The average family in the U.S. uses about 320 gallons of water per day, with about 30% of that water being used for outdoor purposes like landscape irrigation (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2025a). The EPA (2025b) reports that for the U.S. alone, we use at least 8 billion gallons of water total per day just
for our yards and landscapes! Sadly, up to 50% of the water we use outdoors is wasted due to inefficient watering methods, resulting in the waste of about 4 billion gallons of water each day just in the U.S (EPA, 2025c). That’s enough water
to fill the largest college football stadium in the U.S. 5 to 10 times each day! This staggering level of waste excludes water wasted indoors! Drought conditions can occur anywhere in the U.S.—or anywhere in the world—and those droughts that do occur are becoming more intense through time (Climate Central, 2025). These conditions challenge
us to find creative ways to conserve water, and water-wise gardening can help us use less water outdoors, reduce water
