Even Blizzards Don’t Replenish the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes account for nine-tenths of North America’s surface freshwater, but less than one percent of their water is renewed each year by snow and rain. It would take 100 years for nature to replace even one gallon of water lost from the lakes. This slow recharge rate means we must take care to maintain the amount of water in the Lakes.
Viewer Tip: Taking steps to conserve water at home will help protect our Great Lakes. One way to conserve water is to install WaterSense-labeled faucets, aerators and appliances. WaterSense is a U.S. EPA program to help consumers identify water-efficient products and services. Look for the label to find products that are about 20 percent more efficient than average products in the same category. For example, if every U.S. home installed WaterSense-labeled faucets or aerators in bathrooms, the country would save 60 billion gallons of water each year and households would see overall savings of 350 million dollars in water bills!
Season: Winter
This information is provided by Alliance for the Great Lakes. Learn more at www.greatlakes.org.
(Sources: “This is My Water” campaign, Alliance for the Great Lakes, http://www.thisismywater.com; Alliance for the Great Lakes “Great Lakes in my World” curriculum, http:www.greatlakes.org/education; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Water Sense program, http://www.epa.gov/watersense/)
