Our bodies are made up of 80 percent water. We [should] drink about 8 glasses of water a day. We use it to shower, wash clothes, clean dishes, water plants, wash hands. And don’t think twice about our access or supply.

Until … its unavailable.

At noon, today, I got word that water supply was cut off to our neighborhood, and others nearby. As I type, access has yet to be restored. You never know how much you depend on something until it’s gone.

Thankfully, we have a car that took us to HEB to purchase five gallons of water, money to pay for it, and live in walking distance of a SAWS water supply truck to refill the containers when we ran out tonight. Which we did. In just a few hours, we used nearly all five gallons for drinking, bathing, rinsing [dishes], washing [hands] and brushing teeth.

After a few short Google searches, I found these eye-opening stats …

• The average American uses 80-100 gallons of water a day [source]
• More than 1/4 of the world’s population lacks access to clean water [source]
• Nearly 40 percent of people in Uganda have to travel 30 minutes to access clean water [source]
• The average household can waste 180 gallons per week from household leaks [source]
• Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save 8 gallons of water per day [source]
  • Letting your faucet run for five minutes while washing dishes can waste 10 gallons of water [source]

What are some ways you actively save water?