My

Showers Water And

Energy Consumption
ENVL Issue: Spring 2015
Johanna Vo

Table of Content
Abstract.Pg 3
Water Use
Introduction.. Pg 4
My Water Footprint Pg 5
Economic Issue
Where is the water not going?...................................... Pg 5-6
Environmental Issue
Where is the water going? Pg 6-8
Energy Use
Introduction. Pg 8
My Energy Footprint.. Pg 9
Environmental Issue
Where should it not be going?..................................... Pg 10
Conclusion . Pg 10
References.. Pg 11
Appendices Pg 12-14
Appendix 1. Pg 12
Appendix 2. Pg 12
Appendix 3. Pg 12
Appendix 4. Pg 13
Appendix 5. Pg 13
Appendix 6. Pg 14

Abstract
The changes in climate, population growth and our lifestyles require more water
per capita. Eventually, water will not always been available when and where it is needed
and not always in good quality. As individuals, it is important to recognize how much
water we are using and wasting because in the near future water scarcity will be one of
the top major issue, if not already. This paper will aim to analyze water and energy
consumption, including their potential affect on the environment, through evaluating just
my shower use as a basic foundation to understand overall water and energy
consumption. I have concluded that, my total water use is 38 gal a day (45,600 gal in 5
years). I also spend about 8 min. (20gal) not actually using the water as I apply all the
products to get cleansed. In addition, using River Network Calculator, I found that I
contribute 129.407 therm/year burning natural gas and as a result I am also releasing .112
lb CO2 /unit of energy. Examine Appendix 1 for my total water and energy use. In
general, water and energy work together, as we use more water and heat more water that
require significant amount of energy, soon enough will result in degradation in the
environment. Therefore, we need to consider methods of water conservation and more
efficient use that could be effective through long-term strategies. This may involve states,
cities, and individuals to collaboration to create a more sustainable water future.

Water Usage
How much water do you think you consume every day or even just with a shower
a day? The total water withdrawn from the people in the United States is estimated to be
about 400 billion gallons per day, this includes our use of thermoelectric power,
irrigation, public supply, domestic, industrial, and aquaculture, shown in Appendix 2.
Water is recycled through the hydrologic cycle, which is the reason why it can never be
destroyed however, of all the rains that fall on the planet, only about 40 percent make it
into an aquifer, lake, or river. The rest of these waters become trapped in soils as
moisture (Levine and Asano, pg 201-208).
Of how much of the water we consume is actually used productively and
efficiently? We are producing more water than need. The rest of the water that is not
being use utilized is being waste by extraneous activities. In domestic water usage,
showers are typically the third largest water use after toilets and clothes washers.
According to the EPA across the United States, we use more than one trillion gallons of
water each year just for showering. But is all the water coming from the shower all used
productively (WaterSense. 2015). For example, I contribute 9,120 gaL of that trillion
each year for taking a shower. and this include the latent periods I used for shaving,
conditioning, face washing and putting on body wash. To determine how much water I
use during my shower I need to know the flow rate of my showerhead and how long I
completely turn of my shower last.

Rate of my showerhead = 2.5 gpm

Shower length = 15 min

Times I spent not using the water while its on= 8min/ 20 gaL
-waiting for warm water: a minute
-shampooing: seconds
-conditioning: minutes
-shaving: minutes
-applying body wash: seconds
-scrubbing face: minute

Avg Shower days a week = 5 days a week

In conclusion, I spend about 8 min. not actually using the water as I apply all the
products to get cleansed. Therefore, in total I wasted about 20 gaL of water, more
the half I actually used. In addition, as the total amount of water I used for the
shower a day is 38 gaL, in which will accumulate over time to about 45,600 in 5
years.
Economic Water Issue: Where Is It Not Going?


It is important to recognize how much water we are using and wasting because in
the near future water scarcity will be one of the top major issue, if not already. Fresh
water is a renewable resource, but it is also finite. Across the world, population is
growing and the increase in the amount of water a single person uses is putting stress on
available water supplies, shown in Appendix 3. It is one of the many reasons that provoke
water scarcity. Currently, over a billion people still lack access to improved water
supplies, and one-third of us already live in water stressed areas. Because precipitation
isnt evenly distributed around the globe, and our needs for that water arent the same
everywhere. We need to consider methods of water conservation and more efficient use

that could be effective long-term strategies to manage water scarcity. (Assessment, M. E.

2005).

Environmental Issue: Where Its All Going?

Before showering, I usually have all kinds of styling products in my hair and face
that were put on during the day. The products and grimes left over get washed off my hair
and skin and into the drain. While the lovely lather and nice smelling shampoo might
make my hair feel clean, the chemicals use to create these effects could be harming me as
well as polluting and poisoning the environment as it goes through my shower drain with
the rest of my products chemical. Through this article we can see how not only water
and energy waste, in just showers, can affect the nations economy, but also the products
release from the shower can affect human health and environmental issues.

Shampoo: Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium

Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Dimethicone, Laureth-4, Sodium Citrate, Sodium
Xylenesulfonate, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Polyquaternium-6,
Tetrasodium EDTA, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Panthenol, Panthenyl
Ethyl Ether, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone,
Methylisothiazolinone
Conditioner: Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium
Chloride, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit
Extract, Glycol Stearate, Glycol Distearate, Ceteareth-20, Isopropyl Alcohol,
Dimethicone, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Citric Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Panthenol, Ovum
(Egg Powder), Propylene Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin,
Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance (Parfum)
Facewash: Water, Glycerin, Oleic Acid, Coconut Acid, Sodium Hydroxide,
Triethanolamine, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate,
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, BHT, Trisodium HEDTA,
Blue 1, Red 33, Yellow 5, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol

The list above is ingredients pulled from my shampoo, conditioner, and face wash

that I use, along with the products I had on. The highlighted ingredients are potential
carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. Imagine what that does to your
skin, and to the environment. For example, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, a well-known
ingredient in shampoo, contains 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide. The Environmental
Protection Agency considers 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide to be a probable human
carcinogen, including other health effects like kidney and liver toxicity if exposure occurs
over long periods of time (ASTDR, 1990).
Whether cosmetics or certain ingredients in them cause more subtle or long-term
health problems is not entirely clear. Uncertainty exists because many products and
ingredients have not been tested thoroughly. Even when ingredients in cosmetics have
been tested, the results may not always be simple or clear cut. This means that in the U.S.
we cannot claim that these products will not cause health problems in some people. On
the other hand, in other countries like Europe using this uncertainty to do the opposite, as
a reason to claim that it will cause harmful affects in which will be restricted until proven
safe, this procedure is called The Precautionary Principle.
The chemicals that are running down my drain are include as PPCPs,
pharmaceuticals and personal care product ingredients. They are detected frequently in
US waterways, creating concern for their potential to impact wildlife. PPCPs can enter
waterways through wastewater treatment plant effluent or untreated private well; in my
case my shower waste goes through a wastewater treatment plant (WWTPs). From the
WWTPs the treated waste goes into stream. Almost no attention has been given the
personal care products that lead to negative environmental impacts. Many of these

substances are used in very large quantities frequently more than recommended
(Daughton, Ternes, Pg 907-938).
Globally, there is an increase number of chemical produce and more than 100,000
chemicals have been registered or approved for commercial use in the U.S; that include
cosmetic ingredients. This is a concern because chemicals that are not treated leads into
streams, lakes, and ocean and by ingestion by other species can proceed up the food
chain. Damage in organisms that accumulate higher concentrations can lead to
physiological impairment. For example, fragrance, an ingredient in my shampoo and
conditioner, is persistent and bioaccumulative pollutants that can be highly toxics. Blue 1
is also an ingredient in my shampoo and conditioner that has cause tumors in animals
(NRP.1998).

Energy Use
Water and energy work together. As the water cycles it requires significant
amount of energy to extracted from the natural environment, to go through water
treatment plant, pumped to buildings for use, collected for wastewater treatment, and
discharged back to the natural environment, shown in Appendix 4. In general, the focus is
water heating as it is a direct source for energy use by me during my shower, however
still realize that before and after the water reaches or leaves the shower enormous amount
of energy is still being used.
Water heating uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature.
Most of the electricity in the United States is generated from fossil fuels, such as coal,

natural gas, and oil. In my home, there is a storage water heater, that uses natural gas,
instead of electricity, solar, or other energy sources, to keeps water continuously hot and
ready to use. Natural gas heaters has been popular in the US since the gas is often
conveniently piped throughout cities and towns and currently is the cheapest to use.
Heating water is 20%, third largest use of energy in a home and showers contribute to
most of that, shown in Appendix 5. To determine how much energy in water heating in
my showers I used a calculator from River Network.

Total Water heating = 254 therm per year (a therm=100 ft3)

Natural Gas/ per gallon = .993 ft3

CO2 emission (given) = .112 lb/unit of energy

Energy use in shower=38 gaL/day*.993 ft3/gaL=35.454 ft3 /day (.35454therm/day)

Energy use in heating shower water a year = 129.407 therm/year

In conclusion, based on the calculator I used from River Network shown in

Appendix , my natural gas burning for a gallon of water I use during my shower is .993
ft3. Then used this number to convert how much natural gas is being burn for the duration
of my time in the shower accumulated in a year. In addition, because it was given to me
by my Energy Guide, that my hot water heater is 254 therm per year of the total energy of
heating water. This can then conclude that about half of my total water heating use comes
from my shower. The calculator also shows me how much CO2 emission lb/unit of
energy. I am contributing to 129.407 therm/year as a result I am also releasing .112 lb
CO2 /unit of energy.

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Environmental Issue: Where Should It Not Be Going?

The more I increase my water temperature and usage in amount of water in the
shower the more energy is needed to generate. Although natural gas is known to be the
cleanest fossil fuel, to generate electricity regardless of the form of fossil fuels will have
some level of environmental impact contributing significantly to air pollution and buildup of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This contribute to global warming
and eventually expose to elevated levels of these air pollutants can lead to adverse human
health outcomes, including respiratory symptoms, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Include atmospheric changes; intense weather, sea level rise, stress on animals, and other
environmental impacts (Berner and Berner, 2012).

Conclusion
Climate change has the potential to increase stress on water resources, which
traces back to our contribution to climate change, by increasing our demand for water. In
order to create a more sustainable water future, cities and states should be coming
together to encourage water conservation as a way to reduce demand. The cost of
achieving such a reduction through individual behavioral change may be far lower than
governmental changes but it is better than contributing to the cost of the consequences.

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References:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). (1990). Toxicological
Profile for Ethylene Oxide. U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services.
Assessment, M. E. (2005). Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Findings. Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment.
Berner, K. Elizabeth and Berner, A. Robert. (2012). Global Environment: Water, Air, and
Geochemical Cycles. Princeton University Press.
Bin, S., & Dowlatabadi, H. (2005). Consumer lifestyle approach to US energy use and
the related CO 2 emissions. Energy Policy, 33(2), 197-208.
Daughton, C. G., & Ternes, T. A. (1999). Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in
the environment: agents of subtle change? Environmental Health Perspectives, 107(Suppl
6), 907938.
Levine, D. Audrey and Asano, Takashi. (2004). Recovering Sustainable Water from
Wastewater. Environmental Science & Technology pp 201208.
NRP.(1998). Disperse Blue 1. National Toxicology Program, Department of Health and
Human Services
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc13
WaterSense. (2015). Water in Daily Life. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/water_use_today.html

Appendices:
Appendix 1: This table illustrates my water and energy use from days to 5 years

Water (gaL)
Energy (therm)

Day
38
.35454

Week
190
.146

Month
760
.625

Year
9,120
7.601

5 years
45,600
38.006

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Appendix 2: This diagram shows the total freshwater is going into and more specifically
the percentage of domestic usage

Source: EPA, American Water Work Association Research 2005 and 1999
Appendix 3: The surface water that is withdrawn per day is increasing

Source: USGS 2002

Appendix 4: The water cycle from domestic use; water is extracted from the natural
environment, subjected to water treatment, pumped to buildings for use, collected for
wastewater treatment, and discharged back to the natural environment

Appendix 5: The percentage of energy sources in domestic usage

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Appendix 6: River Network Calculator for water heating results of my energy and CO2
emission