce my water useage (living in a desert does that) and have done pretty well.

Last month was down to 124 gallons per day or 3740 gallons for the month. One to two people living here, with a swimming pool and automatic watering systems built into the front and back yard. The pool takes the most.

Am even to the point where I capture the cold water that runs while the bath or shower warms up and use it to water the plants. The more you save and put to a good use, the longer we will have water to use.

I may be a conservative on some points but have been a bleeding liberal regarding conserving our resources for years. We have only one Earth so lets save it for the future.

[john70t]

Install high pressure/low volume shower heads, 1.6 gallon efficiency toilets(or put 2L bottles in the tank), one bath per week, "shut that water off", clothes can be worn more than once between washes in the winter, etc..... and the give back the savings in the next bill in cash with thanks.

Michigan has water on three sides, so you wonder why it's so expensive, but in 20 years or so some big-time fights over water rights and diversion laws will start.

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by john70t
Install high pressure/low volume shower heads, 1.6 gallon efficiency toilets(or put 2L bottles in the tank), one bath per week, "shut that water off", clothes can be worn more than once between washes in the winter, etc..... and the give back the savings in the next bill in cash with thanks.

Michigan has water on three sides, so you wonder why it's so expensive, but in 20 years or so some big-time fights over water rights and diversion laws will start.

Excuse me? One bath per week? Sorry but that's just not going to wash, no pun intended. I take a shower every morning, period and thats not going to change.

Agree with the rest but I am going to be clean.

[john70t]

One bath, Joe, not shower. Try installing a low-flow shower head and plug the drain. Even a "long" shower will only fill the tub up 1/4.

'Course I shaved my head, wear a wig and buy perfume by the gallon like the Victorians. Did you know the Pallace de Versailles had no bathrooms- they shat in the stairwells.

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by john70t
One bath, Joe, not shower. Try installing a low-flow shower head and plug the drain. Even a "long" shower will only fill the tub up 1/4.

'Course I shaved my head, wear a wig and buy perfume by the gallon like the Victorians. Did you know the Pallace de Versailles had no bathrooms- they shat in the stairwells.

Ha, been using a low flow unit for years. Do not do baths, unless its in a hot tub and not alone...

Yes, in the old days they did things differently. Not going to stick my rear out of the window and fertilize the perimeter of the house. Doubt that the neighbours would enjoy the view!

[gatotom]

Being on a metered water supply, my water use has averaged around 10,000 gallons per month with 3 children, a wife and dog and cat. Rarely will we wash the cars with the household water in the summer because we have irrigation water for outside. It is pretty dry here in the summer so without irrigation water the outside would be like the rest of the mountainside, dry. In a area with fire danger a reality, irrigation water is a must. We water only about 1 1/2 acres which is mostly flowered garden and a little lawn. That gives us a perimeter around the house for fire safety. The rest of the acres get yearly pruning to keep fire danger low.

Now that all the children are grown and out of the house our water use is 4-5000 gal. per month with wife and one dog. The irrigation use in summer is around 30-35000 gal. per month and at a yearly fee of 100 bucks, it is the bargain for the piece of mind it gives. We have been in the same house for the last 22 yrs.

[Rot 911]

Originally posted by gatotom
The irrigation use in summer is around 30-35000 gal. per month and at a yearly fee of 100 bucks, it is the bargain for the piece of mind it gives. We have been in the same house for the last 22 yrs.

These artificially low water prices is why the west is running out of water. No incentive to conserve.

[gatotom]

One more thing, even thou our house water is metered, we still pay a flat rate per month for 15000 gal. use it or not same rate, but if you go over there is a charge per 100 gal.

At my office I usually use 6-800 gal per month, just washing hands and flushing toilets 4 days per week. In the summer I pour the remaining 14000 gal outside in the gardens because I pay for it if I use it or not. This has been a issue that i have had since the meters came here, I will pay for what I use, don't give me a flat rate fee..........just another ripoff from the local government.

[gatotom]

Kurt V.........remember we are at the water source, the pacific northwest. If we don't use it, it goes down the river and who knows who wants it then.

It might be a low price to you for water but it is a privilege to even have it. In the last 10 yrs, you can't get on the irrigation line because there are no more shares to get. You either have to buy a house with them or someone with alot of shares can sell you or give you some. I only have one share of water rights which is a 3/4 inch line in the irrigation canal.

The west is running out of water because everyone is moving here.

[livi]

In Sweden the water supply is infinite (almost) and extremely cheap. Wonder how many children from Eritrea would survive the dry period with 12k gallons of water..

Not fair, but on the other hand they have warm, sunny weather most of the year.