Why should we conserve water?

Water conservation systems such as greywater recycling and rainwater tanks are becoming an essential component for homes and businesses, especially in water scarce South Africa. The article below provides a quick reminder of why we need to save water.

Water is essential to life on earth. We need water to grow food, keep clean, provide power, control fire, and last but not least, we need it to stay alive!

If water is constantly being cleaned and recycled through the earth’s water cycle, why do we need to conserve it? The answer is that people use up our planet’s fresh water faster than it can naturally be replenished.

To provide enough clean fresh water for people, water is cleaned at drinking water treatment plants before it is used. And after water is used, it is cleaned again at wastewater treatment plants or by a septic system before being put back into the environment.

Saving water is good for the earth, your family, and your community.

• When you use water wisely, you help the environment. You save water for fish and animals. You help preserve drinking water supplies. And you ease the burden on wastewater treatment plants—the less water you send down the drain, the less work these plants have to do to make water clean again.
• When you use water wisely, you save energy. You save the energy that your water supplier uses to treat and move water to you, and the energy your family uses to heat your water.
• When you use water wisely, you save money. Your family pays for the water you use. If you use less water, you’ll have more money left to spend on other things.