Why is it important to conserve water?

Water is vital to the survival of everything on the planet and is limited in supply. Earth might seem like it has abundant water, but in fact only 1 percent is available for human use. While the population and the demand on freshwater resources are increasing (each person uses about 12,000 gallons of water every year), supply remains the same. Water is constantly being cleaned and recycled through Earth’s water cycle, yet we still need to conserve it because people use up Earth’s freshwater faster than it can naturally be replenished. When you use water wisely, you help the environment. You save water for fish and animals, help preserve drinking water supplies, and ease the job of waste-water 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 also 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. Your family pays for the water you use, so if you use less water, you’ll have more money left to spend on other things.