Why does water conservation matter?
Some people believe that there’s no such thing as “wasted water,” because all water eventually returns to its source to be used again. But those people are wrong. Water may never leave the planet, but if it isn’t present where people and other life forms need it, the impact can be devastating.
That’s why water conservation matters. Saving water not only preserves water where it’s used—it also makes more water available to transport to where it’s desperately needed and reduces the effort and resources needed to recirculate it.
Here’s a closer look at why water conservation matters—and how your choices in restroom technology can help.
The World’s Most Important Natural Resource
Every living thing needs fresh water, and nothing else can take its place. That’s what makes fresh water the world’s most important natural resource.
Yet, climate change is contributing to unprecedented droughts and water shortages on continents all over the world. According to the EU, record high temperatures during the summer of 2024 combined with unusually low rain levels to intensify drought conditions in South America, southern Africa, parts of the Mediterranean and eastern Europe, and North America.1
Here in the U.S., 33.41% of the lower 48 states are in drought as of late February, with 45 states experiencing at least moderate drought levels.2
Water is Essential for Agriculture, Industry, and Economic Growth
Plentiful water drives economic growth. Virtually every industry relies on it to function at full capacity, and every level of society suffers the impact when water becomes scarce. Here are just a few examples.
- In parts of Ohio, severe drought reduced 2024 soybean yields by more than 50%.3
- Utilities in the southwestern U.S. have been forced to significantly raise water prices to compensate for increasing water shortages along the Colorado River.4
- Some regions of the world could see growth rates decline by as much as 6% of GDP by 2050 as a result of water-related losses in agriculture, health, income, and prosperity.5
Water Conservation Saves Energy and Reduces Greenhouse Gases
Outside agriculture, water shortages may have the most impact on the energy sector. Water and electricity are intrinsically linked—water is needed to generate electricity, and electricity is needed to clean and/or move water to where it’s needed.
Drinking water and wastewater systems account for approximately 2% of energy use in the U.S., and they are often the largest energy consumers for municipal governments, accounting for 30-40% of total energy consumed.6 The more water that gets used, the more energy is needed to transport it. Conversely, water conservation also translates into energy conservation.
When water is scarce, it hurts energy companies’ ability to generate electricity and drives costs higher. Between 2003 and 2020, for example, drought events reduced U.S. hydroelectricity generation by approximately 300 million MWh, resulting in an estimated loss of $28 billion.7
Finally, it’s estimated that water systems generate more than 45 million tons of greenhouse gases every year.6 Saving water helps protect every ecosystem on the planet.
Pressure-assisted Toilets are One Way to Save Water
Restrooms are huge users of water. The average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day, and most of that is in the bathroom. A single toilet can use 27% of a household’s water.8
To reduce water use in restrooms—in homes, businesses, and public facilities—there’s no better technology than pressure-assisted toilets.
What is a pressure-assisted toilet? Most ordinary toilets use gravity to flush their contents—when a flush is triggered, the water in the tank essentially just falls into the bowl. A pressure-assisted toilet—also known as a power flush toilet—uses compressed air to force water into the bowl, pushing out waste up to 233% more effectively with the same amount of water.
The Flushmate 503UH, for example, uses just 0.75 gallons per flush, delivering all the benefits and power of pressurized flushing while using 53% less water than a standard 1.6 gpf gravity toilet. One 356-apartment complex in Baltimore reported a 57% average drop in daily water usage after renovating with pressure-assisted toilets.
If water savings and performance are a priority, installing pressure-assisted toilets is essential. Talk to the experts at Flushmate to learn more about the difference pressure-assisted toilets can make.
1—EU Science Hub, “Global drought threatens food supplies and energy production,” October 2024
2—Drought.gov, “National Current Conditions,” February 2025
3—Successful Farming, “‘New Benchmark for Dry’ in Ohio as Drought Severely Impacts 2024 Yields,” September 2024
4—Inside Climate News, "As the Colorado River Declines, Water Scarcity and the Hunt for New Sources Drive up Rates,” June 2023
5—World Bank Group, Water Overview
6—U.S. EPA, Energy Efficiency for Water Utilities
7—Environmental Research Letters, “Unraveling the hydropower vulnerability to drought in the United States,” July 2024
8—U.S. EPA, Water Sense