Thirteen Fun Facts About Water
The water we have and how much we use--from making a pair of jeans to producing a pound of corn.
1)ÌýPercent of the earth's water that is fresh water: 2.5
2) Percent of fresh water locked in glaciers and ice caps: 68.6
3) Percent of the 127 trillion gallons of fresh water withdrawn in the U.S. each year that's used for irrigation: 37
4) ÌýGallons of water needed to make one pair of jeans:Ìý2,900Ìý
5) Gallons of water needed to produce one pound of beef:Ìý1,847
6) Gallons of water needed to produce one pound of corn: 146Ìý
7) Gallons of water needed to make one egg: 35.7Ìý
8) Gallons of water used daily by an average U.S. household: 400Ìý
9) Average gallons of water to flush a conventional toilet:Ìý4.25Ìý
10) Gallons of water to flush a low-flow toilet: 1.6Ìý
11) Gallons of water consumed per MWh of nuclear electricity produced: 900
12) Gallons consumed per MWh of fossil fuel electricity produced: 585Ìý
13) Gallons consumed per MWh of wind energy produced:Ìý0
This story originally ran in the November-December 2012 issue as "Numbers Game: Water World."