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Withdrawals for Bottled Water

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By Water Resources Mission Area September 26, 2023

Water bottling across the U.S.

Interactive Map & Data Visualization - Web Tool
Inventory of Water Bottling Facilities - Data Release

USGS is compiling data on locations and volumes of water withdrawals for bottled water production and learning how, when, and where bottled water withdrawals result in changes to groundwater levels, spring flows, and water quality.

 

2023 Web Tool

Water bottling across the U.S. - Interactive Map & Data Visualization

 

2023 Data Release

Inventory of water bottling facilities in the United States, 2023, and select water-use data, 1955-2022, https://doi.org/10.5066/P90Z125H.

 

Background
picture showing bottles of water
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Bottled water is widely used for convenience and personal preference and is important during water supply emergencies when normal drinking water sources are disrupted. Bottled water is sourced from public supply systems, or from privately owned intakes from streams, lakes, springs, or groundwater wells.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the quality of bottled drinking water, however, the water withdrawals for bottling from natural water resources are not federally regulated. Thus, there is little information at the national scale about source locations and water withdrawals for bottled water.

 

Study Plans

USGS is assessing water withdrawals for bottling in relation to water availability – water quality, groundwater levels, and other factors. The research aims to develop tools that can be used to estimate potential changes in the future as withdrawals, climate, and socioeconomic conditions change.

Project components include:

  • National inventory of bottling facilities, facility characteristics, and water withdrawals
  • Regional assessments of withdrawals for water bottling and changes to local groundwater levels, spring flow, water quality, and other conditions
    • East Twin/Strawberry Creek watersheds – California
    • Great Lakes watershed – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Wisconsin
    • Saco River basin – Maine, New Hampshire
    • Sante Fe River basin – Florida
    • Trinity and San Jacinto River basins – Texas
    • Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province – Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia
  • National Synthesis
    • Identify relationships between socioeconomic conditions, water availability, ecosystems, and locations of bottling facilities

 

4 bands of color on left bending to the right to 6 smaller groups of bands with all 4 colors
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Proportions of bottling facilities using different water sources in the U.S. Public supply is the source for the largest number of facilities (30,965) with the respective order of brewery, bottled water, winery, distillery, soft drinks, and ice. Self-supply is the source for the second largest number of facilities (10,267) with the respective order of winery, brewery, bottled water, distillery, soft drinks, and ice.
"Combination" source category can be defined as a mix of sources.  Data available at doi/10.5066/P90Z125H.

 

Trends in total water withdrawals by water-use category, 1950–2015
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Trends in total water withdrawals in the U.S. by water-use category, 1950–2015 (Dieter and others, 2018, fig. 16). While not specifically estimated, water withdrawals for bottled water were included in public supply withdrawals if the source was public supply, and if self-supplied from a well or surface water source and reported to a state or local agency, included in industrial (part of "Other") water-use estimates.
 

 

 

See "Science" and "Publications" tabs for more information about USGS water use and availability science and previous studies of bottled water. 

Related USGS Science

link
Image of agricultural irrigation for the water use section of the National Water Census website

Water Use

Through the Water Availability and Use Science Program, USGS will provide national information on withdrawal, conveyance, consumptive use, and return flow by water-use category at spatial and temporal resolutions important for risk-informed water management decisions. Water-use data provide a foundation for water managers to analyze trends over time, plan more strategically, identify, and...
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Water Resources Research Act Program
link

Water Use

Through the Water Availability and Use Science Program, USGS will provide national information on withdrawal, conveyance, consumptive use, and return flow by water-use category at spatial and temporal resolutions important for risk-informed water management decisions. Water-use data provide a foundation for water managers to analyze trends over time, plan more strategically, identify, and...
Learn More
link
picture showing bottles of water

Collaborative Science Provides Understanding of Contaminants in Bottled Water-an Increasingly Common Alternate Drinking Water Source

U.S. Geological Survey researchers and public health experts collaborated to determine what contaminants occur in bottled water, which is an increasingly common alternate drinking water source, to broaden their understanding of human exposure to contaminants in drinking water supply chains. Bottled water, like public-supply and private-well tap water supply chains, contained multiple organic...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Environmental Health Program
link

Collaborative Science Provides Understanding of Contaminants in Bottled Water-an Increasingly Common Alternate Drinking Water Source

U.S. Geological Survey researchers and public health experts collaborated to determine what contaminants occur in bottled water, which is an increasingly common alternate drinking water source, to broaden their understanding of human exposure to contaminants in drinking water supply chains. Bottled water, like public-supply and private-well tap water supply chains, contained multiple organic...
Learn More
link
Glass of water

Drinking Water and Source Water Research

Reliable drinking water is vital for the health and safety of all Americans. The USGS monitors and assesses the quality of the water used as a source for our nation's drinking water needs.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
link

Drinking Water and Source Water Research

Reliable drinking water is vital for the health and safety of all Americans. The USGS monitors and assesses the quality of the water used as a source for our nation's drinking water needs.
Learn More

Inventory of water bottling facilities in the United States, 2023, and select water-use data, 1955-2022

An inventory of facilities that bottle water or other beverages containing water (including soft drinks, beer, wine, or spirits) or that manufacture ice was compiled by combining available datasets from multiple sources. This water bottling inventory dataset includes facilities within all 50 states of the United States, one federal district (Washington, District of Columbia), and three territories
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Related USGS publications from other studies

Bottled water contaminant exposures and potential human effects

Bottled water (BW) consumption in the United States and globally has increased amidst heightened concern about environmental contaminant exposures and health risks in drinking water supplies, despite a paucity of directly comparable, environmentally-relevant contaminant exposure data for BW. This study provides insight into exposures and cumulative risks to human health from inorganic/organic/micr
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Nicola Evans, Suzanne C. Fitzpatrick, Carrie E Givens, Stephanie Gordon, James L. Gray, Emily M. Green, Dale W. Griffin, Michelle Hladik, Leslie K. Kanagy, John T. Lisle, Keith Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Ana Navas-Acien, David A. Roth, Paul F. South, Christopher P. Weis
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Message in a bottle: The story of drifting plastic in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a closed basin with limited water exchange through the Strait of Gibraltar, and sites along its shores show the greatest densities of marine debris in the world. Plastic bottles, which are a growing concern due to high consumption of soft drinks and bottled water, constitute most of the floating marine debris. In this paper we present the transport mechanisms of floating m
Authors
Galia Pasternak, Dov Zviely, Asaf Ariel, Ehud Spanier, Christine Ribic
By
Cooperative Research Units, International Programs

Estimated 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 salin
Authors
Cheryl A. Dieter, Molly A. Maupin, Rodney R. Caldwell, Melissa A. Harris, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, John K. Lovelace, Nancy L. Barber, Kristin S. Linsey
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, Water Science School

U.S. drinking water challenges in the twenty-first century

The access of almost all 270 million U.S. residents to reliable, safe drinking water distinguishes the United States in the twentieth century from that of the nineteenth century. The United States is a relatively water-abundant country with moderate population growth; nonetheless, current trends are sufficient to strain water resources over time, especially on a regional basis. We have examined th
Authors
Ronnie B. Levin, Paul R. Epstein, Tim E. Ford, Winston Harrington, Erik R. Olson, Eric G. Reichard
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Bottled water, spas, and early years of water chemistry

Although hot springs have been used and enjoyed for thousands of years, it was not until the late 1700s that they changed the course of world civilization by being the motivation for development of the science of chemistry. The pioneers of chemistry such as Priestley, Cavendish, Lavoisier, and Henry were working to identify and generate gases, in part, to determine their role in carbonated beverag
Authors
William Back, Edward R. Landa, Lisa Meeks
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program

Water bottling across the U.S.

This Web Tool explores the count of water bottling facilities across the U.S.

Facility types include bottled water facilities, breweries, distilleries, ice facilities, soft drink manufacturing plants, and wineries.

Reported volumes withdrawn (water use) for bottled water facilities are also explored for the small number of facilities for which data are currently available. 

By
Water Resources Mission Area
Water-Use Terminology
link
rows of clear plastic bottles filled with blue water, with white caps

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

link

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

Learn More
link
Domestic water use, 2010, by State

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...

link

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...

Learn More

USGS is compiling data on locations and volumes of water withdrawals for bottled water production and learning how, when, and where bottled water withdrawals result in changes to groundwater levels, spring flows, and water quality.

 

2023 Web Tool

Water bottling across the U.S. - Interactive Map & Data Visualization

 

2023 Data Release

Inventory of water bottling facilities in the United States, 2023, and select water-use data, 1955-2022, https://doi.org/10.5066/P90Z125H.

 

Background
picture showing bottles of water
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Bottled water is widely used for convenience and personal preference and is important during water supply emergencies when normal drinking water sources are disrupted. Bottled water is sourced from public supply systems, or from privately owned intakes from streams, lakes, springs, or groundwater wells.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the quality of bottled drinking water, however, the water withdrawals for bottling from natural water resources are not federally regulated. Thus, there is little information at the national scale about source locations and water withdrawals for bottled water.

 

Study Plans

USGS is assessing water withdrawals for bottling in relation to water availability – water quality, groundwater levels, and other factors. The research aims to develop tools that can be used to estimate potential changes in the future as withdrawals, climate, and socioeconomic conditions change.

Project components include:

  • National inventory of bottling facilities, facility characteristics, and water withdrawals
  • Regional assessments of withdrawals for water bottling and changes to local groundwater levels, spring flow, water quality, and other conditions
    • East Twin/Strawberry Creek watersheds – California
    • Great Lakes watershed – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Wisconsin
    • Saco River basin – Maine, New Hampshire
    • Sante Fe River basin – Florida
    • Trinity and San Jacinto River basins – Texas
    • Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province – Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia
  • National Synthesis
    • Identify relationships between socioeconomic conditions, water availability, ecosystems, and locations of bottling facilities

 

4 bands of color on left bending to the right to 6 smaller groups of bands with all 4 colors
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Proportions of bottling facilities using different water sources in the U.S. Public supply is the source for the largest number of facilities (30,965) with the respective order of brewery, bottled water, winery, distillery, soft drinks, and ice. Self-supply is the source for the second largest number of facilities (10,267) with the respective order of winery, brewery, bottled water, distillery, soft drinks, and ice.
"Combination" source category can be defined as a mix of sources.  Data available at doi/10.5066/P90Z125H.

 

Trends in total water withdrawals by water-use category, 1950–2015
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Trends in total water withdrawals in the U.S. by water-use category, 1950–2015 (Dieter and others, 2018, fig. 16). While not specifically estimated, water withdrawals for bottled water were included in public supply withdrawals if the source was public supply, and if self-supplied from a well or surface water source and reported to a state or local agency, included in industrial (part of "Other") water-use estimates.
 

 

 

See "Science" and "Publications" tabs for more information about USGS water use and availability science and previous studies of bottled water. 

Related USGS Science

link
Image of agricultural irrigation for the water use section of the National Water Census website

Water Use

Through the Water Availability and Use Science Program, USGS will provide national information on withdrawal, conveyance, consumptive use, and return flow by water-use category at spatial and temporal resolutions important for risk-informed water management decisions. Water-use data provide a foundation for water managers to analyze trends over time, plan more strategically, identify, and...
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Water Resources Research Act Program
link

Water Use

Through the Water Availability and Use Science Program, USGS will provide national information on withdrawal, conveyance, consumptive use, and return flow by water-use category at spatial and temporal resolutions important for risk-informed water management decisions. Water-use data provide a foundation for water managers to analyze trends over time, plan more strategically, identify, and...
Learn More
link
picture showing bottles of water

Collaborative Science Provides Understanding of Contaminants in Bottled Water-an Increasingly Common Alternate Drinking Water Source

U.S. Geological Survey researchers and public health experts collaborated to determine what contaminants occur in bottled water, which is an increasingly common alternate drinking water source, to broaden their understanding of human exposure to contaminants in drinking water supply chains. Bottled water, like public-supply and private-well tap water supply chains, contained multiple organic...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Environmental Health Program
link

Collaborative Science Provides Understanding of Contaminants in Bottled Water-an Increasingly Common Alternate Drinking Water Source

U.S. Geological Survey researchers and public health experts collaborated to determine what contaminants occur in bottled water, which is an increasingly common alternate drinking water source, to broaden their understanding of human exposure to contaminants in drinking water supply chains. Bottled water, like public-supply and private-well tap water supply chains, contained multiple organic...
Learn More
link
Glass of water

Drinking Water and Source Water Research

Reliable drinking water is vital for the health and safety of all Americans. The USGS monitors and assesses the quality of the water used as a source for our nation's drinking water needs.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
link

Drinking Water and Source Water Research

Reliable drinking water is vital for the health and safety of all Americans. The USGS monitors and assesses the quality of the water used as a source for our nation's drinking water needs.
Learn More

Inventory of water bottling facilities in the United States, 2023, and select water-use data, 1955-2022

An inventory of facilities that bottle water or other beverages containing water (including soft drinks, beer, wine, or spirits) or that manufacture ice was compiled by combining available datasets from multiple sources. This water bottling inventory dataset includes facilities within all 50 states of the United States, one federal district (Washington, District of Columbia), and three territories
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Related USGS publications from other studies

Bottled water contaminant exposures and potential human effects

Bottled water (BW) consumption in the United States and globally has increased amidst heightened concern about environmental contaminant exposures and health risks in drinking water supplies, despite a paucity of directly comparable, environmentally-relevant contaminant exposure data for BW. This study provides insight into exposures and cumulative risks to human health from inorganic/organic/micr
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Nicola Evans, Suzanne C. Fitzpatrick, Carrie E Givens, Stephanie Gordon, James L. Gray, Emily M. Green, Dale W. Griffin, Michelle Hladik, Leslie K. Kanagy, John T. Lisle, Keith Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Ana Navas-Acien, David A. Roth, Paul F. South, Christopher P. Weis
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Message in a bottle: The story of drifting plastic in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a closed basin with limited water exchange through the Strait of Gibraltar, and sites along its shores show the greatest densities of marine debris in the world. Plastic bottles, which are a growing concern due to high consumption of soft drinks and bottled water, constitute most of the floating marine debris. In this paper we present the transport mechanisms of floating m
Authors
Galia Pasternak, Dov Zviely, Asaf Ariel, Ehud Spanier, Christine Ribic
By
Cooperative Research Units, International Programs

Estimated 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 salin
Authors
Cheryl A. Dieter, Molly A. Maupin, Rodney R. Caldwell, Melissa A. Harris, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, John K. Lovelace, Nancy L. Barber, Kristin S. Linsey
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, Water Science School

U.S. drinking water challenges in the twenty-first century

The access of almost all 270 million U.S. residents to reliable, safe drinking water distinguishes the United States in the twentieth century from that of the nineteenth century. The United States is a relatively water-abundant country with moderate population growth; nonetheless, current trends are sufficient to strain water resources over time, especially on a regional basis. We have examined th
Authors
Ronnie B. Levin, Paul R. Epstein, Tim E. Ford, Winston Harrington, Erik R. Olson, Eric G. Reichard
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Bottled water, spas, and early years of water chemistry

Although hot springs have been used and enjoyed for thousands of years, it was not until the late 1700s that they changed the course of world civilization by being the motivation for development of the science of chemistry. The pioneers of chemistry such as Priestley, Cavendish, Lavoisier, and Henry were working to identify and generate gases, in part, to determine their role in carbonated beverag
Authors
William Back, Edward R. Landa, Lisa Meeks
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program

Water bottling across the U.S.

This Web Tool explores the count of water bottling facilities across the U.S.

Facility types include bottled water facilities, breweries, distilleries, ice facilities, soft drink manufacturing plants, and wineries.

Reported volumes withdrawn (water use) for bottled water facilities are also explored for the small number of facilities for which data are currently available. 

By
Water Resources Mission Area
Water-Use Terminology
link
rows of clear plastic bottles filled with blue water, with white caps

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

link

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

Learn More
link
Domestic water use, 2010, by State

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...

link

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...

Learn More
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