Water Use and Availability

Studies in the Delmarva Peninsula have demonstrated that groundwater in shallow unconfined aquifers near agricultural lands is susceptible to contamination from chemicals applied at the land surface. Observed concentrations of nitrate in shallow groundwater commonly exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 mg/L on the peninsula. Groundwater discharge on the...

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates water use by state, source of water, and category of use every 5 years. The withdrawals for Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia are available in the tables below. In 2010, 1,472 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of freshwater were withdrawn from surface water and groundwater sources in Maryland, 300 Mgal/d in Delaware, and 0.10 Mgal/d in the...