Surface-water sources include streams and rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and oceans. For the purposes of the USGS water-use reports, surface water with less than 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of dissolved solids is considered freshwater, and the remainder is considered saline.
Surface-water resources are often evaluated by watershed. The most recent USGS water-use estimates by watershed are in Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1995.
••• 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.)
Total surface-water withdrawals were estimated to be 237,000 Mgal/d, or 74 percent of total withdrawals. About 84 percent (198,000 Mgal/d) of total surface-water withdrawals were freshwater.
| State | Percentage of total withdrawals |
Cumulative percentage of total withdrawals |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 6% | 6% |
| Idaho | 5% | 11% |
| Florida | 5% | 16% |
| California | 5% | 21% |
| New York | 4% | 25% |
See trends for withdrawals by source and by water-use category
Below are other water-use topics.
Water Use in the United States
Total Water Use
Trends in Water Use
Groundwater Use
Water-Use Terminology
Surface-water sources include streams and rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and oceans. For the purposes of the USGS water-use reports, surface water with less than 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of dissolved solids is considered freshwater, and the remainder is considered saline.
Surface-water resources are often evaluated by watershed. The most recent USGS water-use estimates by watershed are in Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1995.
••• 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.)
Total surface-water withdrawals were estimated to be 237,000 Mgal/d, or 74 percent of total withdrawals. About 84 percent (198,000 Mgal/d) of total surface-water withdrawals were freshwater.
| State | Percentage of total withdrawals |
Cumulative percentage of total withdrawals |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 6% | 6% |
| Idaho | 5% | 11% |
| Florida | 5% | 16% |
| California | 5% | 21% |
| New York | 4% | 25% |
See trends for withdrawals by source and by water-use category
Below are other water-use topics.