1. There's as much water in the world today as there was thousands of years ago. Actually, it's the same water. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank. Perhaps Columbus sailed across it.

4. We drink very little of our drinking water. Generally speaking, less than 1% of the treated water produced by water utilities is actually consumed. The rest goes on lawns, and washing machines, and down toilets and drains.

 7. Every glass of water brought to our table in a restaurant requires another two glasses of water to wash and rinse the glass. Since nearly 70 million meals are served each day in U.S. restaurants, we'd save more than 26 million gallons of water if only one person in four declined to complementary glass full.

 10. If U.S. citizens averaged only four or five flushes per day, it would amount to more than 5 billion gallons of water down the drain. That's enough to supply drinking water for the entire population of Chicago for more than six years.

 13. Which uses more water, a shower or tub bath? It all depends. A partially filled tub uses much less than any longer shower, while a short shower is much more water efficient than a brimfull tub.

 16. Some people thoughtlessly flushed away tissues and other bits of trash in the toilet. Using a wastebasket, instead, will save all those gallons of water that otherwise go waste fully down the drain.

 19. Don't let the water run when you brush your teeth or when washing your face. Most of it will be wasted. Just take what you need and save the rest.

 22. Water heaters often are set at 140 degrees. You can save energy by turning the temperature on your water heater down to 130 degrees. Don't go any lower because some harmful bacteria could survive.

 25. Check every faucet in the house for leaks. A single dripping faucet can waste far more water in a single day than one person needs for drinking in an entire week. Don't wait to fix a drip. Do it now!

 28. Select the appropriate water level for the size of your load of laundry. Most washers now offer preset water levels for small, medium, and large loads. Use full loads whenever possible.

 2. Nearly 97% of the world's water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in the ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% for all of humanity's needs--all its agricultural, manufacturing, community, and personal household needs.

 5. For the price of a single 12-ounce can of soda, many communities deliver up to 1,000 gallons of fresh, clean drinking water to homes 24 hours a day. If drinking water and soda pop were equally costly, your water bill would skyrocket more than 10,000%.

 8. If you have a lawn, chances are it's your biggest water gobbler. Typically, at least 50% of water consumed by households is used outdoors. Inside your house, bathroom facilities claim nearly 75% of the water used.

 11. Little leaks add up in a hurry. A faucet drip or invisible toilet leak that totals only 2 tablespoons in a minute comes to 15 gallons a day. That's 105 gallons a week and 5,460 wasted gallons of water a year.

 14. Any new showerhead now manufactured in the United States is required by law to release no more than 3.2 gallons of water per minute. Super low-flow showerheads that deliver as little has 1.25 gallons per minute, cost anywhere from $5 to $75.

 17. If someone in your family likes to shave with water running in the basin, they probably use at least one gallon per minute, most of it wasted. A stoppered basin needs one-half gallon or so of water for adequate razor rinsing.

 20. If everyone in the United States could manage to use just one less gallon of water per shower everyday, we could save some 85 billion gallons per year. How do we do it? By keeping the shower pressure lower or by making our showers a few seconds shorter.

 23. Which is more water efficient, washing dishes in an automatic dishwasher or doing them by hand in the sink? It depends. But you can check by testing how many gallons a full sink basin holds compared to the 9.5 to 12 gallons dishwashing machines use during a regular cycle.

 26. If you like to rinse off vegetables and fruits, stopper the sink instead of using running water. Stopper the sink when you wash dishes by hand, too; and when you're finished, turn on the garbage disposal as you pull the plug.

 29. Do you wash your car at home? Please, don't let the water run. Instead, wet the car thoroughly, then turn off the hose while you swab the car with soapy water from a bucket. Use the hose again for a final rinse. A trigger nozzle is best because it turns off automatically.

 3. The United States uses some 450 billion gallons of water every day. Only about 6% of that--27 billion gallons--is taken by public water supply systems. The U.S. daily average of water pumped by those systems is 185 gallons per person.

 6. If everyone in the United States flushed the toilet just one less time per day, we could save a lake full of water about a mile long, a mile wide, and four feet deep--every day.

 9. Nearly 40% of water used indoors gets flushed down toilets, more than 30% used in showers and baths, the laundry and dish washing take about 15%, leaks claim 5% or more, which leaves about 10% for everything else.

 12. Ultra-low-flush toilets, which may cost from under $100 to over $300, depending on type purchased, only use about 1.5 gallons of water per flush. That could cut your family's total indoor use by as much as 20%.

 15. Is it possible your toilet has a secret leak? You can test it by putting ten drops of food coloring in the tank. Don't flush for 15 minutes. If the colored water shows up in the bowl, the tank is leaking.

 18. Have you ever heard of showering "The Navy Way"? Because fresh water is relatively scarce on ships, sailors were taught to just get wet, and then turn off the shower while soaping and scrubbing, and turn it on again briefly to rinse off. It's a great water conservation techniques.

 21. Fill your dishwasher full because it will use the same amount of water for a normal cycle, whether it contains a full load of dishes are just a few items. Also, there's really no need to fully washed dishes before loading in the dishwashers. Just scrape off food scraps and rinse.

 24. Instead of letting the water run in the sink when you want a cool drink, keeping a jug or pitcherfull cooling in the refrigerator. If you detect and dislike the taste of chlorine in your water, an uncovered jug or pitcher will allow chlorine molecules to escape into the air, thus improving the taste.

 27. Check the water taps in your home to see if all have aerators or spray taps. An aerator mixes air with the water, which not only cuts the flow but reduces splashing. The spray tap is similar, but also can swing from side to side like a tiny showerhead.