Wilie's Water Fun Facts and Trivia

Water Facts of Life

· There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the Earth was formed. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank.
· Water is composed of two elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen. 2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen = H2O.
· Nearly 97% of the world's water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% for all of humanity's needs - all its agricultural, residential, manufacturing, community, and personal needs.
· Water regulates the Earth's temperature. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes.
· 75% of the human brain is water and 75% of a living tree is water.
· A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
· Water is part of a deeply interconnected system. What we pour on the ground ends up in our water, and what we spew into the sky ends up inour water.
· The average total home water use for each person in the U.S. is about 50 gallons a day.
· The average cost for water supplied to a home in the U.S. is about $2.00 for 1,000 gallons, which equals about 5 gallons for a penny.
· Water expands by 9% when it freezes. Frozen water (ice) is lighter than water, which is why ice floats in water.

Be Hydrological

FACT: More water is used in the bathroom than any other place in the home.
ACTION: Turn off the water when you brush your teeth and shave. Install low-flow toilets, shower heads and faucet aerators and you'll save thousands of gallons/liters of water a year. It's a savings that should reduce your water bill.
FACT: Today there are many more people using the same amount of water we had 100 years ago.
ACTION: Don't waste water. Use it wisely and cut back wherever you can.
FACT: A dripping faucet can waste up to 2,000 gallons/7,600 liters of water a year. A leaky toilet can waste as much as 200 gallons/260 liters of water a day.
ACTION: Check your plumbing and repair any leaks as soon as possible.
FACT: Lead in household plumbing can get into your water.
ACTION: Find out if your pipes are lead or if lead solder was used to connect the pipes. If you have lead in your plumbing system,when you turn on the tap for drinking or cooking, let the water run until it's cold. Never use water from the hot tap for cooking or drinking.
FACT: What's dumped on the ground, poured down the drain, or tossed in the trash can pollute the sources of our drinking water.
ACTION: Take used motor oil and other automotive fluids to an automotive service center that recycles them. Patronize automotive centers and stores that accept batteries for recycling. Take leftover paint, solvents, and toxic household products to special collection centers.
FACT: On average, 50% - 70% of household water is used outdoors for watering lawns and gardens.
ACTION: Make the most of the water you use outdoors by never watering at the hottest times of the day or when it's windy. Turnoff your sprinklers when it's raining. Plant low-water use grasses and shrubs to reduce your lawn watering by 20% - 50%.
FACT: Lawn and garden pesticides and fertilizers can pollute the water.
ACTION: Reduce your use of pesticides and fertilizers and look for safer alternatives to control weeds and bugs. For example, geraniums repel Japanese beetles; garlic and mint repel aphids; and marigolds repel whiteflies.
FACT: Although most people get their water from regulated community water supplies, others rely on their own private wells and are responsible for their own water quality.
ACTION: If you own a well, contact your local health department or Cooperative Extension Service representative to find out how to test the quality of your well water.
FACT: Your city government and state officials regularly make decisions that affect the quality of your drinking water resources.
ACTION: As the population grows and housing and industrial interest expand, attend local planning and zoning meetings and ask what's being done to protect water resources from contamination. Let elected officials know that you expect them to use their hydro-logic to protect the water.
FACT: Public water utilities regularly test the quality of the drinking water they provide to customers.
ACTION: Call your water utility and ask for a copy of their latest water quality report.

Test your Water Trivia!  Most of these questions can be found in the facts above. For the answers, click here. If you get 40 to 45 correct, congratulations! You're a Water Winner! 35 to 39 correct makes you a Water Wonder! 29 to 34 correct makes you a Water Tadpole! Anything less and Willie Water would be dissapointed in you!

Director
Timothy S. Hanson

425 East State Street
Rockford, IL 61104
Phone: (815) 987-5570
TDD: (815) 987-3083
Fax: (815) 967-6942

Additional Contact Numbers