Eastern Illinois University Sustainability - What You Can Do -- Water Conservation

Water Conservation

With your help, EIU has enjoyed great success reducing its water demand — slashing consumption by over 50 millions gallons per year during the past decade. We feel we can do better, though, and here are a few easy-to-follow water conservation tips:

• Don’t waste water in the bathroom, where some studies indicate as much of three-quarters of American water usage occurs. Running your faucet for five minutes uses approximately the same amount of energy as powering a 60-watt light bulb for 14 hours. The average bathroom faucet flows at two gallons per minute, so turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and evening can conserve up to eight gallons of water per day and 240 gallons per month.
• Take showers instead of baths. Filling your bathtub generally requires 70 gallons of water, while the average five-minute shower takes only 10 to 25 gallons.
• If you are on EIU's campus and notice a leaky toilet or faucet, make sure to alert the appropriate authorities.
  • In residence halls, let an RA know.
  • In an academic/administrative building, alert Facilities Planning and Management maintenance. Emergency situations should be called in at 217-581-3416 ext. 1, while non-emergencies can be called in to 217-581-3416 ext. 3. Leave a voicemail at that extension, or send the information to eiumaint@eiu.edu.
• Remember, a slow drip may not seem like much, but one drip per second can add up to 3,000 gallons of water in a year’s time. A leaky toilet can waste around 200 gallons every single day!

Statistics on this page based on studies conducted by Environmental Protection Agency (2008) and Eastern Illinois University.