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Estimated Water Use in Puerto Rico, 2005

By Wanda L. Molina-Rivera and Fernando Gómez-Gómez

Prepared in cooperation with the
Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority,
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and
Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board

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ABSTRACT

Water-use data were compiled for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for 2005. Five offstream categories were considered: public-supply water withdrawals and deliveries, domestic self-supplied water use, industrial self-supplied ground-water withdrawals, crop irrigation water use, and thermoelectric power freshwater use. One water-use category also was considered: power-generation instream water use (thermoelectric-saline withdrawals and hydroelectric power). Freshwater withdrawals and deliveries for offstream use from surface- and ground-water sources in Puerto Rico were estimated at 712 million gallons per day (Mgal/d). The largest amount of freshwater withdrawn was by public-supply water facilities and was estimated at 652 Mgal/d. The public-supply domestic water use was estimated at 347 Mgal/d. Fresh surface- and ground-water withdrawals by domestic self-supplied users were estimated at 2.1 Mgal/d and the industrial self-supplied withdrawals were estimated at 9.4 Mgal/d. Withdrawals for crop irrigation purposes were estimated at 45.2 Mgal/d, or approximately 6.3 percent of all offstream freshwater withdrawals. Instream freshwater withdrawals by hydroelectric facilities were estimated at 568 Mgal/d and saline instream surface-water withdrawals for cooling purposes by thermoelectric-power facilities was estimated at 2,288 Mgal/d.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract

Introduction

Purpose and Scope

Acknowledgments

Data-Compilation Procedures

Public-Supply Water Withdrawals and Deliveries

Public-Supply Water for Domestic Use

Domestic Self-Supplied Water Use

Industrial Self-Supplied Withdrawals

Crop-Irrigation Water Use

Thermoelectric Power Water Use

Hydroelectric Power Instream Water Use

Water Use by Category and Source of Water

Public-Supply Water Withdrawals and Deliveries

Public-Supply Water Domestic Use

Domestic Self-Supplied Water Use

Industrial Self-Supplied Withdrawals

Crop Irrigation Water Use

Thermoelectric Power Water Use

Hydroelectric Power Instream Water Use

Total Water Use

Summary

References Cited

Available Products

Estimated Water Use in Puerto Rico, 2005:

Download: OFR 2008-1286 (26.6 MB)

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Molina-Rivera, W.L., and Gómez-Gómez, Fernando, 2008, Estimated water use in Puerto Rico, 2005:
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1286, 37 p.

Please visit http://pr.water.usgs.gov/ for more information about USGS activities in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands).