F6
Issued 1/5/1999

91 Hammond Avenue, PO Box 456
Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
Phone 02 6922 0608 Fax: 02 6921 2241
Email: admin@rwcc.com.au

• About 80% of the world is covered by water or ice.
  
  
• Only 1% of the world's water is suitable for human needs (97% is salt water in the ocean and 2% is ice).
  
  
• Australia is the world's driest continent. Of all the inhabited continents, Australia has the lowest rainfall and the lowest water run off.
  
  
• The human brain is 75% water.
  
  
• A man's body is 60-65% water (measured as a percentage of body weight) and a woman's is 50-60% water. Men tend to have more muscle, and muscle tissue contains a large amount of water.
  
  
• The human body loses 3-3.5 litres of water in an average day. This may be increased by exercise and climatic conditions.
  
  
• Less than 1% of the treated drinking water produced by water authorities is actually consumed by people. Most is used for lawns, showers, toilets, laundry, etc.
  
  
• An average person can survive for nearly two months without food, but less than a week without drinking water.
  
  
• Your washing machine and dishwasher cost you $1 per load including water, energy, detergent and machine wear costs.
  
  
• The average household spends $300 a year on baths and showers including water and heating costs.

Water's availability has dictated the location and survival of civilisations through the ages. It is impossible to maintain public health and provide food without water.

Water is also essential for the community's qualify of life. Relaxing in a quiet garden or park would not be possible without a reliable water supply. People all over the world flock to dams, lakes and rivers for recreation. This demonstrates water's intangible social value.

The tangible economic value of water is demonstrated by industry's need for water. Economic stability for all sectors of industry depends on access to reliable, good quality water. A nation's economy is seriously affected by water shortages through drought or mismanagement. Our water resources must therefore be managed appropriately to maximise the social and economic potential of the land, both for the public interest and the economic future of the nation.

The provision of reticulated water supply and sewerage services in Australia has halved the death rate and reduced the rates of infectious disease by a factor of ten. Even now, there are significantly higher rates of infectious illness in Australian communities which do not have reticulated services.

We have invested over $50 billion to provide reticulated water supply and sewerage services throughout Australia. If we were to replace our current water supply and sewerage assets: dams, water and sewer mains, pumping stations and treatment works etc., it would cost $12,000 per household

Domestic water use comprises indoor and outdoor usage. The above graph shows the areas of average reticulated water usage in Australia

The areas of average domestic usage are shown in the adjacent graph.

Toilet flush(single flush cistern)
Bath
Shower (10 minutes)
Dishwasher load
Washing machine load
Brushing teeth with tap running
Drinking, cooking, cleaning per Person per day
Hand basin per use
Garden sprinkler per hour
Garden dripper per hour
Car washing with hose
Hosing driveway
Total daily consumption per household

By using water wisely you can reduce water usage without compromising your lifestyle. You will:

• keep your water bills down
  
• make large savings on your energy bills for water heating
  
• reduce the risk of water restrictions
  
• reduce your impact on the environment