by Brianna Crandall — May 13, 2016 — Many times, situations evolve so slowly that we do not realize just how much they have changed. Some people refer to this as “change blindness,” and it certainly applies to water, that is, the dramatic reduction in water consumption in recent years, according to Vista, California-based Waterless Co., Inc. , innovator of no-water urinal systems.
A recent report by the nonprofit Alliance for Water Efficiency examines water-using products we use every day in homes and offices. It compared how much water these products used in the 1980s to the amounts some of these products use today.
Among the comparisons are the following:
| 1980s | 2015 | Reduction | ||
| Faucet, residential | 3.5+ gpm | 1.5 gpm | -57% | |
| Faucet, commercial | 3.5+ gpm | 0.5 gpm | -86% | |
| Toilet, residential | 5+ gpf | 1.28 gpf | -74% | |
| Toilet, commercial | 5+ gpf | 1.6 gpf | -68% | |
| Urinal | 1.5 to 3 gpf | about 1 gpf | -37% | |
| Dishwasher, residential | 14 gallons per cycle |
|
-64% | |
|
gpf = gallons per flush gpm = gallons per minute |
“In many ways, we are doing even better than these comparisons indicate,” says Klaus Reichardt, CEO and founder of Waterless. “For instance, no-water urinals are now commonplace, especially in the western half of the U.S., and toilets and faucets that use even less than the amounts listed here are also available.”
The report indicated that even though there has been much success in reducing water consumption over the past 25 years, much of this reduction has been accomplished because some regions, for instance, California, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, currently have significantly more stringent water consumption restrictions than other areas of the United States.
“This means many manufacturers now make two lines of products,” says Reichardt. “One for these specific areas and another line, which uses considerably more water, for the rest of the country. The report suggests that if stringent water restrictions were mandated throughout the country, it would result in greater water efficiency throughout the country.”
