Most water in the United States is used directly or indirectly from the tap. On average, Americans on community water supplies use about 100 gallons of water per person per day. People with private wells use slightly less. According to the American Water Works Association report
Residential End Uses of Water (1999) (the latest data available), about sixty-nine gallons per day are used indoors and the rest is used for activities done outdoors. Of this daily supply, only a small portion is actually consumed as drinking water.
American Drinking Habits, a survey by the Yankelovich Partners for the International Bottled Water Association (2000), reported that slightly less than one gallon per person is actually drunk from the tap each day.
Residential water consumers use most water for purposes other than drinking, such as toilet flushing, bathing, cooking, and cleaning. In the United States, significant amounts of water are used for kitchen and laundry appliances, such as garbage disposals, clothes washers, and automatic dishwashers; for automobile washing; and for lawn and garden watering. Additional community use includes fire fighting, fountains, public swimming pools, and watering of public parks and landscaping.
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