How Much Water Do You Use Every Day?

With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.

Whether you are trying to be more environmentally conscious or just want to save some  money on your water bills, you may have wondered how much water a single person uses each day. Although the numbers vary according to one geographical area, the size of the home you live in and especially your lifestyle, there is a general statistical range.

Average Canadian Water Consumption:

The average Canadian uses between 251 and 342 litres of water each day.

Despite improvements in household water conservation, our country, surprisingly, remains one of the largest per capita consumers of fresh water on the planet.  While this figure may be higher than you realized, you may be even more shocked to know that the majority of this water usage is attributed to flushing toilets. Yes. Most of our water goes down the drain.  In fact the majority of older model toilets can use as much as 9 litres per flush while newer more efficient models have reduced this usage to between 4 and 5 for each flush.

The next largest water consumer in the home are the showers and general bathing. Although most people recognize that a bath uses far more water, showers can also go through a lot of H₂O. A full bathtub uses roughly speaking 144 litres, but older showers can use up to 16 litres every minute. This means that if you enjoy a long hot shower you could end up using the same amount of water as if you had taken a bath. There are water savings to be made with new showerheads and restrictors, which can cut water usage to between 8 and 10 litres per minute.

There are other everyday habits, which are known to contribute to increased or wasted water usage. The most notable offenders include leaving the faucet running while washing your hands, shaving or brushing your teeth. A faucet can use approximately 4 to 8 litres per minute, so it is very easy to waste 5 litres even during simple tasks like brushing your teeth.

Many homeowners should also consider the water usage of their appliances. Older clothes washers can go through up to 160 litres per load.  You may be able to save up to 60 litres each load by upgrading to a new water-conserving model. You may also wish to consider whether it is preferable to wash your dishes by hand or use a dishwasher. Hand washing can use between 8 and 16 litres for each minute you run the faucet. This can be far greater when compared a modern, water efficient dishwasher.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), managing water use helps prevent a wide variety of environmental and economic problems, including water shortages, increased concentration of pollutants in water bodies, costly expansion of water and wastewater infrastructure, and increased energy consumption to pump and treat.

And then there’s Drinking Water

Another daily consumption consideration is your drinking water. Health experts recommend that drinking water is the best way to replenish fluid levels and assist your body in removing toxins from vital organs. Adequate water intake is approximately 3 litres each day for men and approximately 2.2 litres for women. While this is not a significant amount compared to taking a bath, over the course of a month, it could account for 60 to 80 litres per person in your household.

By being aware of how much water you are using, it is possible to make some basic changes and save some precious, irreplaceable H₂O, reducing your water bills and your carbon footprint.