Water Use Trends in the United States

Pacific Institute | April 15th, 2015

Total water use in the United States declined markedly in the five-year period ending in 2010, according to data released from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Total water use in the United States declined markedly in the five-year period ending in 2010, according to data released from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Total water use in the U.S. is now lower than it was in 1970, despite continued population and economic growth. The Pacific Institute analyzes and explains the factors contributing to this positive news, while including a cautionary note, in a new report released today. The Pacific Institute, an internationally-renowned independent think tank focused on water issues, reviewed the USGS’ most recent data collection, along with historical, national water use data. Remarkably, water use in 2010 was down in all sectors – agriculture, municipal and industrial, and thermoelectric power. The Pacific Institute’s new report shows that reductions in water use for thermoelectric power generation – the single largest use of water in the U.S. – accounted for nearly two-thirds of the reduction in water use between 2005 and 2010. This represents an important reversal of a 25-year trend of increasing water use to produce energy. In addition, water use for agricultural irrigation was at its lowest level in more than 40 years, even while the number of acres irrigated increased. The report shows that, from 2005 – 2010, per capita water use in the United States declined 17% to 1,200 gallons per person per day, levels not seen since the 1940s and the single largest decline in any five-year period. Moreover, the economic productivity of water – which measures the dollars of Gross Domestic Product per unit of water used – increased by 20% during that period to an all-time high of $11.49 per 100 gallons, an indication that the U.S. produces far more wealth, with less water than at any time in the past. While these trends reveal overall improvements in the management of our nation’s water , the current pace of its use is still not sustainable. Continued population and economic growth, along with the impacts of climate change, will strain the amount of water available for a thirsty nation. “The data suggest that national water use is moving in the right direction, but this doesn’t mean the work is done or that existing efforts are sufficient,” states lead author Kristina Donnelly. “We must continue to improve water use efficiency in our homes, businesses, and on America’s farms in order to ensure a sustainable water supply for the nation.”

Water Wasted to the Sea?

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | July 15th, 2017

Water Year 2017: What a Difference a Year Makes

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 3rd, 2022

The very wet conditions of 2017 gave many parts of the state access to excess surface waters for both planned and impromptu groundwater recharge, and fall 2017 groundwate

The very wet conditions of 2017 gave many parts of the state access to excess surface waters for both planned and impromptu groundwater recharge, and fall 2017 groundwater level data (not available until the end of the calendar year) should show the effects of the substantial recharge water available

Water Year 2017: What a Difference a Year Makes

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 2nd, 2017

Water year 2017 (October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017) dramatically illustrated the variability in California’s annual precipitation, ending the state’s 5-year droug

Water year 2017 (October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017) dramatically illustrated the variability in California’s annual precipitation, ending the state’s 5-year drought and coming in at second place for statewide runoff, behind the wettest year of 1983. Virtually all of the state experienced at least average precipitation, and key Sierra Nevada watersheds were much above average. Governor Brown lifted the proclamation of statewide drought emergency he issued in 2014, although the state-declared emergency remained in selected central California counties experiencing lingering drought impacts. Prior to 2017, California had experienced a decade of largely dry conditions. Eight of the ten preceding water years were dry, and the water years of 2012-15 set a record for the driest consecutive four-year period of statewide precipitation.

Water Year 2018 Hydrology

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | November 26th, 2018

Water Year 2021 Compound Precipitation and Temperature Extremes in California and Nevada

American Meteorological Society (AMS) | December 23rd, 2022

The most intense 22-yr drought in the western United States since 800 CE (Williams et al. 2022) was extended by compound dry and hot extremes in Water Year 2021 (October

The most intense 22-yr drought in the western United States since 800 CE (Williams et al. 2022) was extended by compound dry and hot extremes in Water Year 2021 (October 2020–September 2021). Compared to an instrumental record that dates to 1895, low precipitation (Fig. 1a) and high temperatures (Fig. 1b) were widespread across the western United States. The intense and prevalent drought has caused water delivery shortages (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 2021), damaged ecosystems (Wlostowski et al. 2022), and contributed to extreme wildfires (e.g., Fu et al. 2021; Gutierrez et al. 2021; Abolafia-Rosenzweig et al. 2022). California and Nevada (CA–NV) were once again at the epicenter of drought and heat in Water Year 2021 (California Department of Water Resources 2021). This was the first time since 1895 that precipitation fell below –1.5 standardized departures and temperatures exceeded 1.5 standardized departures concurrently for the two-state average (Fig. 1c). Precipitation and temperatures were individually extreme as well, as the former was the second lowest since 1895 and the latter was the second highest. We examine whether the co-occurrence of anthropogenic climate change and La Niña, two principal climate drivers during Water Year 2021, altered the risk of unprecedented compound dry and hot extremes in CA–NV during Water Year 2021. Our assessment investigates the factors related to compound extremes that lead to heightened societal impacts compared to individual extreme events (e.g., AghaKouchak et al. 2020; Zscheischler et al. 2020; W. Zhang et al. 2021).

Water Year 2023: Weather Whiplash, from Drought to Deluge

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 4th, 2023

Water Year 2023 demonstrated California’s high climate variability, ending the state’s driest consecutive three-year period with one of the snowiest years of record.

Water Year 2023 demonstrated California’s high climate variability, ending the state’s driest consecutive three-year period with one of the snowiest years of record. Even though California has been experiencing a theme of aridity in the 21st century (the statewide droughts of 2007-2009, 2012-2019, and 2020-2022), Water Year 2017 was the state’s second wettest in terms of statewide precipitation. Climate change is expected to amplify naturally occurring variability in the long term, potentially result in a shorter wet season for California but one with more extreme atmospheric river storms and hence potentially greater flood damage risk.

Water-Energy Synergies: Coordinating Efficiency Programs in California

Pacific Institute | September 4th, 2013

All forms of energy – from hydropower to solar panels – use water to extract and process the fuels, construct the processing facilities, or generate the electricity.

All forms of energy – from hydropower to solar panels – use water to extract and process the fuels, construct the processing facilities, or generate the electricity. Likewise, water supply, treatment, use, and disposal use considerable amounts of energy. Coordinating water-energy efficiency efforts provides a significant opportunity to achieve greater savings for both water and energy utilities and for their customers, according to a new study from the Pacific Institute: Water-Energy Synergies: Coordinating Efficiency Programs in California. Recent events have made the connections between water and energy very visible. The Rim Fire has burned large sections of the Tuolumne River watershed and along several miles of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, affecting the water and energy supply of San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. Similarly in Southern California, the recent closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has raised concerns about meeting regional energy needs, particularly during the hot summer months, when electricity and water demand are especially high. But while these events demonstrate some of the challenges associated with the water-energy connection, they also highlight some of the opportunities: namely that saving water saves energy – and using less energy in turn saves even more water – reducing our vulnerability to both water and energy constraints. To better understand the barriers to coordinating water and energy efficiency programs, the Pacific Institute interviewed and surveyed California water and energy managers. The managers reported the most significant barriers were associated with funding, limited staff time, uncertainty about how to allocate costs and benefits among project partners, and water-related pricing policies, as well as an absence of established relationships between potential water and energy partners. “We examine the barriers to coordinated water and energy efficiency programs and discuss, through case studies, ways that several California utilities have been able to overcome these barriers,” said Heather Cooley, co-director of the Pacific Institute Water Program. “Coordinating programs can be an important tool to meet efficiency goals, allowing the state to meet critical policy objectives and saving Californians’ money.”

Water-Level and land-subsidence studies in the Mojave River and Morongo groundwater basins; 2007

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | June 25th, 2007

Since 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Mojave Water Agency (MWA), has constructed a series of regional water-table maps for intermittent y

Since 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Mojave Water Agency (MWA), has constructed a series of regional water-table maps for intermittent years in a continuing effort to monitor groundwater conditions in the Mojave River and Morongo groundwater basins. The previously published data, which were used to construct these maps, can be accessed on the interactive map. The associated reports describing the groundwater conditions for the Mojave River groundwater basin for 1992 (Stamos and Predmore, 1995), the Morongo groundwater basin for 1994 (Trayler and Koczot, 1995), and for both groundwater basins for 1996 (Mendez and Christensen, 1997); for 1998 (Smith and Pimentel, 2000), for 2000 (Smith, 2002), for 2002 (Smith and others, 2004), for 2004 (Stamos and others, 2004), and for 2006 (Stamos and others, 2007) can be accessed using this web site.

Water-Power with High Pressures and Wrought-Iron Water-Pipe

Scientific American | September 13th, 1884

For the purpose of supplying the placer mines in California with water, many ditches were built on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, taking their source high up in

For the purpose of supplying the placer mines in California with water, many ditches were built on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, taking their source high up in the mountains, and delivering the water on the tops of the foot hill ridges, at elevations from 1,000 to 3,000 feet above the great valley of California, formed by the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. In many cases, the mines for which these aqueducts were constructed have been exhausted or abandoned, and their water is now largely used for power for quartz ruining and milling, and for other purposes.