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.
New 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
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
See "Science" and "Publications" tabs for more information about USGS water use and availability science and previous studies of bottled water.
Related USGS Science
Water Use
Collaborative Science Provides Understanding of Contaminants in Bottled Water-an Increasingly Common Alternate Drinking Water Source
Drinking Water and Source Water Research
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
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...
- Overview
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.
New 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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see 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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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 are included in public supply withdrawals if the source is 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.
- Science
Related USGS Science
Water Use
Through the National Water Census, 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 ultimately quantify...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...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. - Data
- Publications
- Web Tools
- FAQ
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
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...