Domestic water use is water used for indoor and outdoor household purposes— all the things you do at home: drinking, preparing food, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, brushing your teeth, watering the garden, and even washing the dog. At the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), domestic water use refers to the amount of water that is "self-supplied", or water withdrawn directly by users, such as from a well at a person's home.
• Water Science School HOME • Water Use topics •
Domestic Water Use
Credit: Alan Cressler, USGS
Some of the most important uses for water are at our homes (even if your home is the White House!). Water generally gets to our homes in one of two ways. Either it is delivered by a city/county water department (or maybe from a private company), or people supply their own water, normally from a well. Water delivered to homes is called "public-supplied deliveries" and water that people supply themselves is called "self supplied", and is almost always from groundwater.
The majority of America's population (about 87 percent) gets their water delivered from a public-supply system. This makes sense, as America's population now largely live in urban centers. The trend over the last 70 years is of people moving to urban centers and is reflected in the shrinking numbers of self-supplied people in the Nation.
Domestic water use in the United States
Every five years, water withdrawal and use data at the county level are compiled into a national water-use data system, and state-level data are published in a national circular.
Access the most recent domestic data, maps, and diagrams.
Want to know more about domestic water use? Follow me to the Domestic Water Use website!
Below are multimedia items associated with domestic water use.
Below are publications related to domestic water use.
Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015
Estimated use of water in the United States in 2010
- Overview
Domestic water use is water used for indoor and outdoor household purposes— all the things you do at home: drinking, preparing food, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, brushing your teeth, watering the garden, and even washing the dog. At the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), domestic water use refers to the amount of water that is "self-supplied", or water withdrawn directly by users, such as from a well at a person's home.
• Water Science School HOME • Water Use topics •
Domestic Water Use
Domestic well in south Georgia serves the water needs of one household.
Credit: Alan Cressler, USGSSome of the most important uses for water are at our homes (even if your home is the White House!). Water generally gets to our homes in one of two ways. Either it is delivered by a city/county water department (or maybe from a private company), or people supply their own water, normally from a well. Water delivered to homes is called "public-supplied deliveries" and water that people supply themselves is called "self supplied", and is almost always from groundwater.
The majority of America's population (about 87 percent) gets their water delivered from a public-supply system. This makes sense, as America's population now largely live in urban centers. The trend over the last 70 years is of people moving to urban centers and is reflected in the shrinking numbers of self-supplied people in the Nation.
Domestic water use in the United States
Every five years, water withdrawal and use data at the county level are compiled into a national water-use data system, and state-level data are published in a national circular.
Access the most recent domestic data, maps, and diagrams.
Want to know more about domestic water use? Follow me to the Domestic Water Use website!
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with domestic water use.
- Publications
Below are publications related to domestic water use.
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 salinAuthorsCheryl A. Dieter, Molly A. Maupin, Rodney R. Caldwell, Melissa A. Harris, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, John K. Lovelace, Nancy L. Barber, Kristin S. LinseyEstimated use of water in the United States in 2010
Water use in the United States in 2010 was estimated to be about 355 billion gallons per day (Bgal/d), which was 13 percent less than in 2005. The 2010 estimates put total withdrawals at the lowest level since before 1970. Freshwater withdrawals were 306 Bgal/d, or 86 percent of total withdrawals, and saline-water withdrawals were 48.3 Bgal/d, or 14 percent of total withdrawals. Fresh surface-wateAuthorsMolly A. Maupin, Joan F. Kenny, Susan S. Hutson, John K. Lovelace, Nancy L. Barber, Kristin S. Linsey