Georgia Water Science Center
Home | Water Use by Category | Trends | References || Water use for Georgia counties, 2000
Wise management of water resources is needed to ensure availability of water for various uses throughout the State. Water-use data are integral to the design and plan of water projects. Water-use data can show trends over time and help identify and plan for potential water-resources problems. Knowledge of the amount of ground- and surface-water used can be helpful in planning for the growth of cities and the development of new industries.
In Georgia, water-use data can be evaluated for 1950–2000 to show water-use patterns. In 1950, total offstream water use was estimated at 1,760 Mgal/d, 19 percent from ground-water sources and 81 percent from surface-water sources. Total withdrawals increased during 1950–80, but decreased during 1980–90. However, from 1990 to 2000 total withdrawals increased to 6,490 Mgal/d.
During 1950–2000, public-supply use in Georgia has increased continually. This trend is a result of the increase in population from 3.4 to 8.2 million (MacKichan, 1951; Fanning, 2003) during 1950–2000 and the growth of public-supply systems to serve a larger percentage of the the population.
Industrial water-use estimates for 1950 and 1955 are not available because industrial use included thermoelectric and commercial use for those years. However, during 1980–2000, industrial water use remained steady.
The trend in agricultural water use is dominated by the growth of irrigation, which constitutes 99 percent of 2000 use. Irrigation water use increased rapidly between 1975 and 1980 because of the introduction of the center-pivot irrigation system. During 1980, irrigation water use was nearly 580 Mgal/d, a 12-fold increase since 1950. Irrigation water use declined between 1980 and 1990, and increased between 1995 and 2000.
Thermoelectric-power water use is the largest water-use category in Georgia. Major changes in thermoelectric use are caused by new power plants being brought online, or old ones being retired. Although use peaked during 1980 and declined through 1985, thermoelectric-power water use has been increasing since 1990.
Hydroelectric-power water use is an instream use and is the only instream use estimated by the GWUP in Georgia. During 1985–1995, hydroelectric-power water use increased. However, because hydroelectric-power water use is dependent on the availability of surface-water flow, low-flow conditions related to drought during 1995–2000 resulted in a 19,000 Mgal/d decrease in usage from 1995.
Data tables of water use for 2000:
Total | Surface water, by category | Ground water, by category | Total, by category
For additional water-use data, please contact the U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water-Use Program, Suite 130, Peachtree Business Center, 3039 Amwiler Road, Atlanta, GA 30360-2824.
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/projects/projectwaterusetrends.html
Page Contact Information: webmaster-ga@usgs.gov
Page Last Modified: Friday, 23-Jun-2006 11:16:42 EDT
