uses of water

1. A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF FRESHWATER USAGE IN THE UNITED STATES HOW MUCH FRESHWATER DOES THE UNITED STATES USE? In the United States, nearly 13 billion gallons of freshwater are extracted every hour. The water is pumped into treatment plants, decontaminated, and distributed to the masses. On average, each American is responsible for 125 gallons of freshwater usage each day. Food production accounts for the majority of this usage. EACH PERSON USES 5.2 GALLONS 13 BILLION gallons extracted per hour PER HOUR 4.5 EMPIRE STATE BUILDINGS That’s equivalent to filling EVERY HOUR Approximately 70% of the Earth is covered in water, but only 2.5% of it is usable freshwater. Here’s the kicker: only 1% of the freshwater on Earth is able to be extracted for treatment. The rest is frozen inside of glaciers and snowfields. Surface water and groundwater are the primary sources for freshwater extraction. SOURCES OF FRESHWATER SURFACE WATER SUPPLIES 75% OF THE UNITED STATES’ FRESHWATER WHAT IS SURFACE WATER? LAKES THE GREAT LAKES Surface water originates from rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes. It accounts for 75% of the total freshwater used in the United States. Surface water is pumped to a water treatment plant where it is treated and distributed to municipalities. The Great Lakes alone provide 84% of North America’s freshwater supply. As the population continues to grow, there is an urgent need to ensure that freshwater sources remain clean and sustainable. MILLION GALLONS WITHDRAWN EVERY HOUR 1.75 84% More than OF NORTH AMERICA’S FRESHWATER SUPPLY COMES FROM THE GREAT LAKES 50 cities depend on the Mississippi for daily water supply RIVERS MISSISSIPPI RIVER 15 MILLION PEOPLE RELY ON THE MISSISSIPPI FOR FRESH WATER SWAMPS ATCHAFALAYA BASIN 150,000 GALLONS WITHDRAWN EVERY HOUR GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES 25% OF THE UNITED STATES’ FRESHWATER WHAT IS GROUNDWATER? Groundwater lives below the Earth’s surface. It accounts for 25% of the freshwater used in the United States. This water seeps through soil and fractures in rock formations, ultimately pooling in naturally occurring underground reservoirs known as aquifers. Groundwater is extracted from aquifers and pumped to water treatment plants. It is then treated and distributed to the masses. The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest groundwater system in North America. It contains enough water to cover all 50 states in 18 inches of water. OGALLALA AQUIFER The largest groundwater system in North America If pumped out, the Ogallala would cover all 50 states with inches of water 18 EDWARDS AQUIFER Each hour, FLORIDIAN AQUIFER The U.S. pumps 150MILLION each hour from this reservoir 13.69 MILLION gallons are pumped out of this reservoir That’s equal to 20.7 Olympic-sized swimming pools GALLONS HOW DOES THE UNITED STATES USE FRESHWATER? ? ? Freshwater is used in a variety of ways. Obviously, we need to drink it to stay alive. But there are many other uses. Freshwater is used to manufacture consumer goods, plastic, and food. It is also used to power the world around us. Agricultural irrigation alone uses 38% of all freshwater. Thermoelectric-power generation also accounts for 38% of freshwater use, but it is typically returned to the water supply—making it far more sustainable. WATER USAGE, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY THERMOELECTRIC 117,000 2,250 MINING 15,000 INDUSTRIAL 9,420 AQUACULTURE 2,000 LIVESTOCK IRRIGATION 115,000 DOMESTIC 3,600 PUBLIC SUPPLY 4,200 30,000 60,000 90,000 120,000 0 HOW DOES THE UNITED STATES COMPARE TO THE REST OF THE WORLD? Each day, Americans use significantly more freshwater per capita than people in other similarly developed nations. For example, the average American uses 4x more freshwater every day than the average German. While a portion of this discrepancy is owed to the widespread geography of the United States, that alone doesn’t account for the diference. Canada, another sprawling nation, manages to use 40% less freshwater per capita on a daily basis. There is a pressing need to reduce the collective water footprint in the United States for long-term sustainability. WATER USAGE, IN GALLONS PER CAPITA PER DAY: 43.3 FRANCE 125 UNITED STATES 39 GREAT BRITAIN 81 CANADA 31.96 GERMANY https://water.usgs.gov/edu/wateruse-total.html https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water https://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/great-lakes-facts-and-figures https://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm http://www.atchafalaya.org/atchafalaya-basin http://www.dnr.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/1281 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-ogallala-aquifer/ https://www.edwardsaquifer.org/ https://water.usgs.gov/watercensus/groundwater.html https://www.statista.com/statistics/268338/daily-per-capita-water-consumption-in-selected-countries-2010/ SOURCES