I really don't understand the MASS BALANCE (engineering term) that ABC's 20/20 program is using to come up with this misguided information. They said that by turning off the water during brushing, you would save 8-10 gallons of water. How is this so? If you run the water continuously, where is it going? It is going back down the drain and eventually right back to where it came from. It is not being consumed. It is just recycled back to where it came from. ABC, quit trying to put fear into people and show the facts!

You are clearly someone who does not like to be told they are doing somehting wrong...sure the water goes rigth back down the drain, but it surely has to be RE-TREATED before it comes out of your pipes again. I would prefer my water only treated once. Unfortunately, many environmentalists may exaggerate facts & stats, but that is also many times the only way to make a point with some people. If people think "that's not so bad", then they are less likely to change. What would be the harm in turning the water off while brishing your teeth? Do you need that water? We are so used to CONSUMING, that occurs to very few to CONSERVE. Why should we? Because it only makes sense not to waste/use what we do not need. This bleeds right into our reckless spending habits and most of us in terrible debt...unless you think that's an exaggeration, too.

I do turn the water off when I "Brish" my teeth as this saves me money. But, it does not excuse the fact that ABC tries to put the fear into people by using these miscommunications. They say that this is the amount of water that can be saved, which it was never lost! If these environmentalists would not exaggerate the facts, they might get better response.

Many people need fear in order to take action. If that's what it takes to help the environment then I'm all for it.