The National Water-Use Information Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a cooperative program designed to compile, store, and disseminate water-use information locally and nationwide. Since 1950, the USGS has compiled data at 5-year intervals on amounts of water used in homes, businesses, and on farms in the United States, and has described how that use changed with time.
The Water-Use program was implemented in Puerto Rico in 1980 to provide data for the management of the Commonwealth's water resources. Water-resources planners and managers must have information regarding the amount of water used, as well as where and how it is used, to adequately assess many of the critical water problems facing Puerto Rico.
The USGS maintains cooperative agreements with the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER), and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (PREQB) to compile water-use data and maintain an adequate database for major use categories of importance to waterresources managers and planners in Puerto Rico.
Water-use data is aggregated for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Five major offstream categories are considered: public-supply water withdrawals and deliveries, domestic and industrial self-supplied water use, crop-irrigation water use, and thermoelectric-power freshwater use. One instream wateruse category also is compiled: power-generation instream water use (thermoelectric saline withdrawals and hydroelectric power).
In Puerto Rico during 2010, public-supply water withdrawals by the PRASA from surface-water (587 Mgal/d) and groundwater (83 Mgal/d) sources constituted the major freshwater use category and were estimated at 670 Mgal/d. The population served by public-supply water facilities operated by the PRASA was estimated to be 96 percent of the total resident population (about 3,586,000 residents). Non-PRASA public-supply water withdrawals were estimated at 7.1 Mgal/d to serve a population of about 102,000 residents. Public-supply domestic water use in Puerto Rico was estimated at 206 Mgal/d, with about 30 percent of the total PRASA deliveries from surface-water and groundwater sources. Water withdrawals by domestic self-supplied users were estimated at 2.41 Mgal/d by a population of about 38,000 people. Groundwater withdrawals by industrial users were estimated at 4.30 Mgal/d.
Crop-irrigation withdrawals from surface-water and groundwater sources were estimated at 38.2 Mgal/d, of which 15.7 Mgal/d of surface water were in areas supplied by the public irrigation systems operated by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Groundwater withdrawals from Puerto Rico’s major aquifers for irrigation were about 22 Mgal/d. Micro-irrigation was the predominant irrigation method and was used to supply the water requirements for 80 percent of cultivated acreage. The nine active hydroelectric power plants located throughout Puerto Rico used about 556 Mgal/d of freshwater in 2010 (Molina-Rivera, 2014).
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Geospatial Datasets for Watershed Delineation Used in the Development of the USGS StreamStats Application for Puerto Rico
Spatial and tabular datasets of water withdrawals and use in Puerto Rico, 2015
Below are publications associated with this project.
Estimated water use in Puerto Rico, 2010
Source, Use, and Disposition of Freshwater in Puerto Rico, 2005
Estimated Water Use in Puerto Rico, 2005
Estimated water use in Puerto Rico, 2000
Estimated water use in Puerto Rico, 1995
Quality-assurance plan for water-use program activities of the Caribbean District
Programa de Informacion de Uso de Agua en Puerto Rico:Uso de Abastos de Agua Publicos y Disposicion de Aguas Usadas Durante el Ano de 1990
Accuracy of data for selected categories compiled in the Puerto Rico Water-Use Information Program
Ground-water use of the principal aquifers in Puerto Rico during calendar year 1990
Puerto Rico water-use program : public-supply water use and wastewater disposal during 1990
Estimated water use in Puerto Rico, 1986-87
- Overview
The National Water-Use Information Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a cooperative program designed to compile, store, and disseminate water-use information locally and nationwide. Since 1950, the USGS has compiled data at 5-year intervals on amounts of water used in homes, businesses, and on farms in the United States, and has described how that use changed with time.
The Water-Use program was implemented in Puerto Rico in 1980 to provide data for the management of the Commonwealth's water resources. Water-resources planners and managers must have information regarding the amount of water used, as well as where and how it is used, to adequately assess many of the critical water problems facing Puerto Rico.
The USGS maintains cooperative agreements with the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER), and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (PREQB) to compile water-use data and maintain an adequate database for major use categories of importance to waterresources managers and planners in Puerto Rico.
Farm irrigated by a sprinkler system in the south coast of Puerto Rico. Water-use data is aggregated for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Five major offstream categories are considered: public-supply water withdrawals and deliveries, domestic and industrial self-supplied water use, crop-irrigation water use, and thermoelectric-power freshwater use. One instream wateruse category also is compiled: power-generation instream water use (thermoelectric saline withdrawals and hydroelectric power).
Example of plumbing configuration used by domestic wells in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico during 2010, public-supply water withdrawals by the PRASA from surface-water (587 Mgal/d) and groundwater (83 Mgal/d) sources constituted the major freshwater use category and were estimated at 670 Mgal/d. The population served by public-supply water facilities operated by the PRASA was estimated to be 96 percent of the total resident population (about 3,586,000 residents). Non-PRASA public-supply water withdrawals were estimated at 7.1 Mgal/d to serve a population of about 102,000 residents. Public-supply domestic water use in Puerto Rico was estimated at 206 Mgal/d, with about 30 percent of the total PRASA deliveries from surface-water and groundwater sources. Water withdrawals by domestic self-supplied users were estimated at 2.41 Mgal/d by a population of about 38,000 people. Groundwater withdrawals by industrial users were estimated at 4.30 Mgal/d.
Crop-irrigation withdrawals from surface-water and groundwater sources were estimated at 38.2 Mgal/d, of which 15.7 Mgal/d of surface water were in areas supplied by the public irrigation systems operated by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Groundwater withdrawals from Puerto Rico’s major aquifers for irrigation were about 22 Mgal/d. Micro-irrigation was the predominant irrigation method and was used to supply the water requirements for 80 percent of cultivated acreage. The nine active hydroelectric power plants located throughout Puerto Rico used about 556 Mgal/d of freshwater in 2010 (Molina-Rivera, 2014).
- Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Geospatial Datasets for Watershed Delineation Used in the Development of the USGS StreamStats Application for Puerto Rico
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, has compiled a series of geospatial datasets for Puerto Rico to be implemented into the USGS StreamStats application (https://streamstats.usgs.gov/ss/). These geospatial datasets, along with basin characteristics datasets for Puerto Rico published as a separate USGS data release (https://doi.org/10.Spatial and tabular datasets of water withdrawals and use in Puerto Rico, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled information on water withdrawal and use for Puerto Rico at 5-year intervals since 1980 to provide data for the management of the Commonwealth’s water resources. For 2015, water withdrawals and use were estimated for 78 municipalities from fresh groundwater and surface water in the categories of public use, domestic use, irrigation use, livestock, commercial - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Estimated water use in Puerto Rico, 2010
Water-use data were aggregated for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for 2010. Five major offstream categories were considered: public-supply water withdrawals and deliveries, domestic and industrial self-supplied water use, crop-irrigation water use, and thermoelectric-power freshwater use. One instream water-use category also was compiled: power-generation instream water use (AuthorsWanda L. Molina-RiveraSource, Use, and Disposition of Freshwater in Puerto Rico, 2005
Water diverted from streams and pumped from wells constitutes the main sources of water for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. A better understanding is needed about water-use patterns, particularly about the amount of water used, where and how this water is used and disposed, and how human activities impact water resources. Irrigation practices, indoor and outdoor household useAuthorsWanda L. Molina-RiveraEstimated Water Use in Puerto Rico, 2005
Water-use data were compiled for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for 2005. Five offstream categories were considered: public-supply water withdrawals and deliveries, domestic self-supplied water use, industrial self-supplied ground-water withdrawals, crop irrigation water use, and thermoelectric power freshwater use. One water-use category also was considered: power-generationAuthorsWanda L. Molina-Rivera, Fernando Gómez-GómezEstimated water use in Puerto Rico, 2000
Water-use data were compiled for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for 2000. Five offstream categories were considered: public-supply water withdrawals, domestic self-supplied water use, industrial self-supplied withdrawals, crop irrigation water use, and thermoelectric power fresh water use. Two additional categories also were considered: power generation instream use and publiAuthorsWanda L. Molina-RiveraEstimated water use in Puerto Rico, 1995
Water-use data during calendar year 1995 was compiled for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Eight offstream water-use categories were considered during the study: public supply, wastewater treatment discharges, domestic, industrial, mining, thermoelectric power, livestock, and irrigation. Three instream water-use categories were considered: hydroelectric power, saline water useAuthorsWanda L. Molina-RiveraQuality-assurance plan for water-use program activities of the Caribbean District
No abstract available.AuthorsW. L. Molina-RiveraPrograma de Informacion de Uso de Agua en Puerto Rico:Uso de Abastos de Agua Publicos y Disposicion de Aguas Usadas Durante el Ano de 1990
No abstract available.AuthorsWanda L. Molina-RiveraAccuracy of data for selected categories compiled in the Puerto Rico Water-Use Information Program
No abstract available.AuthorsWanda L. Molina-RiveraGround-water use of the principal aquifers in Puerto Rico during calendar year 1990
No abstract available.AuthorsWanda L. Molina-RiveraPuerto Rico water-use program : public-supply water use and wastewater disposal during 1990
No abstract available.AuthorsWanda L. Molina-RiveraEstimated water use in Puerto Rico, 1986-87
No abstract available.AuthorsW. L. Molina-Rivera, Teresa Dopazo