How much water is used by people in the United States?
Since 1950, the USGS has collected and analyzed water-use data for the United States and its Territories. That data is revised every 5 years.
As of 2015, the United States uses 322 billion gallons of water per day (Bgal/day). The three largest water-use categories were irrigation (118 Bgal/day), thermoelectric power (133 Bgal/day), and public supply (39 Bgal/day), cumulatively accounting for 90 percent of the national total.
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How much natural water is there?
Earth is estimated to hold about 1,386,000,000 cubic kilometers of water. The breakdown of where all that water resides is estimated as follows: Oceans (saline) 1,338,000,000 cubic kilometers Ice caps and glaciers (fresh) 24,064,000 cubic kilometers Groundwater (fresh and saline) 23,400,000 cubic kilometers Streams, lakes, swamps (fresh) 104,590 cubic kilometers Lakes (saline) 85,400 cubic...
What is the Earth's "water cycle?"
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes where water is stored on Earth and how it moves. Water is stored in the atmosphere, on the land surface, and below the ground. It can be a liquid, a solid, or a gas. Liquid water can be fresh or saline (salty). Water moves between the places it is stored. It moves at large scales (through watersheds, the atmosphere, and below the Earth...
Is saline water used for anything?
In the U.S., about 13 percent of all water used is saline water . But saline water can only be used for certain purposes. The main use is for thermoelectric power-plant cooling. About 5 percent of water used for industrial purposes is saline, and about 53 percent of all water used for mining purposes is saline. Saline water can be desalinated for use as drinking water by putting it through a...
Where can I find information about my local drinking water supply?
The best way to learn about your local drinking water quality is to read the annual drinking water quality report/consumer confidence report that water suppliers now send out by July 1 of each year. The reports are often sent out with water bills, but they may be sent separately. The reports tell where drinking water comes from, what contaminants are in it, and at what levels. The U.S...
Where can I find information about bottled water?
Bottled water is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and by individual states. For general information about bottled water, sources include the International Bottled Water Association and NSF International . Learn More: Water Use - Withdrawals for Bottled Water
The quality of the water we drink can potentially impact our health. The USGS has several programs and cooperative projects that characterize the quality of selected rivers and aquifers used as sources of drinking water to community water systems in the United States.
The quality of the water we drink can potentially impact our health. The USGS has several programs and cooperative projects that characterize the quality of selected rivers and aquifers used as sources of drinking water to community water systems in the United States.
California's Central Valley Hydrologic Science
by Claudia Faunt, USGS Hydrologist
California's Central Valley Hydrologic Science
by Claudia Faunt, USGS Hydrologist
--the increasing need for food production, cropland areas, and agricultural water
by Prasad Thenkabail, Research Geographer
--the increasing need for food production, cropland areas, and agricultural water
by Prasad Thenkabail, Research Geographer
Industrial Water Use
Georgia Pacific Brunswick Cellulose paper plant, Brunswick, Georgia, USA
Industrial Water Use
Georgia Pacific Brunswick Cellulose paper plant, Brunswick, Georgia, USA
Water priorities for the Nation—U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Prediction science program
Water priorities for the Nation—USGS Integrated Water Science basins
Water priorities for the Nation—U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessments
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water-use websites
Continuing progress toward a national assessment of water availability and use
Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015
Summary of estimated water use in the United States in 2015
Withdrawal and consumption of water by thermoelectric power plants in the United States, 2010
Estimated withdrawals from principal aquifers in the United States, 2000
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- FAQ
How much natural water is there?
Earth is estimated to hold about 1,386,000,000 cubic kilometers of water. The breakdown of where all that water resides is estimated as follows: Oceans (saline) 1,338,000,000 cubic kilometers Ice caps and glaciers (fresh) 24,064,000 cubic kilometers Groundwater (fresh and saline) 23,400,000 cubic kilometers Streams, lakes, swamps (fresh) 104,590 cubic kilometers Lakes (saline) 85,400 cubic...
What is the Earth's "water cycle?"
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes where water is stored on Earth and how it moves. Water is stored in the atmosphere, on the land surface, and below the ground. It can be a liquid, a solid, or a gas. Liquid water can be fresh or saline (salty). Water moves between the places it is stored. It moves at large scales (through watersheds, the atmosphere, and below the Earth...
Is saline water used for anything?
In the U.S., about 13 percent of all water used is saline water . But saline water can only be used for certain purposes. The main use is for thermoelectric power-plant cooling. About 5 percent of water used for industrial purposes is saline, and about 53 percent of all water used for mining purposes is saline. Saline water can be desalinated for use as drinking water by putting it through a...
Where can I find information about my local drinking water supply?
The best way to learn about your local drinking water quality is to read the annual drinking water quality report/consumer confidence report that water suppliers now send out by July 1 of each year. The reports are often sent out with water bills, but they may be sent separately. The reports tell where drinking water comes from, what contaminants are in it, and at what levels. The U.S...
Where can I find information about bottled water?
Bottled water is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and by individual states. For general information about bottled water, sources include the International Bottled Water Association and NSF International . Learn More: Water Use - Withdrawals for Bottled Water
- Multimedia
Estimating Water Use with Unconventional Oil and Gas DevelopmentEstimating Water Use with Unconventional Oil and Gas DevelopmentEstimating Water Use with Unconventional Oil and Gas DevelopmentDrinking water from tap
The quality of the water we drink can potentially impact our health. The USGS has several programs and cooperative projects that characterize the quality of selected rivers and aquifers used as sources of drinking water to community water systems in the United States.
The quality of the water we drink can potentially impact our health. The USGS has several programs and cooperative projects that characterize the quality of selected rivers and aquifers used as sources of drinking water to community water systems in the United States.
PubTalk 11/2014 — Water, Nuts, and the Nation's Fruit BowlPubTalk 11/2014 — Water, Nuts, and the Nation's Fruit BowlPubTalk 11/2014 — Water, Nuts, and the Nation's Fruit BowlCalifornia's Central Valley Hydrologic Science
by Claudia Faunt, USGS Hydrologist
California's Central Valley Hydrologic Science
by Claudia Faunt, USGS Hydrologist
PubTalk 8/2012 — Global Food Security in the 21st CenturyPubTalk 8/2012 — Global Food Security in the 21st CenturyPubTalk 8/2012 — Global Food Security in the 21st Century--the increasing need for food production, cropland areas, and agricultural water
by Prasad Thenkabail, Research Geographer
--the increasing need for food production, cropland areas, and agricultural water
by Prasad Thenkabail, Research Geographer
Industrial water use: Brunswick Cellulose paper plant, Brunswick, GAIndustrial water use: Brunswick Cellulose paper plant, Brunswick, GAIndustrial Water Use
Georgia Pacific Brunswick Cellulose paper plant, Brunswick, Georgia, USAIndustrial Water Use
Georgia Pacific Brunswick Cellulose paper plant, Brunswick, Georgia, USA - Publications
Water priorities for the Nation—U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Prediction science program
The U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Prediction science program focuses on the development of advanced models for forecasting water use and other components of the water cycle along with water quality attributes such as temperature, water constituents, and ecological conditions. The program also is developing the cyberinfrastructure required to implement national and local-scale models to bAuthorsMark P. Miller, Katherine Skalak, David P. LesmesWater priorities for the Nation—USGS Integrated Water Science basins
The United States faces growing challenges to its water supply, infrastructure, and aquatic ecosystems because of population growth, climate change, floods, and droughts. To help address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Mission Area is integrating recent advances in monitoring, research, and modeling to improve assessments of water availability throughout the United StaAuthorsMark P. Miller, Sandra M. Eberts, Lori A. SpragueWater priorities for the Nation—U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessments
The United States faces growing challenges to its water supply, infrastructure, and aquatic ecosystems because of population growth, climate change, floods and droughts, and aging water delivery systems. To help address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Mission Area has established new strategic priorities that capitalize on the operational and scientific strengthAuthorsMark P. Miller, Brian R. Clark, Sandra M. Eberts, Patrick M. Lambert, Patricia ToccalinoU.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water-use websites
Explore U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water-use websites to learn how and where the Nation's water use has changed over time! Learn how to find and access USGS water-use data shown in maps, graphs, visualizations, and information products. Gain a better understanding of water-use terms and USGS educational resources. Learn how to find and use USGS visualizations to see how water use has changed iAuthorsKimberly Shaffer, Kathleen M. Rowland, B. Pierre SargentContinuing progress toward a national assessment of water availability and use
Executive SummaryThe Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111—11) was passed into law on March 30, 2009. Subtitle F, also known as the SECURE Water Act, calls for the establishment of a “national water availability and use assessment program” within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS issued the first report on the program in 2013. Program progress over the period 2013–17AuthorsEric J. Evenson, Sonya A. Jones, Nancy L. Barber, Paul M. Barlow, David L. Blodgett, Breton W. Bruce, Kyle R. Douglas-Mankin, William H. Farmer, Jeffrey M. Fischer, William B. Hughes, Jonathan Kennen, Julie E. Kiang, Molly A. Maupin, Howard W. Reeves, Gabriel B. Senay, Jennifer S. Stanton, Chad R. Wagner, Jennifer T. WilsonEstimated use of water in the United States in 2015
Water use in the United States in 2015 was estimated to be about 322 billion gallons per day (Bgal/d), which was 9 percent less than in 2010. The 2015 estimates put total withdrawals at the lowest level since before 1970, following the same overall trend of decreasing total withdrawals observed from 2005 to 2010. Freshwater withdrawals were 281 Bgal/d, or 87 percent of total withdrawals, and salinAuthorsCheryl A. Dieter, Molly A. Maupin, Rodney R. Caldwell, Melissa A. Harris, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, John K. Lovelace, Nancy L. Barber, Kristin S. LinseySummary of estimated water use in the United States in 2015
A total of 322 Bgal/d of water withdrawals was reported for eight categories of use in the United States in 2015, which was 9 percent less than in 2010 (354 Bgal/d), and continued a declining trend since 2005. The decline in total withdrawals in 2015 primarily was caused by significant decreases (28.8 Bgal/d) in thermoelectric power, which accounted for 89 percent of the decrease in total withdrawAuthorsMolly A. MaupinWithdrawal and consumption of water by thermoelectric power plants in the United States, 2010
Estimates of water use at thermoelectric plants were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey based on linked heat and water budgets, and complement reported thermoelectric water withdrawals and consumption. The heat- and water-budget models produced withdrawal and consumption estimates, including thermodynamically plausible ranges of minimum and maximum withdrawal and consumption, for 1,290 water-AuthorsTimothy H. Diehl, Melissa A. HarrisEstimated withdrawals from principal aquifers in the United States, 2000
Fresh ground-water withdrawals from 66 principal aquifers in the United States were estimated for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses for the year 2000. Total ground-water withdrawals were 76,500 million gallons per day, or 85,800 thousand acre-feet per year for these three uses. Irrigation used the largest amount of ground water, 56,900 million gallons per day, follAuthorsMolly A. Maupin, Nancy L. Barber - News