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50 years of water use information, 1950-2000

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Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000

Abstract | Introduction | Total | Public supply | Domestic | Irrigation | Livestock | Aquaculture | Industrial | Mining | Thermoelectric | Trends | References | Glossary

This section has been revised since its initial release.

Table 14. Trends in estimated water use in the United States, 1950-2000.
[Data for 1995 and earlier from Solley and others (1998). The water-use data are in billion gallons per day (thousand million gallons per day) and are rounded to two significant figures for 1950-80, and to three significant figures for 1985-2000; percentage change is calculated from unrounded numbers. —, not available]

   
Year
 Percentage
change
11950 21955 31960 41965 41970 31975 31980 31985 31990 31995 32000 1995-2000
Population, in millions 150.7 164.0 179.3 193.8 205.9 216.4 229.6 242.4 252.3 267.1 285.3 +7
   
Offstream use:  
  Total withdrawals 180 240 270 310 370 420 440 399 408 402 408 +2
    Public supply 14 17 21 24 27 29 34 36.5 38.5 40.2 43.3 +8
    Rural domestic and livestock:  
      Self-supplied domestic 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.3 2.6 2.8 3.4 3.32 3.39 3.39 3.59 +6
      Livestock and aquaculture 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.2 54.47 4.50 5.49 (6) —
    Irrigation 89 110 110 120 130 140 150 137 137 134 137 +2
    Industrial:  
      Thermoelectric power use 40 72 100 130 170 200 210 187 195 190 195 +3
      Other industrial use 37 39 38 46 47 45 45 30.5 29.9 29.1 (7) —
  Source of water:  
    Ground:  
      Fresh 34 47 50 60 68 82 83 73.2 79.4 76.4 83.3 +9
      Saline (8) 0.6 0.4 0.5 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.65 1.22 1.11 1.26 +14
    Surface:  
      Fresh 140 180 190 210 250 260 290 265 259 264 262 -1
      Saline 10 18 31 43 53 69 71 59.6 68.2 59.7 61 +2
1 48 States and District of Columbia, and Hawaii
2 48 States and District of Columbia
3 50 States and District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands
4 50 States and District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
5 From 1985 to present this category includes water use for fish farms
6 Data not available for all States; partial total was 5.46
7 Commercial use not available; industrial and mining use totaled 23.2
8 Data not available

Abstract | Introduction | Total | Public supply | Domestic | Irrigation | Livestock | Aquaculture | Industrial | Mining | Thermoelectric | Trends | References | Glossary

Water Use in the United States | USGS Water Resources of the United States

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