Jewish National FundJewish National Fund

World Water Monitoring Day

World Water Monitoring Day, celebrated annually from September 18 through October 18th, falls during the holidays of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, when we begin praying for rain for the coming harvest season. While leading students in a science experiment to test water sources for temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and pH, you can also discuss the Jewish concept of water as the source of life, the importance of water in Israel, and connect your local water testing to the state of the global environment.

Last year 106 schools across the U.S. utilized 234 water kits with approximately 11,700 students participating in Jewish National Fund’s and the USFS World Water Monitoring Day program. 200 kits were sent to Israel and were utilized by over 48 schools throughout the country. A total of seven different rivers were tested, along with multiple reservoirs and water recycling treatment facility.


  • Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
  • The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.
  • The United States uses nearly 80 percent of its water for irrigation and thermoelectric power.
  • The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day.
  • Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
  • 1.1 billion people lack access to an improved water supply - approximately one in six people on Earth.
  • Less than 1% of the world's fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use.