Have you been thinking about building a pool -- or hiring someone to do it for you? Do you already own an in-ground or above-ground swimming pool? Do you live in a region affected by drought? Have you considered filling in your swimming pool? Do you worry about how much water each of your household members use? As a homeowner or dweller, any of these questions may have crossed your mind. Or, maybe they will now, after reading these facts about water usage at home, in our yards and for our pools and spas.

Facts* are presented in no particular order.

1. How Much We Use

American residents use about 100 gallons of water per day. Europeans use about half the amount that Americans consume -- approximately 50 gallons per day. Residents of sub-Saharan Africa use 2 to 5 gallons of water per day.

2. How Many Pools?

There are 10.4 million residential pools in the United States.

3. How Many Hot Tubs?

There are over 7.3 million hot tubs in operation in the United States,

4. Per-Residence Use

In one year, the average American residence uses more than 100,000 gallons of water (indoors and outdoors). 

5. Per Day in the U.S.

Approximately 400 billion gallons of water are used in the United States per day.

6. Cut Down on Watering Your Lawn

If you are starting to be concerned about your water footprint, the drought, or water consumption, consider cutting down on the number of days you water your lawn. Watering the grass just a couple of days a week instead of five can save up to 840 gallons per week.

7. What We're Made Of

Water makes up between 55-78 percent of the average human’s body weight.

8. Earth's Surface

Water covers about 70.9 percent of the Earth’s surface.

9. Fresh vs Salt Water

Only 3 percent of Earth’s water is fresh water.  The other 97 percent of the water on Earth is salt water.

10. Flushing

Americans use more water each day by flushing the toilet than they do by showering or any other activity that involves water.