Last week, I was skimming the City of Merritt’s recently released annual report for 2013.
In it, I found some interesting numbers.
And no, these numbers weren’t preceded by a dollar sign.
Now, you may be thinking that as a writer, I should probably not look at numbers insofar as attempting any math.
Good news! The math has been done for me, and you, and anyone else who wants to read the report.
Here’s the gist: the average water consumption per person in Merritt in 2013 was nearly three times that of the average Canadian. Three times!
Averaged out, Merritt used about 927 litres of water per day in 2013.
Compare that to the average daily consumption in Canada at only 329 litres per person.
The peak of water consumption locally was on July 2, 2013, with 1,891 litres per person based on a population of 8,000.
Even at its lowest on Dec. 1, 2013, the per capita water consumption in Merritt in 2013 was almost twice what the average Canadian uses: 577 litres per person.
In the wetlands known as Vancouver (proper), residents use an average of 320 litres of water per day, according to that city’s website.
In the Halifax Regional Municipality, the average consumption rate of water per person per day was about 302 litres for the fiscal year ending in 2013.
Whitehorse used about 500 litres per capita per day.
In 2013, Calgarians used an average of 231 litres of water every day in their homes.
Sure, an abundance of clean water is a perk of living in some parts of Canada, but if you look at Canada’s water consumption on a global scale, you see that we are using far more water than people in other parts of the world (some that also have abundant water sources).
Residents of Bangkok, Thailand use about 278 litres of water per day.
In Beijing, China, that average drops to 218 litres per day.
Delhi, India is looking at 209 litres per person per day.
In the U.K., an average person uses about 165 litres of water per day.
Manila, Philippines is in the neighbourhood of 155 litres per person per day.
It’s no surprise that Merritt’s water use spikes astronomically in the summer.
This city is a dry place, and it takes a massive volume of water to keep grass green and lush here.
And it’s not only residential use of water on lawns; the city itself does a hefty portion of watering at public parks.
But if you don’t think you can make a difference by altering your lawn watering habits, consider this: One hour of lawn sprinkling uses as much water as 25 toilet flushes, five loads of laundry and five dishwasher loads combined, the annual report states.
Now, I am not chastising you for getting your slice of lush green grass. It is a lovely thing. Although I don’t sprinkle, per se, I certainly do my share of water consumption.
Never, ever, ever ending laundry seems to be my biggest drain on the water system.
All I’m saying is, if you sprinkle your lawn every time you’re allowed within city bylaws (you bylaw-abiding citizen, you), consider altering your water consumption habits where alterations might make a bigger impact than waiting until you’re down to your last fork before running the dishwasher.
There’s not much sense in flushing selectively or waiting until you’re out of clean underwear before doing laundry if your sprinkler is watering the sidewalk.
