To help ensure
all residents have access to safe drinking water, the Mesa County Health
Department Regional Lab offers water testing for homeowners with private wells
and others.
According to the Environmental Protection
Agency:
  • Each American
    uses about 100 gallons of water per day, totaling 400 billion gallons of
    daily water usage in the United States. Residents of sub-Saharan Africa
    use only 2-5 gallons of water per day.
  • Of
    the Earth’s water, only 1 percent is suitable for drinking (97 percent is
    ocean or sea, and the other 2 percent is frozen).
  • More
    than 25 percent of bottled water comes from a municipal source, just like
    tap water.
  • Americans
    use more water each day by flushing the toilet than by any other activity.
  • The
    average faucet flows at a rate of 2 gallons/minute. Save up to four
    gallons of water every morning by turning off the faucet while you brush
    your teeth.
  • More
    than 700 gallons of water go into the production of one cotton T-shirt.
  • A
    human’s body weight is made up of between 55 – 78 percent water.
At the Mesa County Health Department Regional Lab, water
sample drop-off hours are Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The lab is
located on the south side of the first floor of the Health and Human Services
Building, 510 29 ½ Road. Water testing is $20. For more information on the lab
and its services, call 970-248-6999 or visit health.mesacounty.us/lab/.