Water Availability and Use

To provide estimates of water withdrawal, water use, and return flows to surface water needed for water management, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (GaEPD), developed the Georgia Water-Use Program in 1979. This ongoing program focuses on collecting, compiling, and disseminating water-use information...

As one of several national “Focus Area Studies” in the Department of Interior’s WaterSMART initiative, USGS South Atlantic Water Science Center is undertaking a 3-year study of water availability and use to meet competing societal and ecological needs in Southeastern Atlantic Coastal Basins of the Carolinas. The Coastal Carolinas study area includes lower parts of the Pee Dee/Waccamaw River and...

The objective of this project is to develop a groundwater-flow model that can be used by Aiken County water managers to manage current and projected reported and unreported demands on groundwater resource and to ensure the highest quality of groundwater. Project Chief: Bruce Campbell Cooperator: Aiken County, Gilbert-Summit Rural Water District, City of Aiken, Breezy Hill Water and Sewer and...

Total water use, for 2010,was estimated at 4,680 Mgal/d which included 1,130 Mgal/d of water delivered by public suppliers to domestic, commercial and public use, and industrial customer and publics supply losses. About 6.7 Mgal/d of water was delivered from public suppliers in Alabama and Tennessee to customers in Georgia. Furthermore, 2,230 Mgal/d of water was returned to surface-water bodies in...

In North Carolina and across the Nation, water is a vital resource and it is used for a variety of purposes. Water use for 2010 was estimated for each county in North Carolina using data obtained from various Federal and State agencies and other sources. Estimates of water use in North Carolina were developed for the categories of public supply, domestic, industrial, mining, aquaculture...

The future health and welfare of the Nation's population is dependent upon a continuing supply of uncontaminated fresh water. Increasing withdrawals and increasing demands for instream flows are limiting the water available for future use. The USGS compiles water-use data from numerous sources for all parts of the country, and since 1950 has published a series of Circulars on the estimated use of...

Completed and Archived Projects - Water Availability and Use, SAWSC

Groundwater use from the Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifers in South Carolina has increased during the past 70 years as the population has increased along with demands for municipal, industrial, and agricultural water needs. While South Carolina works to increase development of water supplies in response to the rapid population growth, the State is facing a number of unanswered questions regarding...

The objective of this research is to provide an automated methodology and data products to the GCPO LCC partners by (1) developing a multi-model synthesis to simulate streamflow using a monthly water balance model and daily time step hydrologic models (physical process-based and statistical) for all watersheds of the GCPO LCC geographic region and (2) providing products from these models (flow...

New Hanover County is one of the most populated areas along the North Carolina coastline and the population is projected to expand by 25 percent over the next 20 years. County managers and town planners are concerned about escalating demand for groundwater within the county and recognize the importance of high-quality drinking water to meet the demands of a growing population. This study will...

The U.S. Geological Survey South Atlantic Water Science Center, South Carolina office, in cooperation with Charleston Water System (CWS), is evaluating the hydrodynamics of the Bushy Park Reservoir to determine the effects on water-quality conditions.

In the Brunswick, Georgia area, saltwater has contaminated the Upper Floridan aquifer for nearly 50 years. Saltwater contamination has constrained further development of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the Brunswick area, which has stimulated interest in the development of alternative sources of water supply, primarily from the shallower surficial and Brunswick aquifer systems. USGS is working...