By Alissa MacMillan
Q: Thanks to a TikTok video, my daughter is now trying to take thirty-minute showers. It’s a horrifying waste and I need some advice for how to get through to her about just how bad it is.
A: That is one long shower and is definitely not advised. As Divya Flynn, Communications and Education Lead at An Fóram Uisce (The Water Forum) says, “a thirty-minute shower can use a considerable amount of water and energy, particularly if it’s a hot shower.”
But your daughter’s experience is just one example of how distant we’ve become from nature and our natural resources. “We don’t always stop to think how much water we use, or what goes into making it safe and available to us,” Flynn says.
The water conversation is “a tricky one to have in Ireland, a country where we’re so used to rain, people might not think of the need to conserve water.” But there is a need and Flynn points to the difference between rainwater, which we might get a lot of, and the water coming out of our taps, which requires considerable resources, infrastructure, and energy.
The message Flynn’s organisation and others think might not be getting through, is the connection between a rainy day and the water from our taps: “just because we get a lot of rain in Ireland doesn’t mean we have an unlimited supply of drinking water,” she says.
A national survey commissioned by the Water Forum, involving around 1,500 adults in Ireland, found that 74% agreed Ireland needs to improve its water conservation efforts, though more than half of the respondents had very little or no idea about how much water they use on a daily basis.
Flynn points to Irish household water consumption figures from 2022, cited in the Water Forum’s research, showing a median use of about 261 litres per household, per day. This comes to a median of about 95 litres per person, per day, which is no small figure.
BAD HABITS
The majority of household water use is associated with everyday activities, Flynn notes, citing Water Forum estimates: 30% is used through taps, like kitchen sinks and bathroom taps; another 28% is used in showers and baths; 26% in toilets; 12% through washing machines; and, 4% through outdoor use.
“It’s surprising how water use can add up through everyday activities,” she adds.
And a lot of this comes down to habits, often not-so-good habits, like leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth or in the kitchen when you turn away to collect more dishes.
“We take it for granted, we can turn on the tap and have safe water available to us,” Flynn says. But with so much involved in making that possible, it’s helpful to recognise the steps and processes the water goes through before it gets to us, including collection, treatment to meet drinking water standards, and delivery to our homes through an extensive network and infrastructure, all of this requiring energy resources, investment, and ongoing maintenance. When we leave a tap running, we’re wasting “a valuable resource that has already required a considerable effort and investment.”
Currently, the Water Forum has been focused on the importance of building long-term resilience. “Even a country like Ireland could experience drought,” Flynn points out. “We might have enough water, but not enough in the right places at the right time.” Building long-term resiliency is about better preparing for these challenges, including, “conserving every day and being more conscious of how we use it,” like those running taps and lengthy showers.
When it comes to the garden, you can collect rainwater for watering the plants, as the plants don’t need treated drinking water. Plants are also better and more effectively watered with a bucket instead of a hose, the water going directly to the roots. Efforts like the hosepipe ban last summer remind us to be more mindful when supplies are under pressure, holding off on “things like paddling pools and power washing the front porch.”
WATER-EFFICIENT FITTINGS
Indeed, more water-efficient behaviours are critical, but studies have shown the potential positive role of incentives through grants and support schemes. Research commissioned by the Water Forum and done at Trinity College Dublin, modeled a four-person household in a new build home and found that, if water-efficient taps, showers, and toilets are installed, it could reduce use by 20 litres per person, per day. For a family of four, that’s 80 liters per family, per day, says Flynn, “just by installing water efficient fittings in your homes.”
Another big side of water conservation is leakage, she explains, including dripping taps and leaking toilets inside the home. According to Uisce Éireann, a dripping tap can waste as much as 1500 litres of water a year, and “that’s a lot of water.” You’ll find tips on Uisce Éireann’s website (water.ie), for example checking for signs of leaks if you have a constantly running toilet bowl. Uisce Éireann also runs a “first fix free” scheme which helps eligible householders identify and repair certain leaks on the external supply pipes to their home.
As for getting the message out, unlike with electricity, where we know we need energy to turn on a lightbulb and might be conscious of turning off the lights when we don’t need them, with water “we haven’t necessarily developed the same amount of awareness around using it efficiently.” The hope is that we all better understand where water comes from and the many resources that go into providing it.
Even if you aren’t connected to the public water supply, we need everyone to be water-aware all year round, not just during moment when our supplies are under pressure.
“We need action at the policy level, alongside measures to promote good practices and more efficient water use,” Flynn explains, for all of us, including households and businesses. “Water conservation is a shared responsibility, and we all have a part to play.”
We think of our health, Flynn adds, but don’t give the same thought to water. “Imagine a day without water and think what that would be like.”
As for your daughter’s shower, an alternative, Flynn suggests, is she pick her favourite song and get in, get clean, and get out before the song ends. Better that than sending valuable energy, effort, and needed resources down the drain!
