home, rivers and water efficiency
Ref: E04

Flowing tap

We use water everyday in our homes, to wash ourselves, our clothes, clean our houses, water our plants and many other things. Can you think of the last time that you used water? The chances are it wasn’t that long ago!

All our water is supplied by a water company, unless you have access to a bore hole or well and pump your own water. In Cornwall the water company responsible for supplying and taking away wastewater is South West Water. We just have to turn on the tap and clean drinkable water is supplied without us hardly ever thinking about it.

We sometimes don’t need or use all the water that we demand by turning on the tap. We waste this water, not because it is gone forever - we know that all water is part of a water cycle (B02) - but we are wasting it because when it leaves our homes, although it is not dirty, it has to be purified again. In this sense we are wasting all the energy that goes into the purification process to supply clean water. We are also putting unnecessary demands on the water supply and the water cycle.

Water treatment

Water is taken out of rivers and collected in reservoirs to supply our homes for domestic use. Water is also supplied to farms (E03), schools and industries (E05). In Cornwall, Colliford, Porth, Siblyback, Crowdy, Argal and College reservoirs collect water for use in the county. The more water we demand to use in our homes, the more water is taken from rivers to meet these demands. Collecting water in reservoirs and abstracting (G1) water from rivers provides the water companies with the water that they purify and deliver to homes. The more water that is taken out of the water cycle for our use, the less water there is for wildlife. Go to Death of a River (E06).

Colliford Reservoir

There are many ways in which we can prevent water from going down the plughole and being wasted. In the average home water flows out of the tap at 15 litres per minute, by leaving the tap on unnecessarily we could be wasting thousands of litres of water each day!

Everyone can help by doing simple things like making sure taps are not dripping, but there are other things that can be done to save water which many people might not have thought of before.

Watering can

Using washing up water to water plants in the garden and house saves water, and taking a shower rather than a bath can also save water. Lots of homes have their water metered and can check how much they use. By saving water people are also saving money which can add up to hundreds of pounds in a year! Look at the Domestic Water Challenge Sheet (E04a) and the Schools Water Challenge Sheet (E04b)

	Water Facts Household use of water (average figures) WC flushing 9 litres a flush Baths 150 litres Showers 4 litres per minute Washing machines 150 litres Dishwashers 50 litres Garden sprinklers 15 litres per minute
Collecting roof water