Industrial withdrawals provide water for such purposes as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or transporting a product; incorporating water into a product; or for sanitation needs within the manufacturing facility. Some industries that use large amounts of water produce such commodities as food, paper, chemicals, refined petroleum, or primary metals. Water for industrial use may be delivered from a public supplier or be self supplied.
••• WATER USE HOME • TOTAL WATER USE • SURFACE WATER USE • GROUNDWATER USE • TRENDS •••
Public Supply • Domestic • Irrigation • Thermoelectric Power • Industrial • Mining • Livestock • Aquaculture
2015 Water Use
(source: Dieter, C.A., Maupin, M.A., Caldwell, R.R., Harris, M.A., Ivahnenko, T.I., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2018, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1441, 65 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1441.)
Industrial withdrawals were an estimated 14,800 Mgal/d in 2015, about 5 percent of total withdrawals for all categories of use. Surface water was the source for 82 percent of total industrial withdrawals.
| State | Percentage of total withdrawals |
Cumulative percentage of total withdrawals |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 15% | 15% |
| Louisiana | 14% | 30% |
| Texas | 6% | 36% |
| Tennessee | 5% | 41% |
| Pennsylvania | 4% | 46% |
Since 1985, self-supplied industrial withdrawals have consistently declined and are 2015 estimates are about 43 percent less than 1985. Declines in self-supplied industrial water withdrawals between 1985 and 2015 can likely be linked to a number of changes in factors in the United States economy, such as the decline in manufacturing and increases in the service sector. In addition to changes in the United States economy, declines in self-supplied industrial withdrawals reflect greater effciencies in industrial processes and an emphasis on water reuse and recycling within industrial facilities, both driven by environmental regulations and limited availability of freshwater resources in some areas.
Data sources
Sources of data for industrial withdrawals included information obtained directly from facilities or State and Federal permit programs that require reporting of industrial withdrawals or return flows, where available. Industrial withdrawals also were estimated using industry-group employment data and per employee water-use coefficients.
Category history
- 1950: Industrial, included thermoelectric power use
- 1955: Industrial, included thermoelectric power use, subtotals for thermoelectric power use (fuel-electric power) and other provided by watershed but not by State
- 1960-1980: Industrial, included thermoelectric power use, subtotals for thermoelectric power use (fuel-electric power) and "other industrial" uses
- 1985 and later: Industrial. Separate categories for thermoelectric power, self-supplied commercial and mining split from other industrial. The term industrial water use was used 1985-1995 to describe the combined public-supply deliveries to industrial users and self-supplied industrial withdrawals.
Below are links for other categories of water use.
Water Use in the United States
Public Supply Water Use
Domestic Water Use
Irrigation Water Use
Thermoelectric Power Water Use
Mining Water Use
Livestock Water Use
Aquaculture Water Use
- Overview
Industrial withdrawals provide water for such purposes as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or transporting a product; incorporating water into a product; or for sanitation needs within the manufacturing facility. Some industries that use large amounts of water produce such commodities as food, paper, chemicals, refined petroleum, or primary metals. Water for industrial use may be delivered from a public supplier or be self supplied.
••• WATER USE HOME • TOTAL WATER USE • SURFACE WATER USE • GROUNDWATER USE • TRENDS •••
Public Supply • Domestic • Irrigation • Thermoelectric Power • Industrial • Mining • Livestock • Aquaculture
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Cellulose plant, Brunswick, Georgia (Credit: Alan Cressler, USGS) 2015 Water Use
(source: Dieter, C.A., Maupin, M.A., Caldwell, R.R., Harris, M.A., Ivahnenko, T.I., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2018, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1441, 65 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1441.)
Industrial withdrawals were an estimated 14,800 Mgal/d in 2015, about 5 percent of total withdrawals for all categories of use. Surface water was the source for 82 percent of total industrial withdrawals.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Self-supplied industrial withdrawals, top States, 2015
[percentages calculated from unrounded values]State Percentage of
total withdrawalsCumulative percentage
of total withdrawalsIndiana 15% 15% Louisiana 14% 30% Texas 6% 36% Tennessee 5% 41% Pennsylvania 4% 46% Since 1985, self-supplied industrial withdrawals have consistently declined and are 2015 estimates are about 43 percent less than 1985. Declines in self-supplied industrial water withdrawals between 1985 and 2015 can likely be linked to a number of changes in factors in the United States economy, such as the decline in manufacturing and increases in the service sector. In addition to changes in the United States economy, declines in self-supplied industrial withdrawals reflect greater effciencies in industrial processes and an emphasis on water reuse and recycling within industrial facilities, both driven by environmental regulations and limited availability of freshwater resources in some areas.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Data sources
Sources of data for industrial withdrawals included information obtained directly from facilities or State and Federal permit programs that require reporting of industrial withdrawals or return flows, where available. Industrial withdrawals also were estimated using industry-group employment data and per employee water-use coefficients.
Category history
- 1950: Industrial, included thermoelectric power use
- 1955: Industrial, included thermoelectric power use, subtotals for thermoelectric power use (fuel-electric power) and other provided by watershed but not by State
- 1960-1980: Industrial, included thermoelectric power use, subtotals for thermoelectric power use (fuel-electric power) and "other industrial" uses
- 1985 and later: Industrial. Separate categories for thermoelectric power, self-supplied commercial and mining split from other industrial. The term industrial water use was used 1985-1995 to describe the combined public-supply deliveries to industrial users and self-supplied industrial withdrawals.
- Science
Below are links for other categories of water use.
Water Use in the United States
The USGS produces national estimates of water withdrawal and consumptive water use. Withdrawal estimates are currently being finalized for a 20-year period from 2000 to 2020 for the three largest water use categories nationally (public supply, self-supplied thermoelectric power, and self-supplied crop irrigation). Six additional categories of use (self-supplied industrial, domestic, mining...Public Supply Water Use
Public supply refers to water withdrawn by public and private water suppliers that provide water to at least 25 people or have a minimum of 15 connections. Public-supply water is delivered to users for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes. Part of the total is used for public services, such as public pools, parks, firefighting, water and wastewater treatment, and municipal buildings, and...Domestic Water Use
Domestic water use includes indoor and outdoor uses at residences, and includes uses such as drinking, food preparation, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, flushing toilets, watering lawns and gardens, and maintaining pools. Domestic water use includes potable and non-potable water provided to households by a public water supplier (domestic deliveries) and self-supplied water use. Self-supplied...Irrigation Water Use
Irrigation water use includes water that is applied by an irrigation system to sustain plant growth in agricultural and horticultural practices. Irrigation also includes water that is used for pre-irrigation, frost protection, chemical application, weed control, field preparation, crop cooling, harvesting, dust suppression, and leaching salts from the root zone. Estimates of irrigation withdrawals...Thermoelectric Power Water Use
Water for thermoelectric power is used in the process of generating electricity with steam-driven turbine generators. Since 2000, thermoelectric-power withdrawals have been compiled by cooling-system type. Once-through cooling refers to cooling systems in which water is circulated through heat exchangers, and then returned to the source. Recirculating cooling refers to cooling systems in which...Mining Water Use
Mining water use is water used for the extraction of minerals that may be in the form of solids, such as coal, iron, sand, and gravel; liquids, such as crude petroleum; and gases, such as natural gas. The category includes quarrying, milling of mined materials, injection of water for secondary oil recovery or for unconventional oil and gas recovery (such as hydraulic fracturing), and other...Livestock Water Use
Livestock water use is water associated with livestock watering, feedlots, dairy operations, and other on-farm needs. Livestock includes dairy cows and heifers, beef cattle and calves, sheep and lambs, goats, hogs and pigs, horses, and poultry. Other livestock water uses include cooling of facilities for the animals and products, dairy sanitation and wash down of facilities, animal waste-disposal...Aquaculture Water Use
Aquaculture water use is water associated with raising organisms that live in water—such as finfish and shellfish—for food, restoration, conservation, or sport. Aquaculture production occurs under controlled feeding, sanitation, and harvesting procedures primarily in ponds, flowthrough raceways, and, to a lesser extent, cages, net pens, and closed-recirculation tanks.