Flushdown! Super Bowl Causes NYC Spike in Water Use

Water use increased by 13 percent just after the game.

Giants fans showed super bladder control during Sunday's big game. 

In the moments after Big Blue defeated the Patriots, toilet use spiked 13 percent in New York City, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

The post-game flushdown decreased by 2 inches the 30-foot-deep water level in the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, the New York Post reported.

“This was certainly a significant jump — especially for around 10 p.m. on Sunday night. It’s only going to happen on the Super Bowl,” Jim Roberts, deputy commissioner for the city’s DEP, told the Post.

The gametime usage far exceeded that of a week earlier, when the Giants were off, DEP records show.

After the game kicked off at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, water use began to fall dramatically as New Yorkers were settled in, watching the game.

In the first quarter, usage was down more than 7 percent from the previous week. Halftime saw sports fans heading for the stalls — water use jumped nearly 4.5 percent, before dropping back down 4.6 percent, as Madonna performed.

The water use continued to drop as the game intensified, reaching its low point — 9.6 percent lower than the week before — during wide receiver Mario Manningham’s sideline catch. After Big Blue hit its stride in the fourth quarter, viewers made a power play for the toilet. By 10:20 p.m., as the Giants were accepting their Lombardi Trophy, water use was 5.4 percent higher than the previous week.

Roberts said the statistics confirmed a link engineers have seen for years. "We kind of understand what is happening," he said.
 

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