State College Borough Water Authority www.scbwa.org

SUMMER 2014

In Central Pennsylvania we are fortunate to have a large

quantity of high quality drinking water so, it’s sometimes hard to

visualize the damage done by wasting of water and to

understand the importance of water conservation. By the year

2025 it’s predicted that 40% (1.8 billion people) will be affected

by “absolute” water scarcity. It’s predicted by 2050 that 40% of

the population could experience “severe water stress”.

Although most of the world is not running out of freshwater,

regions are enduring long-term freshwater shortages. Water

shortages are expected to continue to rise due to increasing

demand, unsustainable withdrawal rates, pollution and the

change in precipitation patterns. Water withdrawals in the

United States have tripled over the last 50 years.

Conservation is crucial to our future. Sit down with your family

and construct a plan to minimize water waste in your home.

Use the chart on the right to illustrate how much water you

could easily conserve. Remember, constant conservation in

your home will also reflect savings on your water bill.

DID YOU KNOW… Recycling is a form of water conservation. Recycled materials can be produced using half the amount of water needed to produce a new product. EXAMPLE: It takes about 24,000 gallons of water to produce paper, but only about 12,000 gallons to produce recycled paper.

Dehydration is a serious matter. There are three levels of dehydration: mild, severe and extreme. Mild symptoms of dehydration are reduced alertness and concentration, tiredness, headaches and nausea. Severe symptoms include dizziness and physical weakness. If fluid levels aren’t maintained, you can develop extreme symptoms such as cardiovascular and kidney problems. A 20-22% loss of a person’s body water is fatal. The average person should consume approximately 8 glasses of water a day. During physical activities, you should take a drink every 10-15 minutes and drink 1.5 times the water you have lost afterwards. Water helps to regulate your body’s temperature, so extreme exercise, without water to cool down, could cause severe internal damage to your body. Water is our body’s most crucial asset.

Make drinking water fun for your children this summer. Try making spa water! Squeeze orange slices and blueberries, lemon slices and strawberries or even lemon slices and kiwi into a glass of water to make it flavorful and healthy. Be creative!