Water is used in many ways in our everyday lives. We often take the water we use for granted, and consequently, don’t give much thought to how much water we are using in our daily routines. Take a look at how customers use water each day to better understand how your water consumption adds up.
Household Water Use
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, American families consume water every day and approximately 70 percent of consumption comes from indoor water uses.
- Flushing toilets consumes the most water in the average household – 24 percent.
- Showering accounts for 20 percent of household water use.
- Faucet use, such as for washing hands, doing dishes, and brushing teeth, accounts for 19 percent of water use.
- Using a clothes washer is responsible for 17 percent of water use.
- Plumbing leaks represent 12 percent of a household’s water use.
- Other uses account for 8 percent of water use.
Water Use by Businesses
Household uses aren’t the only way we consume water – Hoosier businesses also consume great amounts of water to produce goods, grow food, and carry out their operations.
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, energy production facilities throughout the state were responsible for 58 percent of surface water withdrawals and 7 percent of groundwater withdrawals as of 2016. Agriculture accounts for a relatively small percentage of the total surface and groundwater withdrawals, as only a small portion of acreage across the state is irrigated. The amount of acreage being irrigated however is growing, along with the capacity for withdrawals, so agricultural water withdrawals are increasing.
For all the ways you use water daily, Indiana American Water is committed to meeting the needs of Indiana residents and businesses. We annually invest more than $70 million in our water and wastewater systems around the state, including an investment of more than $57 million in our distribution system infrastructure in 2016.
