How Much Water Is Used To Produce The Food We Eat

If you want to conserve water and lessen your environmental footprint, you might consider taking shorter showers or only washing clothes when they are really dirty. However, the most effective way you can reduce your water usage is by choosing more carefully what you eat. This is because the food we eat makes up more than 2/3 of our total water footprint. This might surprise you until we take a closer look at how much water is used to produce the food we eat every day.

The LA Times posted a website article during California's terrible drought in 2015 that included an intriguing tool. You can select various foods to put on your virtual plate and it will tell you how many gallons of water went into producing those items. Take, for instance, a plate consisting of a pork chop, pasta, an apple, and a glass of milk. This plate used 500 gallons of water to produce! The majority of the water came from the 330 gallons it takes to raise a pig and butcher it to get that pork chop on your plate. In fact, the majority of our water usage when it comes to producing food comes from meats. If you are looking for ways to lighten your water footprint, simply eat less meat in your diet. Instead, replace them with eggs or beans for protein.

If we are considering our meal items, why not choose the one that used significantly less water to produce? For instance, if you are choosing a starch for your meal, potatoes only use 34 gallons of water per pound versus corn which uses 146 gallons per pound. The difference between coffee versus tea? Tea only uses 108 gallons of water per gallon of brewed tea contrasting coffee which uses a whopping 1,056 gallons of water to produce one gallon of brewed coffee. These efforts can really add up!

This article can help you choose between common foods like beer vs wine or asparagus vs broccoli. The foods you choose to eat can be very mindful of the environment if you educate yourself.

While it may seem drastic to cut these foods out of your diet entirely, knowing the amounts of water it takes to produce them can make you more mindful of your choices. You can find more information on water preservation on the MN AWWA website.

Career Spotlight - Water Treatment Plant Operators

Turn your faucet on….Water comes out and unused “waste” water runs down the drain. This process occurs numerous times per day whether we are at home, at work or we are out running errands. This service is automatic and most of us have come to expect this service to be available 24/7/365. Safe, plentiful drinking water doesn’t magically appear in our cup, so how do we get it?

We can thank Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators for providing safe, clean water. Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators have extensive responsibilities and lead rewarding and fulfilling careers.

What do they do?
As an Treatment Plant Operator, responsibilities include operating of equipment in the water and wastewater treatment facilities in order to purify drinking water, remove pollutants from water, and return clean water and biosolids back to the environment. Having safe and clean drinking water is essential for life and good health. They are also in charge of maintaining the pumps, motors, chemical feed systems, computer process that control remote water storage facilities and wastewater pump stations that convey wastewater through the sewer system. As an operator, it is critical to abide by the guidelines of the Federal Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act as well as comply with Minnesota Department of Health and Pollution Control Agency requirements.

Hours and Earnings
Treatment Plant Operators usually work 8-12 hours a day and 40 or more hours per week. Because many treatment facilities operate 24 hours a day, Operators may be required to work different shifts. Earnings vary depending on the size of the facility and its locations, the skill of the operator, education, experience, and certification. Most operators receive “overtime” pay, paid vacations, and benefits. The average national salary for a Treatment Plant Operator is $42,760.

Education and Training
With the complex instrumentation and computer-controlled equipment now in use in many water treatment facilities, employers seek applicants with at minimum, a high school diploma. Education requirements are increasing as plants become more complex. Each plant has a formal training process that employees must complete.

Certification and Licenses
All water and wastewater systems are required to meet state and national standards as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In every state, Operators must pass a certification examination to show they are capable of overseeing a wide variety of treatment processes. There are classes of certification for different size treatment plants. Some states, such as Minnesota, have their own certification program.

Future
Public perception may be that with improvements in technology and the increase use of automation and remote access control, the need for water professionals may be decreasing. The new tools available have helped reduce the need for some work tasks, but the increase regulatory requirements, demands for the highest quality water and consumer expectations require more water system professionals than ever before.

Mike Rowe and the crew for Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs at the Moorhead water treatment plant 2011.

Available Jobs
Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities and systems operators held over 111,000 jobs throughout the United States and it is expected to grow at an 8% rate. Most work for local governments, but State and Federal positions are also available. Others work for private water, wastewater, and sanitary utilities and services companies, which increasingly provide operation and management services to local governments on a contract basis. There are many fulfilling career choices in the water quality profession including Treatment Plant Operator, Laboratory Technician, Maintenance Mechanic, Civil Engineer, Chemist and Biologist; just to name a few. Which career are you most interested in? Share below!