How does the US use water?
3 days ago
- #water-infrastructure
- #US-water-use
- #water-conservation
- Water infrastructure in the US receives significantly less funding compared to other infrastructure sectors, with the Bureau of Reclamation's budget at just $1.1 billion annually.
- Water scarcity concerns are rising, especially in the arid southwest, due to prolonged droughts and increasing demand from sectors like data centers, which use millions of gallons daily for cooling.
- US water use is categorized into consumptive (water not returned to the system) and non-consumptive (water returned, possibly altered).
- Thermoelectric power plants are the largest water users (41% of total), mostly non-consumptive, followed by irrigation (37%), which is largely consumptive.
- Public utility-supplied water for homes and businesses accounts for 12% of total use, with average per-capita domestic use at 82 gallons per day, higher than many European countries.
- Industrial water use (4.5% of total) includes significant consumption by sectors like forest products, steelmaking, and semiconductor manufacturing, with much of it being non-consumptive.
- Data centers' water use, while notable, is relatively small compared to agriculture or golf courses, but their economic value per gallon of water is significantly higher.
- Geographically, water use varies widely, with states like California, Texas, and Idaho leading due to irrigation and power plant needs.
- US water use has declined since its peak in 1980, with reductions in thermoelectric, irrigation, industrial, and domestic sectors, while groundwater use has remained constant.
- The distinction between consumptive and non-consumptive water use is crucial for understanding the real impact on water availability, with concerns over aquifer depletion and the limits of natural freshwater supply.