5 interesting facts you may not have known about water
The health of almost every other living being on Earth relies on water to survive.
Both the human brain and a living tree is made up of about 75% water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The abundance of water is in danger as climate change continues to worsen.
Here are five interesting facts you may not have known about water:
We could be gulping down the same water that dinosaurs drank
It's been millions of years between the existence of modern-day humans and dinosaurs, but scientists believe we could be drinking the same water long-extinct creatures like dinosaurs and wooly mammoths once drank.
There are billions of gallons of water underground that have been there for millions and even billions of years, according to Washington State University.
Because of the way water circulates on planet Earth, there is a "very high chance" that the tap water consumed by humans is the same that dinosaurs were drinking tens of millions of years ago.
As water from the surface of lakes, oceans and rivers warm up and evaporate, it travels into the atmosphere as very small droplets or vapor.
As the vapor gets colder, it transforms back into liquid and helps to form clouds. The moisture expelled from the clouds carries the rainwater that then returns to Earth's surface.
Nearly 97% of the world's water is undrinkable
Water, water everywhere, but nary a drop to drink.
More than 70% of Planet Earth is covered by water, but nearly 97% of that water is salty and therefore undrinkable, according to the EPA.
Another 2% of Earth's water is frozen in ice caps and glaciers, leaving only 1% of drinking water available for billions of people around the world.
Water supplies are dwindling due to climate change, scientists say. As the earth warms, the severity of drought intensifies and precipitation decreases, according to climate scientists.
Rivers and reservoirs all over the world are drying up as these conditions worsen.
Each person in the US uses about 50 gallons of water per day
The average total home water use for each person in the U.S. is about 50 gallons a day, according to the EPA.
About 24% of that usage is through the toilet, another 20% for showers and bathing, about 19% from the faucet and 17% from the washing machine, according to the EPA.
Communities are facing challenges to meet water demands, the EPA said.
Strains on water supply and aging water infrastructure could lead to higher water prices to ensure continued access to a reliable and safe supply, increased summer watering restrictions to manage shortages, seasonal loss of recreational areas like lakes and rivers when the human demand for water conflicts with environmental needs and expensive water treatment projects to transport and store freshwater when local demand overcomes available capacity, according to the EPA.
Lower water levels could negatively affect the environment
Decreasing surface elevation in reservoirs could spell additional challenges for drinking water and hydroelectricity.
Human health and the environment are put at "serious" risk as reservoir levels and ground water tables drop, according to the EPA. Lower water levels could lead to higher concentrations of natural and human pollutants.
Less water going down the drain means more water available in the lakes, rivers and streams wildlife uses to survive.
An ample water supply is a "critical component" of human health and public safety, Sinjin Eberle, Southwest region communications director for the nonprofit American Rivers, told ABC News.
"If there's not a healthy environment, we don't have healthy drinking water supplies, and we don't have healthy ecosystems and we don't have habitat for wildlife," Eberle said.
It takes an incredible amount of water to grow food
Vast amounts of water are used to grow food in modern-day agricultural settings.
According to the Water Education Foundation, it takes about 3 gallons of water to grow 1 cup of lettuce, 7 gallons of water to make one slice of whole wheat bread, 46 gallons of water to make .36 ounces of butter and 80 gallons of water to grow 1 ounce of almonds.
Should water supplies continue to dwindle in the drought-stricken West, the water cuts would likely come first from the agriculture industry, which uses up to 80% of water in some regions.
