A CO M P R E H E N S I V E O V E R V I E W O F
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
PER HOUR
gallons extracted per hour
4.5 EMPIRE STATE BUILDINGS
That’s equivalent to filling
EVERY HOUR
SOURCES OF FRESHWATER
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.
SURFACE WATER
SUPPLIES 75% OF THE UNITED STATES’ FRESHWATER
WHAT IS SURFACE WATER?
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.
THE GREAT LAKES MILLION
GALLONS WITHDRAWN EVERY HOUR
1.75
84%
More than
50
OF NORTH AMERICA’S FRESHWATER SUPPLY COMES FROM THE GREAT LAKES
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GALLONS WITHDRAWN EVERY HOUR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
18
If pumped out, the Ogallala would cover all 50 states with inches of water
EDWARDS AQUIFER FLORIDIAN AQUIFER
Each hour,
13.69 MILLION gallons are pumped out of this reservoir
The U.S. pumps
150 MILLION GALLONS
That’s equal to 20.7 Olympic-sized swimming pools
each hour from this reservoir
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
0
60,000
90,000
120,000
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 difference. 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
39
FRANCE
GREAT BRITAIN
125
UNITED STATES
81
CANADA
SOURCES
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/