200,000,000,000 gallons

February 5th, 2010 by Peter Schmelzer

That’s the number of gallons of surface water sucked into power plants each day to generate this nation’s electricity.

Per DAY. That is a staggering number, even in the land of 10,000 lakes.

What does that look like?


That’s over half of the daily flow of the Mississippi River through New Orleans.


That’s like filling and draining the Metrodome four hundred forty-five times each day, including the arc of the dome.


Or, consider 4.6 times the water that crests Niagara Falls each day.

When you think of conserving electricity, think of conserving our waterways, lakes, and streams.

This colossal hidden cost lurks behind each kilowatt on your monthly utility bill for steam-generated power, whether coal or nuclear.

Ask what you can do to conserve electricity in your home and business.

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