How Much Well Water Am I Using?

Recently, the ecological movement to "Go Green" has been all over the news. Americans have really come to realize our impact on the environment in new ways, and have started taking steps to help preserve our natural resources, and to limit pollution and make the world a healthier place to be. The first step in becoming more environmentally friendly is understanding just how much of the resources we're using. One of the most important natural resources we need to consider is water.

How much well water am I using?
It can be a bit difficult to calculate how much water you're using from your own private well. A water meter is the best indicator, and one can be installed on your supply line if you're interested in exact usage. However, if you don't have a meter installed, there is a way to calculate a rough estimate of your water usage.

Well systems usually rely on a pump in a deep shaft. You can estimate your water usage by taking note of how long your pump runs each day and how many gallons per minute (GPM) it pumps (check into your pump documentation for the latter). You can calculate how many gallons you use per day by multiplying the number of GPM x the number of minutes the pump runs. For example, if your pump runs for 10 minutes a day at 50 GPM, you're using 500 gallons of water per day. To calculate your monthly usage, you would take 500 gallons per day x 30 days = 15,000 gallons per month.

By using these calculations, you'll soon see how critical water conservation can be. Not only is it good for the environment and saving our natural resources, but it could also mean a significant impact on your own well and electric bills.