Water Under the Bridge
Earth Science/Social Studies Project
Household Water Use
(Download the MS Word version of this document.)
Part 1: Recording Water Use
For one week you will be recording the amount of water used by your household. If you live in more than one household, pick one to follow the entire time. Regular water use should be recorded according to the following table:
| item | average water usage |
| brushing teeth with water running | 6 gallons |
| brushing teeth without water running | .5 gallons |
| shower, with regular shower head | 7 gallons per minute |
| shower, low flow shower head | 1.6 gallons per minute |
| bath | 28 gallons |
| toilet flush, regular toilet | 6 gallons |
| toilet flush, low water toilet | 1.6 gallons |
| toilet flush, with dam in tank | 4 gallons |
| dishes, by hand | 10 gallons |
| dishwasher | 30 gallons per cycle |
| shaving in sink | 3 gallons |
| cooking | 4 gallons/day (family of four, three meals) |
| cleaning house | 8 gallons per week |
| laundry | 55 gallons per load |
| watering lawn | 8 gallons per minute |
| washing car/dog/boat | 8 gallons per minute the hose is running |
Post a chart in several convenient places in your house to record water use (bathroom, kitchen, laundry, etc.). Encourage all members of your family to mark all water use. Subtotal or change out the sheets daily and record the usage per category per day. Be sure to include any extra activities like watering the lawn or washing the car.
Part 2: In Science
Bring all of your data sheets to science class. In science you will be asked to calculate an entire cities water use utilizing your figures. You must have raw data sheets, daily totals, and final amounts for your household before you come to science to participate in this lab.
Part 3: In Social Studies
Write an essay for your social studies class using your own water use projections for a modern city and compare modern issues to those facing ancient civilizations.
Part 4: Water Use Rubric
Household Water Usage Gradesheet
Not present |
Poor |
Below average |
Adequate |
Above Average |
Excellent |
|
| Written component: | ||||||
| What you did | 0 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| What you saw | 0 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 20 |
| Ideas for conservation | 0 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Graphs | ||||||
| Pertinence, logic, thoroughness | 0 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 20 |
| Neatness, labels, format | 0 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Raw Data | ||||||
| Present, in presentable format (readable) | 0 | 12 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 30 |
| Total |
