By the Numbers: Pumping Water in the U.S.

40.5 million
Acres of lawns in the United States.

90 million
Pounds of herbicides and pesticides used on lawns annually.

$30 billion
Estimated amount Americans spend on lawn care annually.

50
Percent reduction in nitrogen needed on a lawn if clippings are left to decompose rather than raked.

10 to 1
Amount of pesticide use per acre used by the average homeowner compared to the average farmer.

90 percent
Amount of stream and fish samples that contained at least one synthetic pesticide in the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Program.

11
Number of the 30 most commonly used lawn pesticides that have adverse effects on bees.

352,042,000 gallons
The amount of water sold to Sturgeon Bay Utilities customers in 2015.

138,792,000 gallons
The amount sold to residential customers.

101,216,000 gallons
The amount sold to commercial customers.

2.08 billion gallons
The amount of water soaked up by golf courses in the United States per day.

1,140
Number of golf courses in California.

37,000,000 gallons
Amount of water saved per day on California golf courses if water use is reduced by 25 percent.

Sources: Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment; Rodale’s Organic Life; Sturgeon Bay Utilities; Inside Science