Did You Know?

Facts About Water:

• Water is one of the most essential and plentiful compounds on earth and is essential in almost every process that occurs in plants and animals.

• Water is the only substance that can be found in all three forms - liquid, solid, gas - in nature.

• Three-quarters of the earth's surface is covered by water.

• More than 95% of earth's water is in its oceans.

• Only 2.7% of the total water supply is freshwater.

• Less than 0.5% of this freshwater is available for humans to use.

• We all live in a watershed. A watershed is an area of land, including all surface and ground waters within it that drains to a body of water such as streams, rivers and lakes.

How We Use Water:

• Seventy percent of the human body is made up of water.

• Water makes up 83% of our blood.

• Seventy-five percent of our daily water use takes place in the bathroom.

• The average person uses five gallons of water per minute in the shower; five gallons when they flush the toilet; 30-60 gallons with each load of laundry; and 100-200 gallons when they wash the car.

Freshwater Status:

• The United States is a global center of aquatic biodiversity. For several groups of organisms, such as freshwater mussels, crayfish, snails, and aquatic insects, the U.S. ranks first in species diversity among all countries.

• Forty-five percent of all listed threatened and endangered species live in freshwater, making freshwater animals the most threatened animals on the planet.

• The rate of extinction of North American fishes has doubled over the course of the century.

• State assessments show that forty percent of United States' waterways are still unsafe for fishing and swimming.

Freshwater Threats:

• The leading threat to aquatic animals are: alterations in natural flow patterns due to dams, diversions, development, and ground water pumping; polluted runoff from farms and urbanizing areas; and the introduction of non-native species that compete with natives.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified non-point source pollution as the largest cause of water quality problems in the U.S. Non-point source pollution is washed from the land by rainfall and includes sediment, soils, pesticides, vehicle emissions, pet waste, chemicals, and fertilizers from lawn care, household chemicals, trash, organic debris, and road salts.

• Only two percent of rivers in the U.S. remain free flowing and relatively undeveloped.

Pennsylvania Freshwater:

• Pennsylvania boasts remarkable diversity in our natural systems. Six major river basins give us 83,000 miles of waterways - the lifeblood of watersheds - of varying qualities.

• Nearly 66% of Pennsylvania's surveyed river miles have good water quality that completely supports aquatic life. The most widespread pollutants impairing the remaining miles are metals, which impact more than 1,610 miles.

• The most significant source of surface water quality degradation is abandoned mine drainage. Other major sources of ground water contamination include: pesticide application; aboveground and underground storage tanks; surface impoundments; landfills; hazardous waste sites; industrial facilities; mining and mine drainage; pipelines and sewer lines; and spills.

For more information about Watersheds, check out the Resources section.