Explain why water use is a concern and how freshwater is vital to human life.

Without fresh water you will die in just a few days.  Plain and simple, no sugar coating, it is a simple morbid fact that helps drive the point across, water equals life.  Most of us learn this along the way, so why are you complacent when you see fertilizers, oil and other pollutants pour into rivers and streams each time it rains?  Would you eat a fish with some weed killer marinade, or drink water with a nice motor oil sheen on top?

  Using less water keeps money in your pocket.  By utilizing basic water conservation techniques you are able to save thousands of gallons of water each year.  You do the math, use less water and the water company charges you less money.  That sounds like a good deal all around.

 Protecting our natural eco-systems from further damage is critical, especially for the survival of some endangered species.  The oceans, streams and lakes that are the lifeblood of so many local eco-systems are used as dumping grounds, hurting everything that relies on these water sources.  The great pacific garbage patch is a great example of the worst side of our wasteful practices.

  Conserving water can also save energy.  In order to pump the water from a central facility into your home or office, energy is required to run that equipment.  For example, studies have shown that in California alone, 6.5 percent of all energy consumed goes towards moving water from one place to another.  So saving water means using less energy which reduces your carbon footprint and helps the country become more energy independent 

For our friends in Florida and other areas prone to sinkholes, water conservation can actually reduce the occurrence of sinkholes.  When the natural aquifers run low, it leaves a gap where water once was.  Simple gravity pushes the ground downward since there is now a void and voila, you have a sinkhole.