Water use estimates for 2000 through 2020 are now available for the three largest categories of use in the United States: self-supplied thermoelectric power generation, self-supplied irrigation, and public supply. Five additional categories of use (self-supplied industrial, domestic, mining, livestock, and aquaculture) will be available in 2025.
The USGS collaborates with local, state, and federal partners to gather and incorporate water-use data with other datasets covering climate, population, geography, system characteristics, land use, social factors, and economics. This information is then integrated into a modeling framework to generate national estimates of water withdrawal and consumption (evapotranspiration of withdrawn water) from both groundwater and surface-water sources. These estimates are crucial for understanding how water is used and for assessing the balance between water supply and demand. Models also enable more frequent availability of water use estimates, quicker identification of data errors, and a consistent approach to evaluating uncertainty. This improved understanding of the factors influencing water use supports the forecasting of water use under varying climate and socio-economic scenarios.
Withdrawals for public supply water use, and withdrawals and consumptive use for irrigation water use are estimated for each month of the period 2000-2020 for all watersheds at the 12-digit hydrologic unit code level (HUC-12) in the conterminous United States. The withdrawal and consumptive use estimates for thermoelectric power water use are available for each month of the period from 2008-2020, by power plant.
The models provide estimates at finer temporal and spatial resolution than previous annual, county-level estimates published by the USGS.
Five additional categories of use (self-supplied industrial, domestic, mining, livestock, and aquaculture) will be available in 2025, as the development of those models began in 2023. Models will be expanded to include golf irrigation and Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands during a future phase of model development.
This water-use reanalysis supports the Water Availability and Use Science Program goals of determining the quantity and quality of water that is available for human and ecological uses, now and in the future and helps to identify where and when the Nation may have challenges meeting its demand for water because of insufficient water quantity or quality.
Estimated use of water in the United States (2020)
Data are available from the USGS ScienceBase Catalog.
Public Supply
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Luukkonen, C.L., Alzraiee, A.H., Larsen, J.D., Martin, D.J., Herbert, D.M., Buchwald, C.A., Houston, N.A., Valseth, K.J., Paulinski, S., Miller, L.D., Niswonger, R.G., Stewart, J.S., and Dieter, C.A., 2023, Public supply water use reanalysis for the 2000-2020 period by HUC12, month, and year for the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9FUL880.
Self-supplied irrigation
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Martin, D.J., Regan, R.S., Haynes, J.V., Read, A.L., Henson, W.R., Stewart, J.S., Brandt, J.T., and Niswonger, R.G., 2023, Irrigation water use reanalysis for the 2000-20 period by HUC12, month, and year for the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9YWR0OJ.
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Haynes, J.V., Read, A.L, Chan, A.Y., Martin, D.J., Regan, R.S., Henson, W.R., Niswonger, R.G., and Stewart, J.S., 2023, Monthly crop irrigation withdrawals and efficiencies by HUC12 watershed for years 2000-2020 within the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9LGISUM.
Self-supplied thermoelectric
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Galanter, A.E., Gorman Sanisaca, L.E., Skinner, K.D., Harris, M.A., Diehl, T.H., Chamberlin, C.A., McCarthy, B.A., Halper, A.S., Niswonger, R.G., Stewart, J.S., Markstrom, S.L., Embry, I., and Worland, S., 2023, Thermoelectric-power water use reanalysis for the 2008-2020 period by power plant, month, and year for the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9ZE2FVM.
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Gorman Sanisaca, L.E., Galanter, A.E., Skinner, K.D., Harris, M.A., Diehl, T.H., Halper, A.S., Mohs, T.G., Roland, V.L., Stewart, J.S., and Niswonger, R., 2023, Thermoelectric-power condenser duty estimates by month and cooling type for use to calculate water use by power plant for the 2008-2020 reanalysis period for the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9XG876W.
Estimated use of water in the United States (2015)
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Estimated total water use for all categories and sources by State
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Water-use estimates for groundwater and surface water by State.
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Trends: How water use is changing over time, starting with the initial USGS estimates for 1950.
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Categories:
Additional information: Water-use category changes over time • Water-use terminology
Below are other water-use topics.
National Water Census
Total Water Use
Trends in Water Use
Surface-Water Use
Groundwater Use
Water-Use Terminology
State Contacts for Water-Use Data
The National Water-Use Science Project
- Overview
Water use estimates for 2000 through 2020 are now available for the three largest categories of use in the United States: self-supplied thermoelectric power generation, self-supplied irrigation, and public supply. Five additional categories of use (self-supplied industrial, domestic, mining, livestock, and aquaculture) will be available in 2025.
The USGS collaborates with local, state, and federal partners to gather and incorporate water-use data with other datasets covering climate, population, geography, system characteristics, land use, social factors, and economics. This information is then integrated into a modeling framework to generate national estimates of water withdrawal and consumption (evapotranspiration of withdrawn water) from both groundwater and surface-water sources. These estimates are crucial for understanding how water is used and for assessing the balance between water supply and demand. Models also enable more frequent availability of water use estimates, quicker identification of data errors, and a consistent approach to evaluating uncertainty. This improved understanding of the factors influencing water use supports the forecasting of water use under varying climate and socio-economic scenarios.
Withdrawals for public supply water use, and withdrawals and consumptive use for irrigation water use are estimated for each month of the period 2000-2020 for all watersheds at the 12-digit hydrologic unit code level (HUC-12) in the conterminous United States. The withdrawal and consumptive use estimates for thermoelectric power water use are available for each month of the period from 2008-2020, by power plant.
The models provide estimates at finer temporal and spatial resolution than previous annual, county-level estimates published by the USGS.
Five additional categories of use (self-supplied industrial, domestic, mining, livestock, and aquaculture) will be available in 2025, as the development of those models began in 2023. Models will be expanded to include golf irrigation and Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands during a future phase of model development.
This water-use reanalysis supports the Water Availability and Use Science Program goals of determining the quantity and quality of water that is available for human and ecological uses, now and in the future and helps to identify where and when the Nation may have challenges meeting its demand for water because of insufficient water quantity or quality.
Estimated use of water in the United States (2020)
Data are available from the USGS ScienceBase Catalog.
Public Supply
-
Luukkonen, C.L., Alzraiee, A.H., Larsen, J.D., Martin, D.J., Herbert, D.M., Buchwald, C.A., Houston, N.A., Valseth, K.J., Paulinski, S., Miller, L.D., Niswonger, R.G., Stewart, J.S., and Dieter, C.A., 2023, Public supply water use reanalysis for the 2000-2020 period by HUC12, month, and year for the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9FUL880.
Self-supplied irrigation
-
Martin, D.J., Regan, R.S., Haynes, J.V., Read, A.L., Henson, W.R., Stewart, J.S., Brandt, J.T., and Niswonger, R.G., 2023, Irrigation water use reanalysis for the 2000-20 period by HUC12, month, and year for the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9YWR0OJ.
-
Haynes, J.V., Read, A.L, Chan, A.Y., Martin, D.J., Regan, R.S., Henson, W.R., Niswonger, R.G., and Stewart, J.S., 2023, Monthly crop irrigation withdrawals and efficiencies by HUC12 watershed for years 2000-2020 within the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9LGISUM.
Self-supplied thermoelectric
-
Galanter, A.E., Gorman Sanisaca, L.E., Skinner, K.D., Harris, M.A., Diehl, T.H., Chamberlin, C.A., McCarthy, B.A., Halper, A.S., Niswonger, R.G., Stewart, J.S., Markstrom, S.L., Embry, I., and Worland, S., 2023, Thermoelectric-power water use reanalysis for the 2008-2020 period by power plant, month, and year for the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9ZE2FVM.
-
Gorman Sanisaca, L.E., Galanter, A.E., Skinner, K.D., Harris, M.A., Diehl, T.H., Halper, A.S., Mohs, T.G., Roland, V.L., Stewart, J.S., and Niswonger, R., 2023, Thermoelectric-power condenser duty estimates by month and cooling type for use to calculate water use by power plant for the 2008-2020 reanalysis period for the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9XG876W.
Estimated use of water in the United States (2015)
-
Estimated total water use for all categories and sources by State
-
Water-use estimates for groundwater and surface water by State.
-
Trends: How water use is changing over time, starting with the initial USGS estimates for 1950.
-
Categories:
Additional information: Water-use category changes over time • Water-use terminology
-
- Science
Below are other water-use topics.
National Water Census
The National Water Census will deliver routinely updated water availability information in the United States.Total Water Use
The USGS has estimated water use for the United States every 5 years since 1950. Estimates are provided for groundwater and surface-water sources, for fresh and saline water quality, and by sector or category of use. Estimates have been made at the State level since 1950, and at the county level since 1985. Water-use estimates by watershed were made from 1950 through 1995, first at the water...Trends in Water Use
Total withdrawals for all categories of use in 2015 were estimated to be 322 billion gallons per day (Bgal/d), a level of withdrawal not reported since before 1970. Total withdrawals in 2015 were 9 percent less than in 2010, continuing a sharp but steady downward trend since 2005. Freshwater withdrawals were also 9 percent less than in 2015.Surface-Water Use
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...Groundwater Use
Groundwater refers to all subsurface water, specifically that part of groundwater which is in the saturated zone. Groundwater sources are called aquifers: geologic formations that contain sufficient saturated permeable material to yield significant quantities of water to wells and springs. For the purposes of the USGS water-use reports, groundwater with less than 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L)...Water-Use Terminology
The following terms have been used in one or more of the water-use publications. The comparison of water-use categories over the history of these reports may also help clarify the use of some of the terms.State Contacts for Water-Use Data
Water-use data is compiled for each of the United States as well as for the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The list below contains a link to the USGS water-use site for each entity, if one exists, as well as the point of contact for State-level information.The National Water-Use Science Project
The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Use Science Project (formerly the National Water-Use Information Program) is responsible for compiling and disseminating the nation's water-use data. Established by USGS in 1978, the USGS National Water-Use Science Project built on the legacy of the Estimated Use of Water in the United States report series, begun in 1950 and produced every 5 years. - Data
- Publications
- Web Tools