Water autonomy

Most of the folks in the West use water daily. Some of us are so used to accessing water when we want that we don’t take the time to value water anymore. It’s when water starts to be scarce that we understand its importance.

Water is fundamental to life. It has been here, on this planet, way before we appeared, and it is likely to be still here after we are all gone. We borrow it, and we need to borrow it wisely.

On this page, we will talk about your water autonomy and how you can increase it, but not only this. You could also look at how to do the same while using less water. How can you shower, but instead of 47 liters, you will use 25 liters? I am not talking about altering your experience. I am talking about you doing the same thing but using less water.

Imagine that today, you consume 300 liters a day. I will use liters per day because it’s usually easy to imagine. If you use 300 liters daily, that is equivalent to 200 bottles of 1.5 liters. Imagine we find solutions to reduce this consumption to 180 liters. That’s a 120-liter reduction, meaning you save 120 liters daily. That is 365 days times 120 liters equals 43,200 liters a year. That is 43 cubes of 1-meter length by 1-meter width by 1-meter height. That is a lot of water. It’s roughly the quantity of water in a medium size swimming pool. Can you imagine?

How do i reduce my water consumption?

First things first, it’s best to know your current water consumption. How to do so?

  • Look at your water invoice if you get your water from a company. On the invoice, which you may have in paper format or that you can access online, you will see your water consumption between 2 dates. For instance, from 1 January 2024 to 28 February 2024, you may see 14,200 liters or 14.2 m3 (cubic meter). The numbers will likely be in cubic meters, so multiply them by 1,000 to get the number in liters. If you want to know your water consumption per day, divide this number (for instance, 14,200 liters) by the number of days between the two dates (you can count them or use 30 days per month). From 1 January 2024 to 28 February 2024, roughly two months, so 60 days. 14,200 divided by 60 is 236.6 liters per day. That’s 158 bottles of 1.5 liters of water per day.

  • Some of you may trust their water meter more. Feel free to write down the number displayed on your water meter between 2 dates. For instance, on Monday morning, you write down the number, and then you look at the water meter the following Monday morning so that you will know your water consumption between these two dates. The number displayed on your water meter will be cubic meters and liters. For instance, if you see 2,145.285, you read this: 2,145 cubic meters and 285 liters. If you look at the water meter a few hours later, showing 2,145.385, it means that 100 liters of water have been used. If you look at the water meter a week later, which displays 2,147.290 liters, you have used one more cubic meter and 5 liters. As one cubic liter is 1,000 liters, you have used 1,005 liters over a week. Just divide by 7 to know your daily water consumption: 1,005 / 7 = 143.6 liters per day, 143.6 / 1.5 = 95.7 bottles of 1.5 liters per day.

  • If you have trouble doing the above, please ask a neighbor or someone you know to help you do that. It may be a challenging task to do.

Once you know your average daily water consumption, we can consider how to reduce it. Something to mention: i assume your water consumption is pretty stable. If your water consumption varies a lot from one week to another, it will be hard to know how much water you save. In that case, you need to look at your water consumption over a longer period, such as 3 or 6 months.

Next is to identify when you use water in your home:

  • Shower

  • Washing the dishes (either manually or with a dishwasher)

  • Washing hands

  • Cooking (boil water, wash food)

  • Drinking (human, pet)

  • Watering the garden (grass, plants, trees)

  • Cleaning indoor and outdoor

  • Car washing

  • Swimming pool refill

The list is long. You realize that you use water for a lot of things. I leave it to you to create your list and sort it by decreasing water consumption. You will put what uses the most water over a week at the top of the list. We do this sorting because we want first to reduce what consumes the most water. It’s where we can potentially get the most significant water savings. If you are unsure how much water each thing consumes, try to guess or, if you can, measure it. You look at your water meter, write down the number you see, take your usual shower, and then look again at the water meter. 51 liters. Alright, you roughly know how many liters you use for one shower. Imagine you take seven showers a week. That’s around 360 liters (51 liters times seven days) for showers per week. Imagine there are 4 of you living in the house. That’s 4 persons x 360 liters = 1,440 liters a week, more or less.

Let’s look at each item and identify solutions to reduce water usage.

  • Shower

    • A bath roughly uses 100 to 200 liters of water—quite a lot. A shower usually consumes between 20 and 80 liters. If you regularly take baths, could you switch to showers?

    • Shower duration impacts how much water you use. Assuming the water keeps running, the longer you shower, the more water you use. Can you take shorter showers?

    • Can you pause/stop the water while not using it during your shower?

    • Some shower handles use less water. When the water flow isn’t enough, the experience is terrible. Targeting the shower handle that uses 6 to 9 liters of water per minute would be best. Those are called “low-flow shower heads,” and you can get them at DIY shops.

    • If the water pressure in your shower is insufficient, you should fix this first before installing a low-flow shower head.

  • Washing the dishes

    • Washing the dishes by hand or with a dishwasher roughly uses the same amount of water. If you use dishes by hand, try to limit the water flow.

  • Watering the garden

    • Watering a garden can use a lot of water.

    • The most inefficient way to do it, you may guess, is to take the water hose and start watering, 

Harvest rainwater

The idea is to capture the rainwater into something, usually a water tank. Before the water reaches the tank, you need to gear it toward the tank. Often, it will come from an inclined surface like a roof or the ground.

Build a water tower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNS_mAHE4RE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI5iREyCX24

Is there water below my ground?

I am no fan of Mr Beast as he contributes to People’s view that they should chase money. However, i suggest you to watch this video as it shows you the value of water and where you can find it.

What a massive change in autonomy these folks experienced! Some folks saved hours of walking a day. I do not know if these local communities will be able to sustain this change (maintenance of the installation, potential conflicts related to access to water, etc). The point is that there may be water under the ground of the place where you live. How can you know?

  • Dowsing or Water Witching: This is a traditional method where a person uses a Y-shaped twig or rod to locate underground water. However, this method is considered pseudoscientific and its effectiveness is highly debated.

  • Observing the Environment: Look for signs in the natural environment. Areas with lush vegetation, particularly in dry regions, may indicate the presence of underground water. Also, the presence of certain plant species that thrive in wet conditions can be a clue.

  • Soil Moisture: Digging a small hole in the ground can sometimes reveal moist soil layers, which might indicate the presence of groundwater at a deeper level.

  • Topography: Low-lying areas and valleys are more likely to have groundwater near the surface compared to higher elevations.

  • Geological Maps: Geological maps can provide information about the types of rocks and soils in an area, which can give clues about the likelihood of groundwater presence.

  • Consulting with Experts: Hydrologists or geologists can conduct surveys using more scientific methods such as electrical resistivity, seismic surveys, or drilling test wells to accurately determine the presence of groundwater.

Each of these methods varies in terms of cost, accuracy, and feasibility. While some are simple observations that can be made without special equipment, others require technical expertise and sophisticated tools.