Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use 

Estimates for 2000

Techniques and Methods 4–A4

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey 1950–2000

years of

information

water use

Guidelines for Preparation of State 

Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Edited by Joan F. Kenny

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

Gale A. Norton, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Charles G. Groat, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2004

For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services

Box 25286, Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

For more information about the USGS and its products:

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to 

reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.

Suggested citation:

Kenny, J.F., ed., 2004, Guidelines for preparation of State water-use estimates for 2000: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 4–A4, 49 p., available on the World Wide Web at URL http://water.usgs.gov/watuse/

Prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in Lawrence, Kansas (http://ks.water.usgs.gov)
 iii

Contents

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Purpose and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Water-Use Compilation Requirements for 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Water-Use Categories and Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Units of Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Aggregation Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

AWUDS Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Compilation Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

General Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Withdrawals by Aquifer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Quality Assurance/Quality Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Industrial Classification Coding Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Public Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Category Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Withdrawals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Per-Capita Use Coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Population Served . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Domestic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Category Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Category Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Withdrawals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Water-Use Coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Allocation of Withdrawals by Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Irrigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Category Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
iv 

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Reported Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Surveys and Personal Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Estimates of Crop Water Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Statistical Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Allocation of Withdrawals by Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Acres Irrigated by System Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Golf-Course Irrigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Thermoelectric Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Category Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Mining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Category Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Livestock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Category Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Aquaculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Category Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Data Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Aquifer Withdrawals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Compilation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Selected References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Supplemental Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Tables

1. Mandatory and optional data elements for the 2000 national water-use compilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological 

Survey foraggregation of 2000 water-use data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
 v

Conversion Factors and Abbreviations

Multiply By To obtain

acre 43,560 square feet (ft2)

acre 4,047 square meter (m2)

acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic meter (m3)

acre-foot per day (acre-ft/d) 0.3259 million gallons per day (Mgal/d)

acare-foot per acre (acre-ft/acre) 3,047 cubic meter per hectare (m3/ha)

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

gallon (gal) 3.785 liter (L)

gallon per capita per day (gpcd) 3.785 liter per capita per day (Lpcd)

gigawatt-hour (GWh) 1,000 kilowatt-hour (kWh)

kilowatt-hour (kWh) 3,412 British thermal unit (Btu)

megawatt 56,920 British thermal unit per minute (Btu/min)

megawatt 1,000,000 watts

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

milligram per liter (mg/L) 1.0 parts per million (ppm)

million gallons (Mgal) 3.0689 acre-foot (acre-ft)

million gallons (Mgal) 3,785 cubic meter (m3)

million gallons per day (Mgal/d) 1.3815 million cubic meter per year (Mm3/yr)

million gallons per day (Mgal/d) 1.121 thousand acre-feet per year (kacre-ft/yr)

million gallons per ton (Mgal/ton) 4,172 cubic meter per megagram (m3/Mg)

pound (lb) 453.6 gram (g)
vi 
 vii

Glossary

A

animal specialties water use Category in 

previous water-use compilations that included 

water use associated with fish farming and the 

raising of horses and fur-bearing animals such 

as rabbits and pets. For 2000, fish-farming 

water use is included with the aquaculture category, and water used for horses and other animals is included in the livestock category. See 

also aquaculture water use and livestock 

water use. 

aquaculture water use Water used in the production of organisms that live in water within a 

confined space and under controlled feeding, 

sanitation, and harvesting procedures, and 

establishments primarily engaged in hatching 

fish and in operating fishing preserves. See 

also animal specialties water use, commercial 

water use, fish farms, and fish hatcheries. 

aquifer A geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that contains 

sufficient saturated permeable material to 

yield significant quantities of water to wells 

and springs. 

B

blowdown The continuous or intermittent 

discharge, or purging, of a small amount of circulating water, such as in a boiler. Blowdown 

normally is expressed as a percentage of the 

water being circulated. Its purpose is to prevent 

an increase in the concentration of solids in the 

water due to evaporation. 

C

capacity The average amount of water circulating in the cooling system of a thermoelectric 

powerplant, usually expressed in gallons per 

minute.

closed-loop cooling system A cooling 

system in which water is withdrawn, circulated 

through heat exchangers, then cooled and recycled. Subsequent withdrawals are used to 

replace water lost to evaporation, blowdown, 

drift, and leakage.

commercial water use Water used for motels, 

hotels, restaurants, office buildings, other commercial facilities, and institutions. The water 

may be obtained from a public supply or may 

be self supplied. In previous compilations, 

commercial water use included water use by 

fish hatcheries. See also aquaculture water 

use, public-supply water use, and selfsupplied water.

consumptive use The part of water withdrawn that is evaporated, transpired, incorporated into products or crops, consumed by 

humans or livestock, or otherwise removed 

from the immediate water environment. Also 

referred to as water consumed. 

conveyance loss Water that is lost due to 

leakage or evaporation while in transit through 

a pipe, canal, conduit, or ditch. Leakage from 

an irrigation ditch may percolate to a groundwater source and be available for further use. 

cooling system Equipment that is used for 

cooling purposes, such as condensers at powerplants or factories. Includes water intakes and 

outlets, cooling towers, and cooling ponds.

cooling-system type See closed-loop cooling 

system and once-through cooling system.

D

deliveries Water distributed by public water 

suppliers for domestic, commercial, industrial, 

or thermoelectric uses. 

dewatering The removal of water through 

draining or pumping to lower the water table 

for mining or agriculture. 
viii 

dissolved solids A measure of the dissolved 

minerals and organic matter in water, usually 

expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/L). 

Water containing 1,000 mg/L or more dissolved solids is considered saline in this report.

domestic water use Water used for household purposes, such as drinking, food preparation, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, 

flushing toilets, and watering lawns and gardens. Also called residential water use. The 

water may be obtained from a public supply or 

may be self supplied. See also public-supply 

water use and self-supplied water. 

drift Fine water droplets blown out of a cooling tower along with exhaust air, usually 

expressed as a percentage of water circulated. 

E

evaporation Process by which water is 

changed from a liquid into a vapor. See also

evapotranspiration and transpiration. 

evapotranspiration Water that is vaporized as 

a result of evaporation from the soil or plant 

transpiration. See also evaporation and 

transpiration.

F

fish farms Facilities that produce finfish or 

shellfish under controlled feeding, sanitation, 

and harvesting procedures for commercial purposes. Water use by fish farms is included in 

the aquaculture category. See also animal specialties water use, aquaculture water use, and 

fish hatcheries. 

fish hatcheries Facilities that raise fish for 

later release. Water use by fish hatcheries is 

included in the aquaculture category. See also

aquaculture water use, commercial water use, 

and fish farms. 

freshwater Water that contains less than 

1,000 mg/L dissolved solids. Generally, water 

with more than 500 mg/L dissolved solids is 

undesirable for drinking and many industrial 

uses. See also saline water.

G

gigawatt-hour (GWh) A unit of energy equivalent to 1 billion watt-hours. 

ground water All subsurface water, distinct 

from surface water. Specifically, that part of 

the subsurface water in the saturated zone, 

which is a zone where all voids are filled with 

water.

H

hydroelectric power water use The use of 

water in the generation of electricity at plants 

where the turbine generators are driven by 

falling water. 

hydrologic cataloging unit An eight-digit cataloging unit that identifies a geographic area 

representing part or all of a surface drainage 

basin, a combination of basins, or a distinct 

hydrologic feature. Sometimes known as 

a watershed.

I

industrial water use Water used for industrial 

purposes such as fabrication, processing, 

washing, and cooling, and includes such industries as steel, chemical and allied products, 

paper and allied products, smelting, and petroleum refining. The water may be obtained 

from a public supply or may be self supplied. 

See also public-supply water use and selfsupplied water. 

instream use Water that is used within a 

stream channel for such purposes as hydroelectric power generation, navigation, water-
 ix

quality improvement, fish propagation, and 

recreation. Sometimes called nonwithdrawal 

use or in-channel use.

irrigation district A cooperative, self-governing public corporation with definite geographic 

boundaries and taxing power. Its function is to 

obtain and distribute water for irrigation of 

lands within the district.

irrigation system Equipment used to distribute water to crops or other irrigated lands. Irrigation systems are grouped into the following 

three broad categories:

sprinkler An irrigation system in 

which water is applied by means of 

perforated pipes or nozzles operated 

under pressure so as to form a spray 

pattern.

surface Irrigation by means of 

flood, furrow, or gravity. Flood irrigation is the application of irrigation 

water in which the entire soil surface 

is covered by ponded water. Furrow

is a partial surface-flooding method 

of irrigation in which water is applied 

in furrows or rows of sufficient 

capacity to contain the design irrigation stream. Gravity is an irrigation 

method in which water is not pumped, 

but flows in ditches or pipes and is 

distributed by gravity.

microirrigation An irrigation system 

that wets only a discrete portion of the 

soil surface in the vicinity of the plant 

by means of applicators operated 

under low pressure. The applicators 

can be placed on or below the surface 

of the ground or can be suspended 

from supports. Subsurface systems 

that control the height of the water 

table are included in this category.

irrigation water use Application of water on 

lands to assist in the growing of crops and pastures or to maintain vegetative growth on recreational lands such as parks and golf courses. 

Includes water applied for pre-irrigation, frost 

protection, chemical application, leaching salts 

from the root zone, and dust suppression, as 

well as water lost in conveyance. Also 

includes irrigation for cemeteries, turf farms, 

and other landscaped areas but does not 

include domestic lawns and gardens, which are 

included in the domestic water-use category.

K

kilowatt-hour (kWh) A unit of energy equivalent to 1,000 watt-hours. 

L

livestock water use Water for livestock 

watering, feedlots, dairy operations, and other 

on-farm needs. Livestock includes cattle, 

sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, horses, and furbearing animals. See also animal specialties 

water use. 

M

makeup water The water pumped into a 

closed-loop cooling system to replace the circulating water lost by evaporation, drift, blowdown, and leakage. Makeup water usually is 

expressed as a percentage of the total amount 

of water circulated.

mining water use Water used for the extraction of naturally occurring minerals including 

solids, such as coal and ores; liquids, such as 

crude petroleum; and gases, such as natural 

gas. Also includes uses associated with quarrying, well operations, milling, and other preparations customarily done at the mine site or as 

part of mining activity. Mining water use does 

not include water used in processing, such as 

smelting, refining petroleum, or slurry pipeline 

operations, which are included in industrial 

water use. 
x 

N

North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS) codes Hierarchical codes 

established in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget in cooperation with its counterparts in Canada and Mexico. NAICS are 

used in the classification of establishments by 

type of activity in which they are engaged, thus 

enabling comparison of industries from the 

three countries. NAICS replaces the Standard 

Industrial Classification (SIC) system. See 

also Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 

codes.

O

offstream use Water withdrawn or diverted 

from a surface-water source for public water 

supply, domestic, industry, irrigation, livestock, thermoelectric power generation, and 

other uses. Sometimes called off-channel use 

or withdrawal. 

once-through cooling system A cooling 

system in which water is withdrawn, circulated 

through heat exchangers, then returned to a 

body of water at a higher temperature. Also 

referred to as an open-loop cooling system.

P

per-capita water use The average amount of 

water used per person during a standard time 

period, generally per day. Per-capita use may 

be calculated on the basis of total water use, 

public-supply water use, self-supplied domestic water use, or domestic deliveries from 

public supply.

pre-irrigation The application of water to 

cropland before planting to assure adequate 

soil moisture for crop germination and early 

plant growth.

public-supply water use Water withdrawn by 

public and private water suppliers that furnish 

water to at least 25 people or have a minimum 

of 15 connections. Public suppliers provide 

water for a variety of uses, such as domestic, 

commercial, industrial, and thermoelectric 

power, public use, and losses. See also commercial water use, domestic water use, industrial water use, thermoelectric power water 

use, and public water use. 

public water use Water provided by a public 

supply for such uses as firefighting, street 

washing, water treatment, municipal buildings, 

parks, and swimming pools. Generally, public 

water use is not billed by the public water supplier. See also public-supply water use. 

R

reclaimed wastewater Wastewater-treatment plant effluent that has been diverted for 

beneficial use before it reaches a natural waterway or aquifer. 

recycled water Water that is used more than 

once after withdrawal and before it returns to 

the natural hydrologic system. 

residential water use See domestic water use. 

return flow Water that reaches a ground-water 

or surface-water source after it is released from 

the point of use, and thus becomes available for 

further use. 

reuse Use of water that has undergone wastewater treatment and is delivered to a user as 

reclaimed wastewater. See also reclaimed 

wastewater and recycled water. 

S

saline water Water that contains 1,000 mg/L 

or more dissolved solids. See also freshwater.

self-supplied water Water that is withdrawn 

directly from a ground-water or a surfacewater source by a user, as opposed to water that 

is delivered by a public supplier. 
Index xi

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes

Four-digit codes established by the Office of 

Management and Budget, last revised in 1987, 

and used in the classification of establishments 

by type of activity in which they are engaged. 

SIC codes are being replaced by NAICS codes.

surface water An open body of water, such as 

a stream, lake, or reservoir. 

T

thermoelectric power water use Water used 

in the process of generating electricity with 

steam-driven turbine generators. The water 

may be obtained from a public supply or may 

be self supplied. See also public-supply water 

use and self-supplied water. 

transpiration Process by which water that is 

absorbed by plants, usually through the roots, 

is evaporated into the atmosphere from the 

plant surface. See also evaporation and evapotranspiration. 

U

unaccounted-for water The difference 

between the amount of water that a publicsupply facility withdraws and the amount of 

water that is accounted for by metered uses. 

Also known as public-supply residual or public 

use and losses. 

W

wastewater treatment Removal or reduction 

of solids, pathogens, or other undesirable constituents from wastewater. 

water transfer Conveyance of water from one 

area to another using natural or manmade 

channels. 

water treatment Processes such as filtration 

and disinfection of water prior to delivery and 

use.

water-use coefficient A factor or ratio used to 

estimate a quantity of water used on the basis 

of a related quantity. Examples of water-use 

coefficients include daily per-capita water use, 

crop water needs, livestock water requirements, water use per employee, and water use 

per unit of product.

withdrawal The removal of ground water or 

surface water from the natural hydrologic 

system for uses including public supply, commercial, domestic, industry, irrigation, mining, 

livestock, aquaculture, and thermoelectric 

power generation. See also offstream use.
xii 
Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates 

for 2000

Edited by Joan F. Kenny

Abstract

This report describes the water-use categories and data elements required for the 2000 national water-use compilation 

conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of its 

National Water Use Information Program. It identifies sources 

of water-use information, guidelines for estimating water use, 

and required documentation for preparation of the national 

compilation by State for the United States, the District of 

Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The data 

are published in USGS Circular 1268, Estimated Use of Water 

in the United States in 2000. USGS has published circulars on 

estimated use of water in the United States at 5-year intervals 

since 1950. 

As part of this USGS program to document water use on a 

national scale for the year 2000, all States prepare estimates of 

water withdrawals for public supply, industrial, irrigation, and 

thermoelectric power generation water uses at the county level. 

All States prepare estimates of domestifc use and population 

served by public supply at least at the State level. All States 

provide estimates of irrigated acres by irrigation system type 

(sprinkler, surface, or microirrigation) at the county level. 

County-level estimates of withdrawals for mining, livestock, 

and aquaculture uses are compiled by selected States that comprised the largest percentage of national use in 1995 for these 

categories, and are optional for other States. Ground-water 

withdrawals for public-supply, industrial, and irrigation use are 

aggregated by principal aquifer or aquifer system, as identified 

by the USGS Office of Ground Water. 

Some categories and data elements that were mandatory in 

previous compilations are optional for the 2000 compilation, in 

response to budget considerations at the State level. Optional 

categories are commercial, hydroelectric, and wastewater treatment. Estimation of deliveries from public supply to domestic, 

commercial, industrial, and thermoelectric uses, consumptive 

use for any category, and irrigation conveyance loss are 

optional data elements. Aggregation of data by the eight-digit 

hydrologic cataloging unit is optional.

Water-use data compiled by the States are stored in the 

USGS Aggregated Water-Use Data System (AWUDS). This 

database is designed to store both mandatory and optional data 

elements. AWUDS contains several routines that can be used 

for quality assurance and quality control of the data, and also 

produces tables of water-use data compiled for 1985, 1990, 

1995, and 2000. These water-use data are used by USGS, other 

agencies, organizations, academic institutions, and the public 

for research, water-management decisions, trend analysis, and 

forecasting.

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled and 

published estimates of water use for the Nation at 5-year intervals since 1950. In 1977, the Congress provided funding for 

USGS to establish the National Water Use Information Program, which is a cooperative effort with States to collect reliable and uniform water-use information. Data collected for 

each State in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto 

Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are presented in USGS Circulars entitled, Estimated Use of Water in the United States

(MacKichan, 1951, 1957; MacKichan and Kammerer, 1961; 

Murray, 1968; Murray and Reeves, 1972, 1977; Solley and others 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998; and Hutson and others, 2004). The 

circular for 2000 marks the completion of a 50-year span of 

national water-use reports in this series. 

Estimates of ground-water and surface-water withdrawals 

are mandatory for all States for the public-supply, domestic, 

industrial, irrigation, and thermoelectric power categories. 

Ground-water withdrawal estimates from principal aquifers or 

aquifer systems (U.S. Geological Survey, 2003) are mandatory 

for the public-supply, industrial, and irrigation categories. Estimates of ground-water and surface-water withdrawals for the 

mining, livestock, and aquaculture categories are mandatory for 

selected States and optional for all other States. The commercial, hydroelectric power, and wastewater treatment categories 

are optional for all States and are not included in the circular for 

2000. This report describes guidelines for estimating data for 

the categories that are mandatory for all or selected States.

In some States, water-use information for many categories 

is collected by government agencies, universities, or private 

organizations. For other categories, water-use information may 

be obtained from multiple sources or estimated using coefficients and ancillary data. Water-use project chiefs in each 

USGS State office are familiar with the availability and reliability of information in their own States and work with their coop-
2 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

erators to produce reliable estimates of water use. This information may be electronically stored in databases developed by 

individual States or by the USGS. 

The Aggregate Water-Use Data System (AWUDS) is a 

USGS database that is specifically designed to store and manipulate the aggregate water-use information compiled for the 5-

year reports. AWUDS also is capable of storing annual aggregate water-use data. During previous compilations, estimates of 

water use were aggregated by county and hydrologic cataloging 

unit within each State, and published by State and waterresources region. For the 2000 compilation, water-use estimates 

that are aggregated by county or State are published by State. 

Estimates of ground-water use that are aggregated by principal 

aquifer or aquifer system are published in a separate report.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this report is to provide guidelines for preparation of State water-use estimates. Water-use categories, data 

elements, aggregation levels, and documentation requirements 

for the 2000 national water-use compilation are defined. This 

information is useful both to those who prepare the estimates 

and to those who use the data. The scope of the 2000 compilation was modified from previous years in response to budget 

considerations and concentrates on withdrawals for the publicsupply, domestic, industrial, irrigation, and thermoelectric 

power water-use categories in each State. Withdrawals for the 

livestock, aquaculture, and mining water-use categories are 

mandatory for selected States comprising at least 75 percent of 

those category totals for 1995, and fewer data elements and 

aggregation levels are compiled for some categories. Withdrawal estimates are aggregated at the county, State, or aquifer 

level. Aggregation by hydrologic cataloging unit (described in 

Seaber and others, 1987) is optional. Estimates of consumptive 

use, irrigation conveyance loss, reclaimed wastewater, and 

deliveries from public water suppliers also are optional for the 

2000 compilation. Efforts have been made to improve quality 

assurance/quality control of the estimates and to ensure adequate documentation of data sources and compilation methods.

This report also summarizes guidance provided to USGS 

State water-use project chiefs in the effort to compile nationally 

consistent water-use estimates for the report Estimated Use of 

Water in the United States in 2000 (Hutson and others, 2004), 

hereinafter referred to as USGS Circular 1268. This guidance 

was prepared by regional water-use specialists, with support 

from the USGS Office of Ground Water, and was presented to 

personnel in each USGS State office at the start of the compilation effort to describe consistent procedures for completing the 

2000 estimates. The methods presented were general in nature 

and were not intended to replace more specific or detailed methodologies that may be used by some project chiefs. Because 

data availability and reliability vary from State to State, each 

project chief documented the specific sources of data and compilation methods. These unpublished documents are maintained by each State as a reference for current data and as a starting point for continued data collection.

Acknowledgments

This report was edited by Joan F. Kenny from material 

developed over time by personnel from the USGS National 

Water Use Information Program. Contributors to this text 

include Nancy L. Barber, E. James Crompton, Terrance W. 

Holland, Susan S. Hutson, Joan F. Kenny, Kristin S. Linsey, 

Deborah S. Lumia, Molly A. Maupin, Wayne B. Solley, and 

William E. Templin.

Water-Use Compilation Requirements for 

2000

Water-Use Categories and Data Elements

Water-use categories for which data may be collected for 

the 2000 compilation and the data elements included in each 

category are summarized in table 1 in the "Supplemental Information" section at the back of this report. The national dataset 

presented in USGS Circular 1268 consists of the mandatory 

data elements for the public-supply, domestic, industrial, irrigation, thermoelectric power, mining, livestock, and aquaculture 

water-use categories. State data sets may include any optional 

data elements and categories for which the State project chiefs 

compiled information.

Ground- and surface-water withdrawal estimates for the 

public-supply, industrial, irrigation, and thermoelectric power 

categories are mandatory at the county level for all States. Estimates of fresh ground-water withdrawals for the public-supply, 

irrigation, and industrial categories also are compiled by principal aquifer or aquifer system in all States.

Total population served by public water suppliers is mandatory at the State level only. States optionally may compile 

individual county estimates for population served by public 

supply, as well as separate populations served by ground and 

surface water. 

Withdrawal estimates for domestic use are mandatory at 

the State level only. Self-supplied domestic population is calculated as the difference between total State population and population served by public suppliers. States optionally may compile county estimates for domestic withdrawals. If the 

population served is estimated by county, then self-supplied 

population is calculated by county. Aggregation of domestic 

ground-water withdrawals by principal aquifer also is optional.

Mandatory water-use categories for selected States are 

mining, livestock, and aquaculture. Withdrawal estimates for 

the mining, livestock, and aquaculture categories are mandatory 

at the county level for those States comprising more than 

75 percent of the 1995 national total for those uses. Data for 

these three categories optionally may be compiled for other 
Water-Use Compilation Requirements for 2000 3

States but are included in the national data set only if collected 

for the entire State. Estimates of ground-water withdrawals by 

principal aquifer also are optional for these categories.

Compilation of saline withdrawals, defined as water with 

dissolved solids of 1,000 mg/L or more, is mandatory for the 

industrial, thermoelectric power, and mining categories in 

States where saline water is used. Saline withdrawals for public 

supply are included with estimates of freshwater withdrawals or 

optionally may be stored separately in AWUDS.

The commercial, hydroelectric power, and wastewater 

treatment categories are optional for the 2000 compilation, 

although estimates for these categories may be compiled and 

stored in the AWUDS database. Estimates of reservoir evaporation, a category included in previous compilations, are not 

made for 2000, and this category cannot be stored in AWUDS.

Estimates of consumptive use, irrigation conveyance loss, 

reclaimed wastewater, and deliveries from public suppliers are 

optional for the 2000 compilation. Although these data elements are important, insufficient information is available in 

many cases to make these estimates consistently in all States. 

Estimates aggregated by eight-digit hydrologic cataloging unit 

are optional. These minimum requirements for the 2000 

national compilation are designed to allow for a more costeffective and nationally consistent product from individual 

States. The modified approach is not intended to limit any 

efforts to meet the needs of local programs and cooperators. 

Units of Measurement

Water withdrawals are reported in million gallons per day 

(Mgal/d). Population is reported in thousands of people. Acres 

irrigated are reported in thousand acres. All values are reported 

to two places after the decimal point. A value of zero usage for 

a data element indicates either no usage, usage of less than 

0.01 Mgal/d, or that no data are collected.

Aggregation Levels

Withdrawals for the public-supply, irrigation, industrial, 

thermoelectric power, mining, livestock, and aquaculture categories are compiled at the county level for each State. For this 

compilation, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are treated as States, and Louisiana parishes and 

Alaska boroughs are treated as counties. Domestic withdrawals 

and population served by public supply are mandatory at least 

at the State level but may be compiled at the county level. All 

data are summarized and published in USGS Circular 1268 at 

the State level. 

Estimates of ground-water withdrawals of freshwater for 

public supply, industrial, and irrigation uses are aggregated for 

approximately 68 principal aquifers and aquifer systems, listed 

in table 2 (in the "Supplemental Information" section), that are 

identified in the National Atlas (U.S. Geological Survey, 2003). 

A designation of "other" is used to aggregate any withdrawals 

that cannot be assigned to one of these principal aquifers or 

aquifer systems. 

AWUDS Database

Aggregate water-use data have been stored electronically 

by the USGS since 1980. The AWUDS database was created in 

1985 to store data aggregated by county or hydrologic cataloging unit. AWUDS was redesigned for 2000 and released as a 

personal computer-based system installed in each USGS State 

office. State water-use project chiefs are required to enter 

aggregate data by county or State for all mandatory water-use 

categories into the AWUDS database. Additionally, AWUDS 

is able to store any optional data aggregated by county, aquifer, 

or eight-digit hydrologic cataloging unit that the State water-use 

project chiefs may collect. 

Water-use data for years other than the compilation years 

may be stored in the redesigned AWUDS database, which 

allows greater utility of the software for individual State wateruse programs. Data may be entered and edited interactively or 

imported from external files. AWUDS can generate various 

reports to table the data by category or area, show entered data 

elements, and provide calculated values for certain categories. 

Quality-assurance programs within AWUDS include checks for 

erroneous values, comparison of totals by area, and comparison 

of data between 2 years.

Documentation

Documentation of data sources and compilation methods 

for each State is required as part of the 2000 compilation. Documentation of how the data are compiled serves to substantiate 

the data published in USGS Circular 1268 and provides a valuable record for subsequent compilations. 

The format for each State's documentation is determined 

by the water-use project chief. All documentation must include 

the following elements:

• Sources of data and coefficients used;

• Agency and contact information;

• Methods of compiling and estimating data; and

• Location and types of data files.

State water-use project chiefs are required to transmit 

completed documentation in electronic form to the respective 

USGS regional water-use specialist. If the 2000 water-use estimates differ substantially from those reported in 1995, possible 

explanations are to be identified in this documentation. 
4 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Compilation Methods

General Techniques

For many categories, water-use data can be collected by 

either a site-specific inventory or a representative survey. The 

most accurate and desirable compilation technique is a complete site-specific inventory, which can be aggregated to the 

desired level. In many States, site-specific data are unavailable, 

incomplete, or only available aggregated by political units. For 

some categories, site-specific data are available only for the 

largest users; this partial site-specific inventory may account for 

much of the water used in a particular category. A representative survey is a selective sampling of typical water users in a 

water-use category. Representative site-specific data are collected and used to develop water-use coefficients (for example, 

water used per person during a specified period of time) related 

to known ancillary information such as population, number of 

employees, crop acreages, or livestock counts. For example, a 

coefficient of water use per person in a specified period of time 

can be used to estimate domestic water use by a known population. Water use can be estimated in areas that lack site-specific 

data by using coefficients developed in areas with good data. 

This method provides acceptable results if the water-use and 

ancillary data characteristics are similar for the different areas. 

In some cases, no site-specific data are available for a category. Water withdrawals may be estimated entirely on the 

basis of ancillary data and water-use coefficients. This technique is acceptable if the ancillary data are uniformly available 

for a State and the coefficients are documented.

The 2000 national compilation requires assimilation of a 

large amount of information. To produce the most complete 

and defensible data for each State, the greatest effort and time 

are spent collecting information about the largest users and the 

largest categories of use in individual States. Compilation of 

accurate data for the largest public suppliers, industries, agricultural regions, and powerplants produces State totals that are 

fairly reliable. As time and resources permit, data on smaller 

users within each category are collected.

A glossary of terms used in this report and in preparing 

estimates of water use is shown at the front of this report. The 

glossary is not all-inclusive but focuses on terms commonly 

used to explain or describe water-use characteristics. Some 

terms that are defined but not used in this report represent usage 

from previous compilations.

Internet Resources

Numerous agencies and organizations are listed in this 

report as possible sources of information for compiling waterrelated data for the various categories of use. Many of these 

agencies and organizations maintain information and databases 

on the Internet. Specific Internet addresses are listed in this 

report as they appeared on the date last accessed. 

Withdrawals by Aquifer

Fresh ground-water withdrawals by principal aquifer or 

aquifer system for the categories of public supply, industry, and 

irrigation are mandatory for the 2000 national water-use compilation. Estimates of saline ground-water withdrawals are not 

aggregated by principal aquifer or aquifer system. Generally, 

total ground-water withdrawals by category are estimated first 

and then allocated among the principal aquifers or aquifer systems identified for each State. In the absence of site-specific 

data, the preferred approach is to: (1) determine fresh groundwater withdrawals for these three categories, usually at the 

county level, using the best available data, (2) integrate information about aquifer properties (areal extent, water quality, and 

depth to water) with information about the water-use categories, 

and (3) allocate withdrawals to the appropriate aquifers. Some 

methods developed for assigning withdrawals to principal aquifers, as well as evaluating their accuracy and reliability, are 

described in the "Aquifer Withdrawals" section of this report. 

Estimates of aquifer withdrawals are reviewed for reasonability 

by USGS staff in each State office. 

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) is an important 

step in the compilation of water-use estimates. Errors can occur 

in both the compilation of the data and also in data entry. The 

following basic checks can be made during data compilation 

and after AWUDS data entry.

• Use AWUDS quality-assurance programs to check for 

erroneous data and to compare State totals with aquifer 

totals by category.

• Review spatial distribution of data using choropleth or 

other types of geographic information system (GIS) 

maps.

• Compare 2000 data with those from the previous compilations. Examine changes on the basis of percentage 

change, statistical analysis, or general patterns within a 

State.

• Use sorting routines to check for possible errors in largest and smallest withdrawals.

• Examine calculated values such as per-capita use and 

irrigation application rates.

• Check county and State data for population served to 

ensure that they do not exceed total census populations. 

Industrial Classification Coding Systems

The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) coding system was developed to promote the comparability of establishment data describing various facets of the United States economy (Office of Management and Budget, 1987). The SIC 

system was intended to cover the entire field of economic activ-
Public Supply 5

ities—agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, and trapping; mining; construction; manufacturing; transportation, communications, electric, gas, and sanitary services; wholesale trade; retail 

trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; personal, business, 

professional, repair, recreation, and other services; and public 

administration. The SIC system is based on the primary activity 

in which the industry is engaged. The structure of the classification makes it possible to tabulate, analyze, and publish industry data on the basis of a two-digit major group, a three-digit 

industry group, or a four-digit industry code.

The USGS has assigned each four-digit industry code in 

the 1987 SIC manual (Office of Management and Budget, 

1987) to a water-use category. In some cases, a code may be 

listed under more than one water-use category. The SIC codes 

can be useful for assigning withdrawals to the public supply, 

industrial, mining, and thermoelectric power categories. A list 

of SIC codes by water-use category is shown in table 3 in the 

"Supplemental Information" section at the back of this report.

A newer system of classification, the North American 

Industry Classification System (NAICS), went into effect in 

1997 in the United States. Descriptions of the NAICS codes 

and correlation with SIC codes are published by the U.S. Census Bureau (2000, 2002). However, USGS water-use project 

chiefs may continue to identify industries using SIC codes for 

the 2000 compilation. 

Public Supply

Category Description

Public supply refers to water withdrawn from ground and 

surface sources by public and private water systems for use by 

cities, towns, rural water districts, mobile-home parks, Indian 

reservations, and military bases. Public-supply facilities provide water to at least 25 people or have a minimum of 15 service 

connections, and are classified as SIC 4941 (table 3). Water 

withdrawn by public suppliers may be delivered to users for 

domestic, commercial, industrial, and thermoelectric purposes, 

as well as to other public water suppliers. Some public supply 

water is used for water treatment, wastewater treatment, public 

services such as pools, parks, and city buildings, or is lost 

through system leaks, unmetered services, and maintenance. 

Data Elements

Mandatory

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by aquifer

• Total population served, by State

Optional

• Population served, by county

• Population served by ground water, by county

• Population served by surface water, by county

• Ground-water withdrawals, saline water, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, saline water, by county

• Number of facilities, by county

• Reclaimed wastewater, by county

• Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit

Sources of Information

Information on public-supply withdrawals, sources of 

water, and population served may be obtained from a variety of 

sources. The following lists some of the most commonly used 

sources of data for the compilation. This list is not all inclusive, 

and USGS water-use project chiefs are encouraged to investigate any other potential sources of information available for 

their States.

• Individual public water suppliers

• State agencies that administer water rights, allocate 

water to users, or collect water-use data

• State agencies that enforce the Safe Drinking Water 

Act and issue permits for water discharge

• State agencies that regulate utility rates

• County planning and zoning agencies

• Community planning and development agencies

• U.S. Census Bureau:

<http://www.census.gov/>

American FactFinder database, the U.S. Census 

Bureau's online data source, containing information on 

population and housing: <http://factfinder.census.gov/

home/saff/main.html?_lang=en>

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):

<http://www.epa.gov/>

Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS):

Access to data that States must report to USEPA as 

required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Safe Drinking Water Query Form: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/sdwis/

sdwis_query.html>

Search the SDWIS database for selected information. Includes data on water system name, county, 

population served, and primary water source type. 

Includes community/noncommunity and transient/

nontransient water systems. 

Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water: 

<http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/>
6 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Water Discharge Permits, Permit Compliance System 

(PCS) database: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/

pcs_query_java.html>

Access to data regarding facilities holding National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 

permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of facility name, geographic location, SIC 

code, and chemicals.

When a list of water systems is retrieved for a specific State, the State agency responsible for regulating drinking water will be stated at the top of the list.

• American Water Works Association:

<http://www.awwa.org/>

Links to local Web sites and contacts: 

<http://www.awwa.org/sections/sechome.htm>

Links to information on individual public suppliers: 

<http://www.awwa.org/community/links.cfm>

• Association of State Drinking Water Administrators 

(ASDWA):

<http://www.asdwa.org/>

Links to a variety of Web resources including a page 

with links for each State's drinking water program 

pages and the primary State agency responsible for 

drinking water.

• National Rural Water Association: 

<http://www.nrwa.org/>

• Organizations whose membership rosters include 

public or private utilities, such as League of Municipalities or State Rural Water Associations.

Compilation Techniques

Required data elements for the public-supply category 

include withdrawals from ground and surface sources and population served. An important first step in compiling these data 

for particular States is to develop a list of the names and locations of public water suppliers, populations served, and sources 

of water. These data may be available from one or more State 

agencies, from previous compilations, or from USGS water-use 

databases. USEPA maintains the SDWIS database using data 

obtained from State agencies that administer water-quality regulations for drinking water. The SDWIS database includes 

information on the source of supply, location of water intakes, 

and retail population served for all community water systems 

(CWS), which are those serving at least 25 people or 15 or more 

service connections on a year-round basis. SDWIS does not 

include any information on quantity of water withdrawn. In 

some cases, the State agencies providing the data to USEPA 

may have more up-to-date and complete information, including 

withdrawals. 

Withdrawals

Public-supply withdrawals are compiled for the county in 

which the withdrawals occurred, although the water may have 

been subsequently distributed and used elsewhere. Individual 

public water suppliers usually can provide the most accurate 

information on sources of water and amounts withdrawn. 

Cooperator surveys or reporting programs are a good source for 

this information in States where water suppliers are required to 

report usage. Individual State agencies have varying criteria for 

obtaining water-use data; these criteria may be based on permit 

requirements, size of system, or magnitude of withdrawals. 

Return rates on cooperator surveys, as well as the amount of 

quality assurance the surveys receive, also vary from State to 

State. For these reasons, some information may need to be 

obtained directly from suppliers or estimated. 

USGS water-use project chiefs may survey public water 

suppliers by telephone calls or visits. Mail surveys may be used 

if a State cooperator participated in the mailing, or if requirements of the 1995 Paper Reduction Act (U.S. Congress, 1995) 

are met. Usually, information can be obtained from a director 

of public works, city engineer, city clerk, bookkeeper, manager, 

or operator. The level of detail obtained depends on the amount 

of time available to collect public-supply data and the ability of 

the people contacted to provide this information. Useful information to request from these contacts includes the following list 

of items. 

• Source(s) of water. Well information (local name or 

number, depth, location) and names of aquifers used for 

ground-water sources, names and locations of surfacewater sources (streams, lakes, reservoirs), and sources 

of any purchased water. Some water suppliers use 

combinations of ground water, surface water, and (or) 

purchased water.

• Total withdrawals in 2000. Amounts of water 

pumped may have been measured by flowmeters or calculated using pump rates and number of hours pumped. 

Data may be available by day, month, or year.

• Metering points. Water may be metered before treatment, during transport to another location, or as it is 

delivered to users. It is important to know the metering 

point to avoid exclusion of treatment or transit losses, 

or double counting of water.

• Type of treatment plant. Surface water usually 

requires more water for treatment processes, such as 

backwashing filters, than does ground water. If total 

reported water produced represents finished rather than 

raw water, an amount or percentage of water for treatment use may need to be added for systems with large 

water-treatment usage.
Public Supply 7

• Names of other water suppliers and amounts of 

water transferred. Many water suppliers purchase 

and sell water.

• Numbers of service connections of various types. 

Numbers of active residential meters, including singlefamily and multi-family housing, are useful for determining population served. Numbers of commercial 

and industrial connections are useful for determining 

component uses that affect the magnitude of withdrawals.

• Amounts of water sold in 2000 to various end uses. 

Deliveries include residential, commercial, industrial, 

and free or public uses. If delivery information is available, it can be used to develop water-use coefficients 

for estimating withdrawals from similar, nonsurveyed 

suppliers. Data on total metered uses also can be subtracted from total withdrawals to determine amounts of 

unaccounted for water.

• Locations of retail service areas. Many public water 

suppliers serve customers outside city limits or in multiple counties or States.

The largest water suppliers should be contacted to obtain 

data or to verify data obtained from State agencies or other databases. Any estimation of withdrawals for large suppliers should 

consider the variable amounts of water that may be sold to other 

suppliers, delivered to residential, commercial, industrial, or 

thermoelectric power users, used for public uses, and lost. For 

smaller public water suppliers that are not surveyed, water use 

may be estimated on the basis of water allocations, average production values, previously reported usage, or population 

changes. If estimates are based on residential use in nonsurveyed systems, estimates of other types of deliveries, public 

use, and system losses should be added to these estimates to 

approximate total water use. Information on commercial and 

industrial activity may be derived from local knowledge, State 

directories of business and manufacturers, or purchased databases. 

The difference between total raw water and metered uses 

often is referred to as "unaccounted for" water, a term that is 

equivalent to "public use and losses" in USGS Circular 1200 for 

1995 water use (Solley and others, 1998). This publication indicates that public use and losses averaged 15 percent of publicsupply withdrawals in the United States in 1995 (Solley and 

others, 1998). Public use and losses vary substantially among 

water suppliers, depending on treatment needs, system efficiency, and the amount of public water use. In general, systems 

that withdraw surface water have greater losses due to treatment 

than do systems that withdraw ground water. Older systems 

and those that are undergoing repairs to lines or towers have 

greater losses due to leaks, flushing, and tower draining than 

systems with few problems. Public uses include water, often 

used free of charge, for public buildings, fire fighting, irrigation 

of city parks, golf courses and ball fields, municipal pools, and 

water treatment and wastewater treatment. Unless a water supplier meters its free uses, public use and system losses cannot be 

identified separately. 

Information on water transfers is very important for estimating public-supply withdrawals. Estimates of total water use 

for suppliers using a combination of their own withdrawals and 

purchased water, or for those selling water wholesale, need to 

be adjusted to identify withdrawals by county in which they 

occur.

Per-Capita Use Coefficients

Public-supply withdrawals often are estimated using 

water-use coefficients such as average per-capita use or average 

use per meter. These coefficients are used with current information on population or number of meters to estimate water 

use. An average per-capita use coefficient (gallons per person 

per day) for a given system or area is determined by dividing the 

gallons of water withdrawn during a specified time period by 

the population served and the number of days. Per-capita use 

coefficients that are based on total public-supply withdrawals 

are larger than coefficients that are based only on residential use 

because the total includes all other deliveries and losses. Percapita use coefficients are generally larger for systems that 

serve large industrial or commercial users or have large losses.

An overall per-capita use coefficient for a system, determined simply as total withdrawals divided by population 

served, is not meaningful if there are any water transfers. Average county per-capita use coefficients (total withdrawals in a 

county divided by total population served by public suppliers in 

that county) are not representative if any water is exported for 

use in a different county than the one in which it was withdrawn, or if any population is served by water withdrawn in 

another county. 

Residential per-capita use coefficients can be determined 

using domestic delivery data from surveyed water suppliers. If 

possible, it is advantageous to develop these coefficients using 

information from water suppliers of representative sizes and 

geographic locations because per-capita use often is affected 

strongly by climate, water rates, and level of customer affluence. Residential per-capita use coefficients also may be available from previous compilations in each State or from other 

published material. Some States have published projections of 

future water demands and may have calculated per-capita use 

rates. Regional and State planning agencies, State natural 

resource agencies, consulting firms, or the State's public health 

agency are other possible sources for residential per-capita use 

coefficients. 

Outdoor water use is a significant component of residential 

per-capita usage, especially in arid climates. In some areas, residential communities may receive potable water from a public 

water supplier for indoor use and nonpotable water through a 

separate distribution system for outdoor irrigation of lawns and 

gardens. Typically, developers provide the nonpotable water to 

houses in urban areas built on former farmland, using water previously allocated for agricultural irrigation use. Public-supply 
8 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

per-capita use coefficients in these "dual-use" areas generally 

are lower than in areas where customers use publicly supplied 

water for both indoor and outdoor irrigation uses.

Population Served 

Populations served by public suppliers are estimated for all 

public water suppliers regardless of the source of their water 

(ground water, surface water, purchased water, or a combination). Population served refers to the resident population 

receiving water at retail from a public supplier on a year-round 

basis and excludes vacationers and second-home owners. People living on military bases, on Indian reservations, and in prisons constitute a population served by the supplier serving these 

communities. Population served is compiled in the county of 

residence, which is not necessarily where the withdrawals 

occur. 

For the 2000 compilation, population served is required to 

be reported at the State level. However, a valid State total 

depends on collection of information for individual water suppliers. Information on populations served may be obtained 

from the U.S Census Bureau, individual public water suppliers, 

State cooperators, or SDWIS. Reported populations from each 

of these sources need to be checked for reliability. Service areas 

for many public suppliers do not correspond to political boundaries such as city limits or county lines; therefore, census populations need to be adjusted to accommodate customers living 

outside city or county lines to account for total population 

served. For water suppliers with service areas that span more 

than one county, an estimate is made of the population residing 

in each county. 

Populations served also can be estimated on the basis of 

numbers of occupied residential connections. This technique is 

useful for determining population in service areas for which no 

precise population is available, such as large water suppliers 

that serve parts of multiple metropolitan areas, rural water districts, and self-supplied housing developments. Individual 

water suppliers can provide numbers of residential service connections, which may include multi-family dwellings. Census 

data on housing characteristics for incorporated places include 

ratios of average persons per occupied residential connection. 

Populations reported by public water suppliers may be over 

reported if they are estimated using ratios of people per household that are too large. Other errors may be caused by double 

counting people served by more than one system or by wholesale supplies. A population figure may have been reported by 

each of several suppliers whose service areas overlap. Populations reported by a supplier providing wholesale supplies to 

other systems may erroneously include both retail and wholesale populations and need to be adjusted.

Errors in reported populations served can be detected 

when comparing aggregated county population served to total 

county census populations. This comparison is needed for quality assurance of the State total. County population served cannot exceed the total county population. State population served 

cannot exceed the total State population.

Domestic

Category Description

Domestic water use is water used for both indoor and outdoor household purposes. Common indoor uses include drinking, food preparation, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, and 

flushing toilets. Major outdoor uses include watering lawns and 

gardens and washing cars. Water for domestic water use may be 

delivered from a public supplier or self supplied if obtained 

from a private source such as a well.

Data Elements

Mandatory

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by State

• Surface-water withdrawals, freshwater, by State

Optional

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Deliveries from public supply, by county 

• Consumptive use, by county

• Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit

Sources of Information

Information concerning domestic water use may be 

obtained from the sources in the following list. This list is not 

all inclusive, and water-use project chiefs are encouraged to 

investigate any other potential sources of information available 

for their States.

• Well records of individual households from cooperator 

permits

• Water supplier records of residential use

• Water supplier records of population served

• State pollution control agencies

• State agency responsible for water permitting

• Ground-water resources studies

• Local chamber of commerce

• State public health agencies

• Sewage treatment facilities

• Tax appraiser data
Domestic 9

• Planning agencies

• U.S. Census Bureau:

<http://www.census.gov/>

American FactFinder, the U.S. Census Bureau's online 

data source: 

<http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/

main.html?_lang=en>

Summary File 1, in "Data Sets," includes selected population and housing characteristics to the block/census 

tract level.

• American Water Works Association:

<http://www.awwa.org/>

Water-use coefficients: 

<http://www.awwa.org/Advocacy/pressroom/

index.cfm>

WaterWiser, the Water Efficiency Clearinghouse: 

<http://www.waterwiser.org/>

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):

<http://www.epa.gov/>

Water Discharge Permits, Permit Compliance System 

(PCS) database: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/

pcs_query_java.html>

Access to data regarding facilities holding National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of 

facility name, geographic location, SIC code, and 

chemicals.

Compilation Techniques

Self-supplied domestic water withdrawals typically are 

estimated by multiplying the self-supplied population by a percapita use coefficient. For the 2000 compilation, the State selfsupplied population is calculated by subtracting the total population served by public supply from the total census population 

for the State. This residual population then can be multiplied by 

a statewide per-capita use coefficient. Use of county figures for 

population served and total population allows an estimate of 

county self-supplied population that can be used with different 

per-capita use coefficients for various geographic regions 

within a State.

Reliable figures for population served by public supply 

yield reliable figures for self-supplied population. Vacationers 

and users of second homes in publicly supplied areas generally 

are not included in the population served because they already 

have been counted in the location of their primary residence. 

The estimated self-supplied population may be too small if the 

population served by public suppliers includes nonresidents. 

Local planners or consulting firms may be able to provide an 

estimate of the percentage of second homes in areas with substantial numbers of nonresidents.

Self-supplied domestic withdrawal estimates may be more 

accurate if per-capita use is determined for different geographic 

areas of the State that have different climates or water-use characteristics. Per-capita use is greater in more arid regions where 

outdoor watering is a large component of household water use. 

A preferred method for developing domestic per-capita use 

coefficients is to obtain data on domestic deliveries and population served from different water suppliers throughout a State. 

Domestic deliveries divided by the population served will give 

an estimate of per-capita use. Per-capita use coefficients that 

are based on reported delivery data may differ from self-supplied per-capita use depending on the degree of outdoor watering or may be affected by ordinances controlling outdoor use. 

This method is more time consuming than using a uniform State 

coefficient but yields per-capita use coefficients that reflect climatic conditions and local patterns of domestic use. If per-capita use rates are similar throughout the State, an average percapita use for the entire State may be appropriate. If per-capita 

use rates indicate regional differences within the State, an average per-capita use can be estimated for each county or region. 

Domestic per-capita use coefficients also may be obtained 

from estimates provided by other agencies or available in the literature. Some States have published projections of future water 

demands and may have calculated per-capita use rates. 

Regional and State planning agencies, State natural resource 

agencies, or the State's public health agency are possible 

sources for this information. Per-capita use coefficients also 

have been determined as part of research conducted by professional organizations such as the American Water Works Association and by consulting firms. 

Self-supplied domestic withdrawals sometimes can be 

estimated using information from wastewater-treatment facilities that set fees according to metered water use. In areas where 

sewer districts serve houses that are not on public water supplies, the wastewater-treatment facilities often maintain withdrawal information about self-supplied residences for billing 

purposes. This information can be used to estimate withdrawals 

for certain areas and to develop per-capita use coefficients 

along with population and housing data. Per-capita uses also 

are estimated by State pollution-control agencies when designing wastewater lagoons. These design values, usually about 

80 to 100 gallons per capita per day (gpcd), may provide a good 

estimate of domestic per-capita use. Other coefficients, such as 

gallons per day per household or gallons per day per household 

market value, are available from the literature and can be used 

to determine domestic self-supplied withdrawals in areas for 

which ancillary data on housing are available.

Domestic self-supplied withdrawals typically are from 

wells. The source for 99 percent of the domestic withdrawals in 

1995 was ground water (Solley and others, 1998). Information 

on the use of surface water for domestic supply may be obtained 

from the State public health agency, the State agency responsible for permitting or water-use data collection, census housing 

data, or local knowledge of areas where surface water is used. 

Cisterns used to collect rainwater for domestic use may be con-
10 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

sidered a surface-water source. Springs are considered surface 

water in some States and ground water in others. 

Industrial

Category Description

Industrial water use includes water used for such purposes 

as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or transporting a product. Water used for industrial purposes also may 

be incorporated into products or used for facility sanitation and 

maintenance. Industrial water users are businesses classified in 

the SIC codes under construction and manufacturing (see 

table 3) for the water-use compilation. Industrial water supplies 

may be derived from ground and surface sources (self-supplied 

industrial withdrawals) or provided by a public water supplier 

(industrial deliveries). Depending on water-quality requirements, supplies may be fresh or saline.

Data Elements

Mandatory

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Ground-water withdrawals, saline water, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, saline water, by county

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by aquifer

Optional

• Deliveries from public supply, by county

• Consumptive use, freshwater, by county

• Consumptive use, saline water, by county

• Number of facilities, by county

• Reclaimed wastewater, by county

• Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit

Sources of Information

Information on industrial facilities and their water use may 

be obtained from the following list of sources. This list may not 

exhaust all possibilities for every State.

• State agencies that administer water rights, allocate 

water to users, or collect water-use data

• State agencies that issue permits for the discharge of 

water

• Health departments or public water suppliers—many 

industries receive treated water for sanitary uses

• Wastewater treatment facilities

• State department of labor

• State and county planning departments

• State directories of manufacturers

• Local chamber of commerce

• County assessors and zoning boards

• U.S. Census Bureau:

<http://www.census.gov/>

1997 Economic Census-Manufacturing-Industry 

Series (Geographic Area Series): 

county-level data; number of establishments/

employees by manufacturing industry; accessed 

through the American FactFinder, U.S. Census 

Bureau's online data source:

<http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/

main.html?_lang=en>

sector-specific reports by State:

http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/econ97.html

list of publications available for the manufacturing 

sector: 

<http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/

97ecmani.html>

list of U.S. Census Bureau contacts for 

manufacturing:

<http://www.census.gov/contacts/www/

c-manufa.html>

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):

<http://www.epa.gov/>

Water Discharge Permits, Permit Compliance System 

(PCS) database: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/

pcs_query_java.html>

Access to data regarding facilities holding National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 

permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of facility name, geographic location, SIC 

code, and chemicals.

• Dun and Bradstreet:

<http://www.dnb.com/us/index.asp>

Source for lists of manufacturing establishments that 

includes SIC codes and number of employees, among 

other information. This information is updated 

quarterly.

• Harris InfoSource:

<http://www.harrisinfo.com/servlet/

HIServlet?moduleName=session&methodName=

getHomePage>

Source for purchasing lists of manufacturing establishments. This site includes limited free searching of their 

database and trial reports. Profile reports include 
Industrial 11

primary and secondary SIC codes, number of employees, Web address of company, if available. The information is updated at least once a year.

Compilation Techniques

The types of industries and magnitude of withdrawals vary 

throughout the United States. Major industrial groups identified by SIC code include food and kindred products (SIC 2011–

2099); paper and allied products (SIC 2611–2679); chemicals 

and allied products (SIC 2812–2899); petroleum refining and 

related industries (SIC 2911–2999); and primary metals industries (SIC 3312–3399). Although these types of industries historically have used the most water per facility, the most important industry in any given county may not fall into one of these 

five groups. It is important, therefore, to consider any industries 

outside these groups.

Withdrawals

There are three general approaches used to compile withdrawal data by industries:

1. Acquire site information and withdrawal data for individual industries, focusing on larger ones while striving for 

an adequate representation of the withdrawals in each 

county.

2. Acquire site information with ancillary data on 

employment or production, and estimate water 

withdrawals using water-use coefficients. These 

coefficients are usually in the form of usage in gallons 

per day per employee or per unit of product.

3. Combine the two approaches by acquiring site 

information and withdrawals for the larger industries and 

using these data to develop water-use coefficients for 

estimating withdrawals for the smaller industries. The 

accuracy of withdrawals derived by using water-use 

coefficients is always questionable, especially in the 

industrial category; however, coefficients developed 

using local sites may be more reflective of physical and 

economic conditions in an area than are nationally 

derived coefficients.

Withdrawal data may be acquired through telephone contacts or surveys sent out by cooperating agencies. The level of 

detail that is obtained depends on the amount of time available 

to collect industrial facility data and the ability of the people 

that are contacted to provide this information. Any relevant privacy issues that may affect both the acquisition and use of 

industrial data should be considered. Useful data to acquire 

include:

• Facility name, mailing address, physical plant facility 

address

• County

• Contact person's name, title, and telephone number

• Industry description or principal products

• SIC codes—primary and secondary

• Estimated annual quantity of product produced

• Total number of employees

• Number of ground-water sources, aquifer names, 

number and depth of well(s)

• Number of surface-water sources, names of streams or 

water bodies

• Latitude and longitude of wells and (or) intakes

• Maps of facility and water intakes

• Name of any public water-supply sources

• Amounts of water withdrawn (quantity per unit time) 

from each source

• Amount or percentage of total withdrawal that is saline 

ground or surface water

• Method of determining withdrawals (meters, other)

• Water-use breakdown for various purposes—cooling, 

processing, sanitary use, boiler feed, power generation, 

other

• Amount of water recycled or re-used

• Wastewater discharge—average amount or percentage

• Number of days operating each year

• Average number of hours operating each day

• Approximate age of the facility

• Need for maintaining confidentiality

When using lists provided by permitting agencies, it is 

wise to determine the minimum withdrawal rate for issuing permits or collecting surveys. If this minimum withdrawal rate is 

large, a significant number of small industries may not be surveyed.

Any data obtained from industrial facilities through surveys, questionnaires, or cooperator reports need to be checked 

for accuracy and correct units of measurement. Some of an 

industry's water may be purchased from a public water supply 

for sanitary use within the facility or if the quality of the water 

needs to be high, such as in the food and beverage industry. 

Estimates of the total water needs for facilities with a combination of sources need to be adjusted so that only the self-supplied 

withdrawals from surface- and ground-water sources are 

counted.

Water-Use Coefficients

In the absence of reported data, industrial withdrawals may 

be estimated using water-use coefficients and ancillary data 

such as numbers of employees, production volumes, or annual 

sales. The largest industries should be contacted to acquire 

actual water-use withdrawal data. These withdrawals then can 
12 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

be used to develop locally adjusted water-use coefficients to 

estimate withdrawals for smaller industries.

The use of coefficients to estimate industrial water use is 

imprecise because of the variability in factors affecting water 

use by industries. The specific processes, age of the facility, 

cost of the water and wastewater treatment, and amount of recycling all contribute to the amounts of water needed by an industry. These factors should be considered when using national 

coefficients or when developing and adjusting local coefficients 

for nonsurveyed industries.

Allocation of Withdrawals by Source

If water use is estimated on the basis of ancillary data, the 

results must be allocated by source—ground water and surface 

water, freshwater and saline water. The best approach is to 

acquire as much site-specific data as possible for the larger 

industries. Some facilities have both ground-water and surfacewater sources and possibly a public water-supply source as 

well. Public water-supply deliveries should not be included in 

the industrial withdrawals. If site-specific data are not available, plotting the industries' locations on a map can help determine the probable sources. Many industries are located in specific areas because of ample supplies of water from rivers or 

productive aquifers. Maps showing the extent of surficial and 

bedrock aquifers can indicate whether industries are located 

over a major aquifer. Water-use permits (if required) also 

should indicate if the industry withdraws from a protected aquifer. Finally, comparison with other nearby users such as public 

water suppliers may help determine an industry's source of 

water.

For some States, the source of saline surface water is the 

ocean. Saline ground water is characteristic of some aquifers 

that may be described in ground-water reports. The USGS 

ground-water specialist in each State may be able to help identify areas noted for having saline ground water.

Irrigation

Category Description

Irrigation water use includes fresh or reclaimed water that 

is applied by an irrigation system to sustain growth in agricultural and horticultural vegetation (SIC 0111–0191 and 4971 in 

table 3). It also includes water that is applied for pre-irrigation, 

frost protection, chemical application, weed control, field preparation, crop cooling, harvesting, dust suppression, leaching of 

salts from the root zone, and conveyance losses. Activities such 

as irrigation of public and private golf courses (SIC 7992 and 

7997), parks, nurseries, turf farms, cemeteries, and other landscape-watering uses also are included in the irrigation category. 

The irrigation category includes additional data on irrigated 

acres by type of irrigation system—sprinkler, surface (flood), 

and microirrigation.

Water that is purchased from or provided by a public-supply system for irrigation users, golf courses, parks, cemeteries, 

and landscaping irrigation is not included in the irrigation category. This water is included in public-supply withdrawals and 

may have been accounted for as a commercial delivery or public 

use.

For the 2000 compilation, States optionally may divide 

irrigation water use into crop irrigation and golf-course irrigation. In this case, only golf-course irrigation withdrawals are 

included in golf-course irrigation; all other landscape irrigation 

is included with crop withdrawals. If irrigation is divided in this 

manner, county-level totals for both crop and golf-course irrigation are mandatory where applicable, and total irrigation water 

withdrawals are calculated as the sum of the two subcategories. 

If irrigation withdrawals are not divided into crop and golfcourse withdrawals, then all irrigation is reported as total withdrawals and may include both types.

Data Elements

Mandatory

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Total acres irrigated by sprinkler systems, by county

• Total acres irrigated by surface systems, by county

• Total acres irrigated by microirrigation systems, by 

county

• Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer

Optional

• Divided crop and golf-course withdrawals, by county

• Consumptive use, by county

• Conveyance loss, by county

• Reclaimed wastewater, by county

• Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit

Sources of Information

Information about irrigation withdrawals and acres irrigated for crops or golf courses may be obtained from the following list of sources. This list is not all inclusive, and USGS 

water-use project chiefs are encouraged to investigate any other 

potential sources of information available for their States.

• State agencies that administer water rights, allocate 

water to users, or collect water-use data

• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):

<http://www.usda.gov/>
Irrigation 13

1997 Natural Resource Inventory: 

<http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/1997/

national_results.html>

Farm Service Agency:

<http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/default.asp>

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 

Service (CSREES): 

<http://www.csrees.usda.gov/>

State partners of the CSREES (includes agricultural 

experiment stations and county cooperative extension 

offices): 

<http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/

state_partners.html>

Local partners: 

<http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html>

Natural Resource Conservation Service, National 

Engineering Handbook, Part 652, Irrigation Guide: 

<http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nrcsirrig/

irrig-handbooks-part652.html>

• National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS):

<http://www.usda.gov/nass/>

Links to NASS Web sites for each State: 

<http://www.usda.gov/nass/sso-rpts.htm>

State Web sites may include links to information 

such as agricultural statistics, publications (including annual bulletins), and general information on 

agriculture in that State; other State agricultural 

agencies; and agricultural census data.

Published Estimates Data Base (PEDB)—custom queries for agricultural statistics, down to the county level: 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov:81/ipedb/>

Data files for 1999 crop acreage, by county: 

<http://www.usda.gov/nass/graphics/county99/

indexdata.htm>

• Census of Agriculture:

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/>

Links to portable document file (PDF) versions of 1997 

Census of Agriculture Volume 1 tables (national, State, 

and county data): 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/volume1/

vol1pubs.htm>

Highlights from the 1997 census of agriculture, State or 

county level: 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/

highlights/ag-state.htm>

text and graphics on primary agricultural products, 

including acres of crops harvested

Profiles of the 1997 census of agriculture, State or 

county level: 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/profiles/

ag-state.htm>

text and graphics on differences from previous years

1998 Farm & Ranch Irrigation Survey: 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/fris/

fris.htm>

State-level data on acres irrigated by irrigation 

method; application rates by irrigation method, 

source of water, and crop type

1998 Census of Horticultural Specialties: 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/

horticulture/horticulture.htm>

State-level data on acres for horticultural crops, 

including acres irrigated by source of water and 

acres irrigated by type of irrigation system

• Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the 

Interior:

<http://www.usbr.gov/>

Annual operating plans for Federally owned dams and 

reservoirs operated by irrigation or reclamation 

districts:

<http://www.usbr.gov/gp/water/index.cfm>

AgriMet is a network of automated agricultural 

weather stations located in irrigated agricultural areas 

throughout the Pacific Northwest and Montana:

Pacific Northwest Region: 

<http://mac1.pn.usbr.gov/agrimet/>

Great Plains Region (Montana): 

<http://www.usbr.gov/gp/agrimet/index.cfm>

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):

<http://www.epa.gov/>

Water Discharge Permits, Permit Compliance System 

(PCS) database: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/

pcs_query_java.html>

Access to data regarding facilities holding National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of 

facility name, geographic location, SIC code, and 

chemicals.

• Irrigation Journal—2000 annual irrigation survey: 

v. 51, no. 1, January/February 2001, p. 12–41 (Irrigation Journal, 2001; no longer published)

• GolfServ.com: 

<http://www.golfserv.com/apps/courses/search.asp>

Users can search the database for a listing of golf 

courses in each State. Includes data on public and private courses, number of holes, location, and links to 

each course's profile and Web site (if they have one). 

Registration on the Web site (free) is required to access 

specific course data.
14 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

• Golfcourse.com:

<http://www.golfcourse.com/search/custom.cfm>

Users can search the database for a listing of golf 

courses in each State. Includes information on number 

of holes. No registration is required. 

• Federal or State crop and livestock reporting services

• State and local turf-grower associations

• County assessor

• Land-grant universities—college of agriculture, 

departments of watershed science, soil science, plant 

science, crop science, or irrigation engineering

• Water management districts, irrigation districts, 

irrigation companies

• Irrigation equipment dealers

• Farm and crop improvement associations

• Individual golf courses, parks, and other recreational 

areas

• Professional, technical, and trade journals

• State departments of commerce and tourism

Compilation Techniques

For the irrigation category, information on withdrawals 

from ground and surface sources is compiled for the counties 

where the withdrawals occurred. Information on acres irrigated 

is compiled for the counties where the irrigation water was 

applied. In most cases, irrigation water is applied close to 

where it is withdrawn; in some cases the irrigation water is 

transported long distances through canals before being applied 

to crops. 

Direct methods for compiling information on irrigation 

withdrawals and irrigated acres include use of reported data, 

surveys, and personal contact. Indirect approaches for estimating withdrawals include calculation of crop water needs and statistical sampling. Data on irrigated acres by crop type and irrigation system type are used in most estimation methods for 

determining withdrawals. Total withdrawals need to be disaggregated to ground- and surface-water sources if information on 

site-specific withdrawals is not available. Compilation of withdrawals for golf-course irrigation is optional.

Reported Data

Some States require individual water users or water-right 

holders to measure and report their withdrawals and irrigated 

acreages for each well or surface-water diversion. These data 

are considered the best because the location of the withdrawals 

can be accurately assigned and aggregated to a county, aquifer, 

or other area. Other sources of reported data may yield partial 

coverage of irrigation use. USGS cooperative studies may 

include measurement of site-specific data in local areas within 

a State. Irrigation districts or other agencies may own water 

rights and distribute water to users; these entities usually measure both withdrawals and deliveries. Water masters may have 

been assigned to measure or compile measured withdrawals and 

deliveries in some areas, in which case they are excellent 

sources of data.

Reported measurements are the most defensible data; however, the completeness of reported data varies among States. 

Before using data that are reported to or by other agencies, it is 

important to understand the level of completeness, the degree of 

accuracy, and the amount of QA/QC given to data obtained 

from other Federal, State, and local agencies. USGS water-use 

project chiefs need to verify whether the data are based on full 

and complete enumerations, like a census, or are statistically 

based, like the NASS data. Reported crop acreages may include 

all crop acreages or just irrigated acreages. Irrigated acreages 

and water deliveries may be reported for an area of management 

of a particular agency, or for an entire county. Some data may 

be censored for privacy reasons in areas with few irrigators. 

Reported withdrawals and acreage data need to be reviewed for 

errors, either by the reporting agency or by the USGS water-use 

project chief. Knowing the level of QA/QC for data that are 

reported by other agencies may prevent calculations that are 

based on incorrect assumptions.

Surveys and Personal Contact

Another method of estimating irrigation water use is by a 

local survey. Surveys that are conducted by USGS rather than a 

cooperator need to comply with the requirements of the 1995 

Paperwork Reduction Act. Ideally, survey forms include a complete background about why the information is being requested, 

how it will be used, and by whom. Other important components 

of the survey are (1) a concise description of the requested data, 

(2) a contact name and phone number to direct questions to, and 

(3) a desired completion date. In any case, efficient collection 

and processing of survey data can best be achieved if the survey 

forms are short and easy for the user to complete. Typically, 

other State and local agencies distribute surveys, and the data 

are shared with USGS.

It is important to get accurate data on the largest users, who 

typically have more data available than small water users. Data 

sources such as the USDA's Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 

can be used to target counties with the largest water users when 

developing survey lists. Some of the most beneficial survey 

information includes:

• Total irrigated acreage 

• Crop and pasture acreage 

• Type and efficiency of irrigation system(s)

• Quantity or flow rate of water by source 

• Irrigation scheduling and frequency 

• Number of irrigation wells 

• Total depth of well(s)
Irrigation 15

• Capacity of well(s)

• Contributing aquifer system(s) 

• Total annual energy usage 

• Power consumption coefficient(s) if known

Other useful data include information on crop water shortages, acres harvested and yields by crop, energy sources, water 

and agricultural management practices, and any agricultural 

resources that generally are contacted when the irrigator needs 

additional guidance.

Estimates of Crop Water Needs

A commonly used method to estimate irrigation withdrawals involves calculating consumptive use for irrigated crops 

using crop water-consumption coefficients for various crops 

and system types (see Blaney and Criddle, 1950; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1970, 1976, 1997). The amount of water 

consumed by crops plus additional water used in conveyance or 

needed for other irrigation uses is the total withdrawal. This 

method requires that ancillary data exist for total irrigated acres 

for each type of crop, irrigation system efficiencies, conveyance 

losses, climatic variables, and other irrigation management 

practices such as pre-irrigation, frost protection, weed control, 

and leaching salts from soils. This "consumptive-use" technique 

assumes that the irrigation water applied is adequate for optimal 

plant growth and that the plants are not being irrigated with 

more or less water than needed.

Application efficiency is a measure of the effectiveness of 

the irrigation system in applying the right amount of water to 

the soil and root zones over time. Application efficiency must 

be taken into account if irrigation withdrawals are estimated 

from crop water-consumption coefficients. Application efficiencies vary with the type of irrigation system and soil, crop, 

topographic, and climatic conditions. Pertinent climatic conditions that have large effects on irrigation efficiencies include 

wind speed, relative humidity, and air temperature. 

In many cases, compilation of State withdrawals on the 

basis of crop consumptive use plus additional climatic and soil 

factors is not feasible due to the amount of work and level of 

detailed data necessary. Use of previously determined crop 

consumption values may be the most cost-effective method of 

estimating irrigation withdrawals. These values may be 

obtained from sources such as the USDA irrigation guide (U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 1970).

Statistical Sampling

For large irrigated areas where few measurements exist, 

statistical sampling represents a cost-effective way to estimate 

irrigation withdrawals. Withdrawals are measured at a set of 

sample sites where data for predictor variables such as power 

consumption, lift, or crop type also are known. Water-use coefficients are developed from these sample data and then are used 

to estimate withdrawals at unsampled sites where the predictor 

variable(s) are known. 

Statistical approaches may have transfer value to other 

areas if there is good understanding of the predictor variables, 

their statistical significance, and the level of expected accuracy. 

For instance, by understanding the variability of the predictor 

variable, a specific number of sample sites may be determined 

that will enable calculations of withdrawals for all sites with a 

probability that the calculated values are within a specific margin of error. A complete description of how to determine a sufficient sample size is provided in Luckey (1972) and Helsel and 

Hirsch (1995).

Allocation of Withdrawals by Source

If site-specific measurements of withdrawals are unavailable, then the estimates of total withdrawals need to be allocated 

between ground- and surface-water sources. Geographic location is the greatest determinant of water availability from each 

source. The availability, both hydrologically and politically, of 

various aquifers and streams within each State is key to assigning source of water to estimates of irrigation withdrawals. 

Often, there is a predominant source of supply for a given State 

or geographic area within a State. For example, Midwestern 

States that overlie the High Plains aquifer use mostly ground 

water for irrigation. Western States, such as California, Idaho, 

Oregon, and Washington, use predominantly surface water for 

irrigation. 

The best sources of information on sources of water for 

irrigation are State agencies and county extension agents that 

deal with the political and managerial aspects of water 

resources. Irrigation districts and equipment dealers are other 

good sources of local information. Patterns of use for other categories may suggest a reasonable division. 

Acres Irrigated by System Type

Estimates of irrigated acres by system type are compiled 

for each State at the county level. Irrigated acreage is reported 

by three general methods of application—sprinkler, surface, 

and microirrigation. Many types of irrigation systems are 

included in each of these categories.

• Sprinkler methods include all boom, center-pivot, lateral-move, low-energy precision application (LEPA), 

permanent, portable, side-move, side-roll, solid-set, 

traveling-gun, towed, and other sprinkler irrigation systems.

• Surface methods include all borders, ditch, flood, furrow, gated-pipe, surge-flow, water-spreading, and 

other gravity systems;

• Microirrigation methods include all bubbler, drip, 

micro-jet, mist, porous trickle-tubing, spray, trickle, 

and other low-volume irrigation systems, and subsurface systems.
16 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Reliable data on irrigated acreage also are essential for 

most methods of estimating irrigation withdrawals. Site-specific irrigated acres by irrigation system type are difficult to 

obtain except where State agencies require irrigators to report 

detailed information on crop types, acreages, and irrigation 

methods. The USDA census of agriculture, conducted in years 

ending in "2" and "7", provides the most recent national data set 

of irrigated crop acreages by county (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1999a). The USDA farm and ranch irrigation survey, 

last released in 1998, provides a national data set of irrigated 

acreage by irrigation method by State (U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, 2000c). The Irrigation Journal for 2000 (now discontinued) also provides State-level irrigated acreages by 

method (Irrigation Journal, 2001). County assessors also are 

potential sources for county-level information on irrigated acreage and irrigation system type. Remote sensing has been utilized as an indirect method of determining acres irrigated and 

crop types (Raymond and others, 1992). 

In some parts of the United States, the growing season is 

long enough that double and triple cropping on the same irrigated acreage can occur. In these cases, irrigated acres are 

accumulated to reflect the total acreage irrigated during the 

year; therefore, when any acre of land is cropped twice, it is 

counted as 2 irrigated acres. Counting acreage in this manner 

produces a valid application rate, expressed in terms such as 

acre-foot per acre. The irrigation method used on the subsequent crops also may vary and should be investigated and documented for each State. If multiple irrigation methods are used 

on a crop in a single growing season, acreages are reported 

under the method that provides the majority of water to the crop. 

Golf-Course Irrigation

Golf courses may utilize water from ground or surface 

sources, purchased water (from a public supplier or irrigation 

district), reclaimed water from a public wastewater treatment 

facility, or a combination of these sources. For golf courses, the 

best information on source of water is obtained directly from the 

golf-course maintenance personnel. These people usually know 

how much water is diverted, withdrawn, or delivered from each 

of the possible sources. 

Factors affecting the amount of irrigation water used at 

golf courses include course design, climatic conditions, acreage, irrigation systems, soils, availability of water for irrigation, 

and local irrigation practices. Normally, more water per unit of 

area is applied to the greens and tees than to the fairways. It is 

best to obtain metered withdrawals for specific golf courses. If 

site-specific data are not available, irrigation withdrawals may 

be estimated using coefficients developed from surveys of golf 

courses in a State. A survey should include all of the information necessary to compute an application rate on the basis of the 

consumptive needs of the grasses and the irrigated acres.

Thermoelectric Power 

Category Description

Thermoelectric power water use is defined as the amount 

of water used in the process of generating thermoelectric power. 

All thermoelectric-power generation facilities are classified as 

SIC 4911 (table 3). The source of the power may be fossil fuels, 

nuclear fission, or geothermal energy. Thermoelectric powerplants typically generate electricity with a boiler, where water is 

heated to turn it into steam. The steam then is used to turn turbines, which generate electricity. After the steam is used to turn 

the turbines, the steam is condensed to water by cooling it in a 

heat exchanger. The condensed water then is routed back to the 

boiler, where the cycle begins again. The predominant use of 

water is to cool the steam. 

Water withdrawal requirements at power-generation facilities depend primarily on whether or not the cooling water is 

recirculated. The two general types of cooling are once-through 

(open-loop) cooling and closed-loop cooling. For the 2000 

compilation, water withdrawal estimates are compiled for each 

type of cooling system. Once-through or open-looped cooling 

requires the largest amounts of water withdrawal because it is 

not recirculated within the facility. The water is withdrawn 

from a source, circulated through the heat exchangers, and then 

returned to a water body at a higher temperature. This technology is common in older facilities but generally is not used for 

new facilities because of increasingly restrictive thermal 

requirements for return water. 

Close-looped cooling systems utilize cooling ponds and 

cooling towers to recirculate water within the system, thus 

reducing the overall water withdrawal requirement. Withdrawals to replace cooling water lost to evaporation, blowdown, 

drift, and leakage are considered "makeup" water. A cooling 

pond is a shallow reservoir with a large surface area to remove 

heat from circulation water. The rate of heat loss may be 

enhanced through the use of spray nozzles. A cooling tower is a 

structure designed to remove heat from water. The heated circulation water is sprayed into the tower and is cooled by radiation from the sides of the tower or contact with the cooler air. 

Cooling towers commonly are used where land and water are 

expensive, or where local regulations prohibit the release of 

thermal water. 

Some industrial facilities also generate thermoelectric 

power. These facilities are called "cogeneration" facilities. If 

the data provided from the industrial facility are sufficient to 

identify water used in power generation, then that amount of 

water is reported separately as a power generation water use. 
Thermoelectric Power 17

Data Elements

Mandatory

• Ground-water withdrawals, once through, freshwater, 

by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, once through, freshwater, 

by county 

• Surface-water withdrawals, once through, saline water, 

by county

• Ground-water withdrawals, closed loop, freshwater, by 

county

• Surface-water withdrawals, closed loop, freshwater, by 

county

• Surface-water withdrawals, closed loop, saline water, 

by county

Optional

• Deliveries from public supply, once through, by county

• Deliveries from public supply, closed loop, by county

• Consumptive use, once through, freshwater, by county

• Consumptive use, once through, saline water, by 

county

• Consumptive use, closed loop, freshwater, by county

• Consumptive use, closed loop, saline water, by county

• Power generation, once through, by county

• Power generation, closed loop, by county

• Number of facilities, once through, by county

• Number of facilities, closed loop, by county

• Reclaimed wastewater, once through, by county

• Reclaimed wastewater, closed loop, by county

• Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit

Sources of Information

Information concerning thermoelectric power withdrawals 

may be obtained from the following list of sources. This list is 

not all inclusive, and USGS water-use project chiefs are encouraged to investigate any other potential sources of information 

available for their States.

• State agencies that administer water rights, allocate 

water to users, or collect water-use data 

• Individual facilities 

• Public suppliers (for deliveries)

• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE):

<http://www.doe.gov>

Energy Information Administration (EIA, part of 

DOE):

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/>

List of EIA electric power forms:

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/oss/forms.html>

This list includes contact information for each type of 

report.

EIA–412 (Annual Report of Public Electric Utilities)—generating plant data by type of plants; for 

municipal and Federally owned electric utilities: 

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/

eia412.html>

EIA–906 (Monthly Power Plant Report, formerly 

EIA–759)—net generation, fuel type; monthly data for 

plants with nameplate capacity of 50 megawatts or 

more, annual data for plants with nameplate capacity of 

less than 50 megawatts: 

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/

eia906u.html>

EIA–767 (Annual Steam-Electric Plant Operation and 

Design Data)—net generation, fuel type, cooling water 

process/source/rate; only plants with generating capacity of 10 or more megawatts: 

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/

eia767.html>

Data matrix of EIA electric power forms online: 

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/forms/

datamatrix.html>

Energy data for each State (summaries, profiles, 

graphics):

<http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/states/_states.html>

Electricity profile contains a graphic with largest 

investor-owned utilities in the State and largest 

plants in the State; 1998 data.

Electricity restructuring plans contain links to State 

regulatory commissions and major utilities.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):

<http://www.epa.gov/>

Water Discharge Permits, Permit Compliance System 

(PCS) database: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/

pcs_query_java.html>

Access to data regarding facilities holding National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 

permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of facility name, geographic location, SIC 

code, and chemicals.

• State agency responsible for compliance with USEPA's 

Clean Water Act Program

• State agency for power administration

• Regional "power pools" (groups of electric utility 

companies)
18 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Compilation Techniques

Most water for thermoelectric use is self supplied from 

fresh or saline surface-water sources. Smaller quantities are 

derived from ground-water sources or provided by public 

suppliers.

Information collected and maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), 

includes powerplant ownership, location, cooling method, 

sources of water, average withdrawal rates, average discharge 

rates, operating status, and power generated. This information 

is collected from monthly and annual surveys of powerplants. 

Information on power generation and energy source may be 

found in the database EIA–906 Monthly Power Plant Report, 

formerly EIA–759. EIA–767, Annual Steam-Electric Plant 

Operation and Design Data, contains cooling information for all 

organic- and nuclear-powered plants with a generator nameplate rating of 10 or more megawatts. 

Information on the withdrawal of water for the process of 

generating electric power also can be obtained from each utility. 

If the contact person for a utility is not known, a good place to 

start is the person at the utility who prepares the Discharge 

Monitoring Reports (DMR's) for USEPA. DMRs contain information on volume discharged from all pipes in the facility and 

can be compared to the permit or permit application as to the 

source of the water and how it was used. The following selected 

terminology may help in conversations with utility personnel— 

blowdown, capacity, drift, and makeup water. These terms are 

defined in the "Glossary."

State agencies that administer water rights or monitor 

water use may provide more detailed information on actual 

withdrawals for thermoelectric power generation. The State 

agency that is responsible for compliance with USEPA's Clean 

Water Act is an important source for this information. USEPA 

administers the Permit Compliance System (PCS) database, 

which was designed to track permit, compliance, and enforcement status data for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program under the Clean Water Act. An 

NPDES permit is required for all point discharges into United 

States waterways. The PCS database contains descriptive information on major power-generating facilities, their location, and 

monthly return flows. The NPDES permit application and the 

permit itself usually include detailed descriptions of the plant 

that provide basic information on all the sources of supply for 

the plant, the different ways in which water is used in the plant, 

and water included in the reported discharge values.

Power generation data can be used to estimate thermoelectric water use if it is not possible to obtain withdrawal amounts 

from other sources. A coefficient to estimate the gallons of 

water used per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated is calculated using information on withdrawals and power generation 

from plants of similar age, heating processes, and cooling methods. This coefficient then can be multiplied by the amount of 

electricity generated over a specified time period by the plant 

for which withdrawals are being estimated. Power generation 

data are available on EIA–906 on form 759; however, some of 

the electricity generated at a thermoelectric powerplant is used 

to run the powerplant itself. The net amount of power produced 

generally is reported. Water withdrawals ideally are calculated 

using the gross power produced, if available.

Mining

Category Description

Mining water use includes water that is used for the extraction of minerals, ores, and gases, which may be in the form of a 

solid, liquid, or gas. Solid minerals include coal, ores, sand, and 

gravel. Liquids pertain to crude petroleum, and gases mostly 

pertain to natural gas. The mining water-use category includes 

quarrying, milling (crushing, screening, washing, and flotation), and other operations as part of a mining activity. Water 

that is pumped and then re-injected for secondary oil recovery 

is considered a water use and should be included. Water 

pumped from mines to dewater them, or water that is produced 

as a by-product of primary oil production is not included in this 

category. That is, the water is ignored if it is drained and discharged without being put to use, even though the water is transferred from ground water to surface water. If water is put to a 

beneficial use such as washing or dampening roads for dust control, then the water is included in mining water-use estimates.

 Four major SIC groups account for most of the water used 

in the mining category (see table 3). These major groups are 

metal mining (SIC 1011–1099), coal mining (SIC 1221–1241), 

oil and gas extraction (SIC 1311–1389), and mining and quarrying of nonmetallic minerals, except fuels (SIC 1411–1499). 

The mining water-use category does not include the processing 

of raw materials, such as smelting ores, refining petroleum, and 

slurry pipeline operations. These are considered industrial uses 

of water. 

Data Elements

Compilation of estimates for the mining category is mandatory for Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and 

Wyoming. Other States are encouraged to compile data on mining water use if mining activity is important to their State.

Mandatory

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Ground-water withdrawals, saline water, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, saline water, by county

Optional

• Consumptive use, freshwater, by county
Mining 19

• Consumptive use, saline water, by county

• Reclaimed wastewater, by county

• Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit

Sources of Information

Information concerning mining water use may be obtained 

from the following list of sources. This list is not all inclusive, 

and USGS water-use project chiefs are encouraged to investigate any other potential sources of information available for 

their States.

• Individual facilities (by personal visits and/or cooperator surveys)

• State agencies that issue permits for the use of water

• State agencies that issue permits for land reclamation 

or erosion control

• State agencies that issue permits for mining activities

• State agencies for economic development

• Universities, departments of geology and mines

• U.S. Census Bureau:

<http://www.census.gov/>

1997 Economic Census–Mining–Industry Series 

(Geographic Area Series) 

contains State-level data only (mining industry data 

not published by county); number of establishments/employees by mining industry:

<http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/

97EC21.HTM>

contains a list of publications available for the 

mining sector: 

<http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/

97ecmini.html>

contains a list of U.S. Census Bureau contacts for 

mining: 

<http://www.census.gov/contacts/www/

c-manufa.html>

• Office of Surface Mining, U.S. Department of the 

Interior:

<http://www.osmre.gov/links.htm>

Links to a variety of Web resources including selected 

State departments responsible for regulation and abandoned mine land programs, Federal agencies, interest 

groups, and selected State mining and reclamation 

associations.

• U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior:

<http://www.usgs.gov>

State minerals statistics and information:

<http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/state/>

Links to minerals information for each State, including 

the Minerals Yearbook. Also available for each State 

are maps showing major mineral-producing areas by 

county, contacts, and links to State-specific minerals 

agencies.

Mine and mineral processing plant locations:

<http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mapdata/>

Accessible from this page are maps with plant/mine 

locations, GIS-ready data layers, and tables of plant/

mine county locations by State and commodity.

• Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Interior:

<http://www.blm.gov/nhp/index.htm>

Manages public lands, primarily in the western United 

States. Each State office has a mineral section. 

The Land and Mineral Records—LR2000 system: 

<http://www.blm.gov/lr2000/>

• National Mining Association:

<http://www.nma.org/default.asp>

Coal Producer Survey:

<http://www.nma.org/statistics/

pub_coal_survey.asp>

Tables of major underground and surface coal mines in 

the United States; includes name of mine, State, and 

operating company.

• Association of American State Geologists:

<http://www.kgs.ukans.edu/AASG/AASG.html>

Links to each State's Geological Survey.

• Mining technology, Web site for the mining industry:

<http://www.mining-technology.com/industry/

united_states.html>

Links for commodity and State agencies.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):

<http://www.epa.gov/>

Water Discharge Permits, Permit Compliance System 

(PCS) database: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/

pcs_query_java.html>

Access to data regarding facilities holding National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 

permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of facility name, geographic location, SIC 

code, and chemicals.

Compilation Techniques

Withdrawals by mining facilities vary depending on the 

size and type of mining operation. Collection of site-specific 

data is the best approach. If these data are not reported to a State 

agency or collected by survey, then the largest mines in each 

State should be contacted individually to determine the quantity 

and source of water used for mining purposes. State or local 

agencies also may have useful information in water permit files, 

although often permitted amounts are different from actual 

water use.
20 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

In some States, surveys are used to compile information 

for State Geological Survey annual mineral reports. These data 

may provide information on total production for State mining 

operations, by mineral or commodity; however, they are not 

always reported at the county level. Nonetheless, if good wateruse coefficients are available, statewide total water-use estimates may be derived using State production data and county 

totals disaggregated using local information.

It may be possible to develop water-use coefficients for 

certain types of mining using site-specific data from facilities 

with similar operations. Coefficients usually are based on total 

water use and production values. For example, they may be 

expressed in terms of the amount of water used to produce a 

specific amount of ore (millions of gallons per ton), or water 

used to generate a volume of sales (millions of gallons per unit 

of annual revenue). The U.S. Census Bureau economic census 

(conducted every 5 years, in years ending with 2 and 7) provides 

State-level information for various types of mining establishments, including number of establishments, number of employees, value of shipments, production, and payroll (U.S. Census 

Bureau, 1999). Coefficients should not be applied without 

investigating the local water-use and mining practices in each 

State. 

Livestock

Category Description

Livestock water use is water associated with livestock 

watering, feedlots, dairy operations, and other on-farm needs. 

Livestock includes dairy cows and heifers, beef cattle and 

calves, sheep and lambs, goats, hogs and pigs, horses, and poultry. Poultry includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pheasants, 

and pigeons. Livestock water use also includes dairy and poultry sanitation or wash down, waste-disposal systems, cooling of 

animals and products, and incidental water losses. Livestock 

and livestock products are classified as SIC 0211–0272, 0279, 

and 0291 (table 3). Animal specialties such as horses and other 

equines and fur-bearing animals are included in the livestock 

category for the 2000 compilation. In the 1990 and 1995 compilations, animal specialties water use was a separate subset of 

the livestock category, and also included fish-farm water use 

(Solley and others, 1993, 1998). Fish-farm and fish-hatchery 

water use are included in the aquaculture category for 2000. 

The livestock water-use category does not include on-farm 

domestic use, lawn and garden watering, or irrigation water use.

Data Elements

Compilation of estimates for the livestock category is 

mandatory for California, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, 

Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. 

Other States are encouraged to compile data on livestock water 

use if possible.

Mandatory

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

Optional

• Consumptive use, freshwater, by county

• Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit

Sources of Information

Information concerning livestock water use and the number of animals and farms may be obtained from the following 

list of sources. This list is not all inclusive, and USGS wateruse project chiefs are encouraged to investigate any other potential sources of information available for their States.

• State agencies that administer water rights, allocate 

water to users, or collect water-use data

• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):

<http://www.usda.gov/>

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 

Service (CSREES):

<http://www.csrees.usda.gov/>

State partners of the CSREES (includes agricultural 

experiment stations and county cooperative extension 

offices): 

<http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/

state_partners.html>

Local partners: 

<http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html>

Economics, Statistics, and Market Information System: 

<http://jan.mannlib.cornell.edu/>

Includes reports and data sets on livestock, dairy, 

and poultry

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):

<http://www.epa.gov/>

Water Discharge Permits, Permit Compliance System 

(PCS) database: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/

pcs_query_java.html>

Access to data regarding facilities holding National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 

permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of facility name, geographic location, SIC 

code, and chemicals.

• National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS):

<http://www.usda.gov/nass/>
Aquaculture 21

Links to NASS Web sites for each State:

<http://www.usda.gov/nass/sso-rpts.htm>

A State's Web site may include links to information 

such as agricultural statistics, publications (including annual bulletins), and general information on 

agriculture in that State, other State agricultural 

agencies, and census data for that State.

Published Estimates Data Base (PEDB)—allows 

custom queries for agricultural statistics, down to the 

county level: 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov:81/ipedb/>

1997 census of agriculture:

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/>

Links to PDF versions of 1997 census of agriculture, 

volume 1 tables (national, State, and county data):

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/volume1/

vol1pubs.htm>

Highlights from the 1997 census of agriculture, State or 

county level:

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/

highlights/ag-state.htm>

text and graphics on primary agricultural products

Profiles of the 1997 census of agriculture, State or 

county level:

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/profiles/

ag-state.htm>

text and graphics on differences from previous years

• Agricultural Network Information Center:

<http://laurel.nal.usda.gov:8080/agnic/>

• AgriSurf —The Farmer's Surf Engine:

<http://www.agrisurf.com/>

Search for livestock-related links, by topic (such as 

feedlots or specific types of livestock), especially for 

information on a specific business: 

<http://www.agrisurf.com/agrisurfscripts/

agrisurf.asp?R=wnghudp&index=_25_26&c=

World&d=World&DT=0&FG=0&DL=0&ur=0>

• Federal or State crop and livestock reporting services

• Agricultural universities or colleges—departments of 

animal science

• Professional, technical, and trade journals

• State and county cooperative extension service agents

Compilation Techniques

Livestock water withdrawals generally are estimated by 

multiplying the animal count for each kind of livestock in a 

State by the respective per-capita use coefficient for each type 

of animal. Annual statistics on numbers of animals are available 

from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service as well 

as various State and county offices. Authorized or reported 

water use by individual facility may be available in some States 

that issue permits for large users such as feedlots or confined 

animal operations.

Livestock water use includes water used for drinking, sanitation, and washing. Water-use coefficients for animals vary 

with climate and local animal-husbandry practices and are 

based on the conditions in each State. Per-head use coefficients 

for various types of livestock are obtained from State water-permitting agencies, county extension service agents, or university 

agriculture departments. For some types of livestock, different 

coefficients are used depending on the age of the animal. For 

example, coefficients for cattle are larger than for calves, and 

coefficients for hogs may be larger than for pigs. Coefficients 

also depend on the purpose of the livestock. For example, dairy 

cows require more water per head than beef cattle because of 

increased stall-washing requirements for dairy operations. 

Another determining factor in per-head water-use coefficients 

is the nature of the facility. Indoor confined animal-feeding 

operations require more water for washing and waste disposal 

than outdoor operations. It may be necessary to collect additional information on volumes of water used at large facilities 

for comparison with commonly used coefficients for a State.

Information on source of water for livestock may be 

obtained from State agencies responsible for issuing permits for 

water use, county extension service agents, or personnel at university agriculture departments. Local knowledge of water 

availability from farm ponds or wells also can be used to 

develop percentages of ground and surface water used for livestock in each county. Allocation of estimated livestock withdrawals to ground- and surface-water sources can be difficult, 

particularly if each source is used at a different time of year or 

if climatic conditions affect the availability of either source 

throughout the year. 

Aquaculture

Category Description

Aquaculture water use includes farming of animals that 

live in water, such as finfish and shellfish, for food, restoration, 

conservation, or sport. Aquaculture production occurs under 

controlled feeding, sanitation, and harvesting procedures primarily in ponds, flow-through raceways, and, to a lesser extent, 

in cages, net pens, and closed-recirculation tanks. This category 

includes both fish farms (SIC 0273) and fish hatcheries (SIC 

0921), as shown in table 3. For the 1990 and 1995 compilations, 

fish-farm water use was included in the animal specialties subset of the livestock category, and fish-hatchery water use was 

included in the commercial category (Solley and others, 1993, 

1998). For the 2000 compilation, water use by both fish farms 

and fish hatcheries is included in the aquaculture category.
22 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Data Elements

Compilation of estimates for the aquaculture category is 

mandatory for Alabama, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Utah. Other States 

are encouraged to compile data on aquaculture water use 

if possible.

Mandatory

• Ground-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, freshwater, by county

Optional

• Ground-water withdrawals, saline water, by county

• Surface-water withdrawals, saline water, by county

• Consumptive use, freshwater, by county

• Consumptive use, saline water, by county

• Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit

Sources of Information

Information on aquaculture water uses may be obtained 

from the following list of sources. This list is not all inclusive, 

and USGS water-use project chiefs are encouraged to investigate any other potential sources of information available for 

their States.

• State agencies that administer water rights, allocate 

water to users, or collect water-use data

• U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service (NASS): 

<http://www.usda.gov/nass/>

1998 census of aquaculture: 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/>

State-level data, in PDF format tables: 

<http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/

aquaculture/aquaculture.htm>

• U.S. Department of Agriculture:

<http://www.usda.gov/>

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), 

National Aquaculture Program, Aquaculture Industry 

Reports:

<http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/aquaindu.html>

Economic Research Service, Aquaculture Outlook:

<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/erssor/

livestock/ldp-aqs/>

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

<http://www.fws.gov/>

List of U.S. Fish and Wildlife offices in each State or 

territory: 

<http://offices.fws.gov/directory/listofficemap.html>

National Fish Hatchery System:

<http://fisheries.fws.gov/FWSFH/NFHSmain.htm>

Lists of hatcheries by State and region:

<http://fisheries.fws.gov/FWSFH/NFHmapg.htm>

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):

<http://www.epa.gov/>

National Agriculture Compliance Assistance Center:

<http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/>

Aquaculture operations:

<http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/anaquidx.html>

Production and general information:

<http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/anaqupro.html>

Water Discharge Permits, Permit Compliance System 

(PCS) database: 

<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/

pcs_query_java.html>

Access data regarding facilities holding National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 

permits. Specify the facilities by using any combination of facility name, geographic location, SIC 

code, and chemicals.

• AgriSurf—The Farmer's Surf Engine:

<http://www.agrisurf.com/agrisurfscripts/

agrisurf.asp?index=_25>

Search for aquaculture-related links, especially for 

information on a specific business:

<http://www.agrisurf.com/agrisurfscripts/

agrisurf.asp>

• Aquaculture Network Information Center (AquaNIC):

<http://aquanic.org/>

• Aquatic Network:

<http://www.aquanet.com/>

List of aquaculture associations:

<http://www.aquanet.com/resources/aqua/

aq_assn2.htm>

• Agricultural Network Information Center:

<http://laurel.nal.usda.gov:8080/agnic/>

• State departments of agriculture or natural resources, 

divisions of fish and game

• Agricultural universities or colleges—departments of 

fisheries and wildlife

• Private aquaculture companies

Compilation Techniques

Withdrawals for offstream fish hatcheries and fish farms 

may be difficult to estimate because the water is used only as a 

vehicle to raise or hold the fish, and large quantities of water are 

still available for other uses. Water use by fish hatcheries and 

fish farms often is equivalent to the amount of water necessary 

to maintain pond water levels to offset losses due to leakage and 
Aquifer Withdrawals 23

evaporation. In other cases, the water is withdrawn from a 

stream channel and flows through the facility before returning 

to the stream channel. Evaporative losses are minimal in these 

flow-through systems. It is best to obtain local information on 

sources of water and volumes used by fish-hatchery and fishfarm operations. Coefficients to estimate water use by fish may 

be expressed in terms of water volume per facility, water volume per pond surface area, or water volume or pond surface 

area per pound of organism produced. 

Aquifer Withdrawals

Aggregation of data on ground-water withdrawals of 

freshwater by aquifer for the public-supply, industry, and irrigation categories is mandatory for the 2000 national water-use 

compilation. Ground-water withdrawals of saline water are not 

reported by aquifer. 

An aquifer is a geologic formation, group of formations, or 

part of a formation that contains sufficient saturated permeable 

material to yield significant quantities of water to wells and 

springs. Data are aggregated for each State by the principal 

aquifers and aquifer systems identified in table 2. Aquifers and 

aquifer systems listed in table 2 are identified in the National 

Atlas of the United States and illustrated on the USGS principal 

aquifers map (U.S. Geological Survey, 2003). The aquifer list 

is not all inclusive; aquifers are chosen to represent those with 

great areal extent, substantial productivity or use, and (or) 

national significance. Many smaller aquifers have been 

included within a common classification, such as "alluvial aquifers." Withdrawals from aquifers known by local or regional 

names that are not included in table 2 are allocated to the appropriate principal aquifer or aquifer system using judgment and 

expertise in each State, or are assigned to the "other" aquifer 

category. 

Sources of Information

Information needed to assign ground-water withdrawals to 

principal aquifers and aquifer systems may be obtained from the 

following list of sources. 

• USGS Ground-Water Atlas:

<http://capp.water.usgs.gov/gwa/gwa.html>

• USGS ground-water specialists or ground-water 

scientists

• USGS Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis (RASA) 

reports and maps (bibliography in Sun and others, 

1997):

<http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/rasa/html/

introduction.html>

• USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) 

studies (links to summary reports, Web sites, and bibliography: 

<http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pubsmain.html>)

• Well information from the USGS National Water 

Information System Ground-Water Site Inventory 

(GWSI) database: 

<http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/gw>

• University geology departments or hydrology 

programs

• State agencies, such as those that permit the use of 

water resources

• Professional, technical, and trade journals

Compilation Techniques

Ground-water withdrawals of freshwater by principal 

aquifer and aquifer system for each water-use category are best 

compiled with as much site-specific information as possible. 

The public-supply and industrial categories generally have the 

most site-specific data and provide the best opportunity to allocate withdrawals to specific aquifers or aquifer systems. If irrigation withdrawals are not derived from site-specific data, 

information may be obtained from the USGS Ground-Water 

Atlas, RASA maps and reports, or other local ground-water 

publications that show the areal extent of aquifers and aquifer 

systems, their depths and saturated thicknesses, productivity, 

and water quality. The USGS Ground-Water Atlas shows volumes of ground-water withdrawals of freshwater that were 

reported for 1995 and other years. 

The preferred method of allocating public-supply withdrawals to principal aquifers is to use information from each 

utility or State agency that maintains well data. Site-specific 

data should be collected from utilities that supply the largest 

volume of water or that serve the largest number of people. 

Some public suppliers withdraw from multiple aquifers. Aquifers for utilities that serve smaller populations or geographic 

areas may be identified using maps showing the full areal extent 

of the most productive aquifers with adequate water quality. 

Consultation with State ground-water experts may be needed 

when assigning withdrawals by small public-supply facilities to 

aquifers using the map of full areal extent.

If site-specific data are used to compile industrial withdrawals, aquifer information should be collected at the same 

time as withdrawal information. If industrial withdrawals are 

estimated using other methods that are not based on site-specific data, then aquifers may be identified using maps showing 

the full areal extent of productive aquifers with adequate water 

quality. If the industry locations are known only at the county 

level or if there are multiple aquifers or aquifer systems that 

might provide water, then the best available information on 

principal aquifers used may be obtained from local groundwater reports and USGS ground-water specialists.

If site-specific data for irrigation withdrawals are available, then aquifers may be identified using well drillers' logs or 

with data provided by the State agency that issues water permits. If irrigation estimates are derived using other techniques, 

such as estimates of crop water needs, then ground-water with-
24 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

drawals may be allocated using comparisons between irrigated 

areas and the full areal extent, depth to water, and productivity 

of principal aquifers and aquifer systems. RASA and other 

USGS ground-water reports, along with expertise and knowledge from USGS ground-water specialists and local irrigators, 

can be used to help allocate withdrawals to the appropriate 

aquifers.

If ground-water withdrawals are identified from an aquifer 

with a local or regional name that is not in table 2, the aquifer 

usually can be correlated to one of the principal aquifers or 

aquifer systems. Some of the aquifer names represent composite aquifer systems and include many individual smaller aquifers. Withdrawals from an aquifer that cannot be correlated 

properly to one of the principal aquifers or aquifer systems are 

reported using the "other" aquifer category.

Ground-water withdrawals of freshwater by aquifer for 

each State are reported by point of withdrawal rather than by 

point of use, although some water subsequently may be transferred for use in a different State from which it was withdrawn. 

Withdrawals should be reported for the State where the withdrawals occur even if the same aquifer underlies several States. 

Aquifer withdrawals are to be reported at the State level. 

Total State aquifer withdrawals of freshwater for each category 

should not exceed the total ground-water withdrawals for that 

category. USGS water-use project chiefs are required to document the sources of information and methods used to allocate 

withdrawals to each aquifer or aquifer system.

Selected References

Arvin, D.V., 1992, Feasibility of using portable, noninvasive 

pipe flowmeters and time totalizers for determining water 

use: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 91–4110, 65 p.

Blaney, H.F., Sr., and Criddle, W.D., 1950, Determining water 

requirements in irrigated areas from climatological and irrigation data: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, SCS–TP–96, 48 p.

Bureau of Land Management, 2004, Land and mineral records: 

Information available on World Wide Web, accessed 

April 14, 2004, at http://www.blm.gov/lr2000/

Dash, R.G., 1999, Comparison of two approaches for determining ground-water discharge and pumpage in the lower 

Arkansas River Basin, Colorado, 1997–98: U.S. Geological 

Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99–4221, 

39 p.

Helsel, D.R., and Hirsch, R.M., 1995, Statistical methods in 

water resources: New York, Elsevier, Studies in Environmental Science 49, 529 p.

Hurr, T.R., and Litke, D.W., 1989, Estimating pumping time 

and ground-water withdrawals using energy-consumption 

data: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 89–4107, 27 p.

Hutson, S.S., Barber, N.L., Kenny, J.F., Linsey, K.S., Lumia, 

D.S., and Maupin, M.A., 2004, Estimated use of water in the 

United States, 2000: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1268, 

46 p.

Irrigation Journal, 2001, 2000 Annual irrigation survey: Irrigation Journal, v. 51, no. 1, January–February 2001, p. 12–41.

Kjelstrom, L.C., 1991, Methods of measuring pumpage through 

closed-conduit irrigation systems: Journal of Irrigation and 

Drainage Engineering, v. 117, no. 5, p. 748–757.

Luckey, R.R., 1972, Analyses of selected statistical methods for 

estimating ground-water withdrawal: Water Resources 

Research, v. 8, no. 1, p. 205–210. 

MacKichan, K.A., 1951, Estimated use of water in the United 

States, 1950: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 115, 13 p.

MacKichan, K.A., 1957, Estimated use of water in the United 

States, 1955: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 398, 18 p.

MacKichan, K.A., and Kammerer, J.C., 1961, Estimated use of 

water in the United States, 1960: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 456, 26 p.

Maupin, M.A., 1999, Methods to determine pumped irrigationwater withdrawals from the Snake River between Upper 

Salmon Falls and Swan Falls Dams, Idaho, using electrical 

power data, 1990–95: U.S. Geological Survey WaterResources Investigations Report 99–4175, 14 p. with 

appendices.

Murray, C.R., 1968, Estimated use of water in the United States, 

1965: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 556, 53 p.

Murray, C.R., and Reeves, E.B., 1972, Estimated use of water 

in the United States, 1970: U.S. Geological Survey 

Circular 676, 37 p.

Murray, C.R., and Reeves, E.B., 1977, Estimated use of water 

in the United States, 1975: U.S. Geological Survey 

Circular 765, 37 p.

National Mining Association, 2004, Annual coal producer survey: Information available on World Wide Web, accessed 

April 14, 2004, at 

http://www.nma.org/statistics/pub_coal_survey.asp

Office of Management and Budget, 1987, Standard industrial 

classification manual, 1987: Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 705 p.

Raymond, L.H., Nalley, G.M., and Rettman, P.L., 1992, Evaluation of the use of remote-sensing data to identify crop types 

and estimate irrigated acreage, Uvalde and Medina Counties, 

1989: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 92–4117, 21 p. 

Seaber, P.R., Kapinos, F.P., and Knapp, G.L., 1987, Hydrologic 

unit maps: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply 

Paper 2294, 63 p.

Solley, W.B., Chase, E.B., and Mann, W.B., IV, 1983, Estimated use of water in the United States in 1980: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1001, 56 p.

Solley, W.B., Merk, C.F., and Pierce, R.R., 1988, Estimated use 

of water in the United States in 1985: U.S. Geological Survey 

Circular 1004, 82 p. 
Selected References 25

Solley, W.B., Pierce, R.R., and Perlman, H.A., 1993, Estimated 

use of water in the United States in 1990: U.S. Geological 

Survey Circular 1081, 76 p. 

Solley, W.B., Pierce, R.R., and Perlman, H.A., 1998, Estimated 

use of water in the United States in 1995: U.S. Geological 

Survey Circular 1200, 71 p.

Stickney, R.R., 1994, Principles of aquaculture: New York, 

Wiley, 502 p.

Sun, R.J., Weeks, J.B., and Grubb, H.F., 1997, Bibliography of 

Regional Aquifer-Systems Analysis Program of the U.S. 

Geological Survey, 1978–96: U.S. Geological Survey WaterResources Investigations Report 97–4074, report available 

on World Wide Web, accessed June 17, 2004, at 

http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/rasa/html/introduction.html

Templin, W.E., and Cherry, D.E., 1997, Drainage-return, surface water withdrawal, and land-use data for the SacramentoSan Joaquin Delta, with emphasis on Twitchell Island, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97–350, 

31 p.

U.S. Census Bureau, 1999, 1997 Economic census—industry 

series (mining, construction, and manufacturing): Information available on World Wide Web, accessed April 19, 2004, 

at http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/econ97.html

U.S. Census Bureau, 2000, Bridge between NAICS and 

SIC—1997 Economic census, core business statistics series: 

Washington, D.C., 331 p.

U.S. Census Bureau, 2002, North American Industry Classification System—United States, 2002: Springfield, Virginia, 

1419 p.

U.S. Congress, 1995, Paper Reduction Act of 1995: Amendments to chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1970, Irrigation water requirements: Washington, D.C., Technical Release 21 (revision 2 

of 1967 edition, available from National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia, as NTIS Report PB 85–

178390/XAB.), 88 p. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1976, Crop consumptive irrigation requirements and irrigation efficiency coefficients for 

the United States: Washington, D.C., SCS Special Projects 

Division, 118 p.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1997, National engineering 

handbook, part 652, irrigation guide: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, information available on World Wide 

Web, accessed April 14, 2004, at 

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nrcsirrig/

irrig-handbooks-part652.html

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1999a, 1997 Census of agriculture: National Agricultural Statistics Service, information 

available on World Wide Web, accessed April 14, 2004, at 

http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/volume1/

vol1pubs.htm

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1999b, 1997 Natural resources 

inventory: Natural Resources Conservation Service, information available on World Wide Web, accessed April 14, 

2004, at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/1997/

national_results.html

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2000a, 1998 Census of aquaculture: National Agricultural Statistics Service, information 

available on World Wide Web, accessed April 16, 2004, at 

http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/aquaculture/

aquaculture.htm

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2000b, 1998 Census of horticultural specialties: National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

information available on World Wide Web, accessed 

April 14, 2004, at http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/

census97/horticulture/horticulture.htm

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2000c, 1998 Farm and ranch 

irrigation survey: National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

information available on World Wide Web, accessed 

April 14, 2004, at http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/

census97/fris/fris.htm

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2002, 2000 Published estimates database: National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

information available on World Wide Web, accessed 

April 14, 2004, at http://www.nass.usda.gov:81/ipedb/

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2003, Water discharge 

permits, permit compliance system: Information available on 

World Wide Web, accessed April 13, 2004, at 

http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/pcs/pcs_query_java.html

U.S. Geological Survey, 2003, Principal aquifers, in National 

Atlas of the United States of America: Washington, D.C., 

1 sheet, information available on World Wide Web, accessed 

June 17, 2004, at http://nationalatlas.gov/

aquifermapwhole.html

U.S. Geological Survey, 2004, State minerals statistics and 

information: Information available on World Wide Web, 

accessed April 14, 2004, at http://minerals.usgs.gov/

minerals/pubs/state/

van der Leeden, Frits, Troise, F.L., and Todd, D.K., 1990, The 

water encyclopedia (2d ed.): Chelsea, Michigan, Lewis Publishers, 808 p.

Vickers, A.L., 2001, Handbook of water use and conservation: 

Amherst, Massachusetts, WaterPlow Press, 446 p.
26 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000
Supplemental Information
28 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Table 1. Mandatory and optional data elements for the 2000 national water-use compilation.

[x, applies; --, does not apply]

Category and data elements Mandatory at 

county level

Mandatory at 

State level only

Mandatory at 

aquifer level

Mandatory for 

selected States

Optional at 

county level1

Public supply

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater x -- x -- --

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater x -- -- -- --

Ground-water withdrawals - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Surface-water withdrawals - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Population served - total -- x -- -- --

Population served - ground water -- -- -- -- x

Population served - surface water -- -- -- -- x

Number of facilities -- -- -- -- x

Reclaimed wastewater -- -- -- -- x

Domestic

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater -- x -- -- x

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater -- x -- -- x

Deliveries from public supply -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Industrial

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater x -- x -- --

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater x -- -- -- --

Ground-water withdrawals - saline water x -- -- -- --

Surface-water withdrawals - saline water x -- -- -- --

Deliveries from public supply -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Number of facilities -- -- -- -- x

Reclaimed wastewater -- -- -- -- x

Irrigation

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater x -- x -- --

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater x -- -- -- --

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater, crop only x2 -- x2 -- x2

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater, crop only x2 -- -- x2

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater, golf course x2 -- x2 -- x2

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater, golf course x2 -- -- -- x2

Acres irrigated - sprinkler x -- -- -- --

Acres irrigated - surface systems x -- -- -- --

Acres irrigated - microirrigation x -- -- -- --

Consumptive use - freshwater -- -- -- -- --

Conveyance loss -- -- -- -- x

Reclaimed wastewater -- -- -- -- x

Thermoelectric power generation

Ground-water withdrawals, once through - freshwater x -- -- -- --

Surface-water withdrawals, once through, freshwater x -- -- -- --

Surface-water withdrawals, once through - saline water x -- -- -- --

Ground-water withdrawals, closed loop - freshwater x -- -- -- --

Surface-water withdrawals, closed loop - freshwater x -- -- -- --

Surface-water withdrawals, closed loop - saline water x -- -- -- --

Deliveries from public supply - once through -- -- -- -- x
Supplemental Information 29

Thermoelectric power generation—Continued

Deliveries from public supply - closed loop -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use, once though - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use, once through - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use, closed loop - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use, closed loop - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Power generated - once-though -- -- -- -- x

Power generated - closed loop -- -- -- -- x

Number of facilities - once through -- -- -- -- x

Number of facilities - closed loop -- -- -- -- x

Reclaimed wastewater - once through -- -- -- -- x

Reclaimed wastewater - closed loop -- -- -- -- x

Mining -- -- --

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater -- -- -- x3 x

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater -- -- -- x3 x

Ground-water withdrawals - saline water -- -- -- x3 x

Surface-water withdrawals - saline water -- -- -- x3 x

Consumptive use - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Reclaimed wastewater -- -- -- -- x

Livestock

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater -- -- -- x4 x

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater -- -- -- x4 x

Consumptive use - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Aquaculture

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater -- -- -- x5 x

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater -- -- -- x5 x

Ground-water withdrawals - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Surface-water withdrawals - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use - saline water -- -- -- -- x

Commercial

Ground-water withdrawals - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Surface-water withdrawals - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Deliveries from public supply -- -- -- -- x

Consumptive use - freshwater -- -- -- -- x

Hydroelectric power generation

Instream water use -- -- -- -- x

Power generation -- -- -- -- x

Number of facilities -- -- -- -- x

Table 1. Mandatory and optional data elements for the 2000 national water-use compilation. 

[x, applies; --, does not apply]

Category and data elements Mandatory at 

county level

Mandatory at 

State level only

Mandatory at 

aquifer level

Mandatory for 

selected States

Optional at 

county level1

—Continued
30 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Wastewater treatment

Number of facilities -- -- -- -- x

Wastewater returns - public facilities -- -- -- -- x

Reclaimed wastewater -- -- -- -- x

1

Any data aggregated by hydrologic cataloging unit are optional for all States.

2Subdivision of irrigation withdrawals into crop and golf-course categories is optional, but both categories are mandatory if withdrawals are subdivided.

3

Mining withdrawals are mandatory for Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and 

Wyoming, and are optional for all other States.

4

Livestock withdrawals are mandatory for California, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin, and 

are optional for all other States.

5

Aquaculture withdrawals are mandatory for Alabama, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Utah, and are optional for all 

other States.

Table 1. Mandatory and optional data elements for the 2000 national water-use compilation. 

[x, applies; --, does not apply]

Category and data elements Mandatory at 

county level

Mandatory at 

State level only

Mandatory at 

aquifer level

Mandatory for 

selected States

Optional at 

county level1

—Continued
Supplemental Information 31

Table 2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological Survey for 

aggregation of 2000 water-use data.

State Name of principal aquifer or aquifer system

Alabama Coastal lowlands aquifer system

Floridan aquifer system

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Mississippian aquifers

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system

Surficial aquifer system

Valley and Ridge aquifers

Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Alaska Unconsolidated-deposit aquifers 

Arizona Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers

Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers

Colorado Plateaus aquifers

Arkansas Alluvial aquifers

Edwards-Trinity aquifer system

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

Ozark Plateaus aquifer system

California Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers

Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers

California Coastal Basin aquifers

Central Valley aquifer system

Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers

Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers

Colorado Alluvial aquifers

Colorado Plateaus aquifers

Denver Basin aquifer system

High Plains aquifer

Rio Grande aquifer system

Connecticut Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

New England crystalline-rock aquifers

New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Delaware Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Surficial aquifer system

District of Columbia Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers
32 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Florida Biscayne aquifer

Coastal lowlands aquifer system

Floridan aquifer system

Intermediate aquifer system

Surficial aquifer system

Georgia Floridan aquifer system

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system

Surficial aquifer system

Valley and Ridge aquifers

Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Hawaii Volcanic-rock aquifers (Hawaii)

Idaho Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers

Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers

Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers

Columbia Plateau basin-fill aquifers

Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins aquifer systems

Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers

Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers

Snake River Plain basaltic-rock aquifers

Snake River Plain basin-fill aquifers

Illinois Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

Mississippian aquifers

Ozark Plateaus aquifer system

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system

Indiana Mississippian aquifers

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Iowa Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system

Lower Cretaceous aquifers

Mississippian aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Upper Carbonate aquifer

Table 2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological Survey for 

aggregation of 2000 water-use data. 

State Name of principal aquifer or aquifer system

—Continued
Supplemental Information 33

Kansas Alluvial aquifers

High Plains aquifer

Lower Cretaceous aquifers

Ozark Plateaus aquifer system

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Kentucky Alluvial aquifers

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

Mississippian aquifers

Ordovician aquifers

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Louisiana Alluvial aquifers

Coastal lowlands aquifer system

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

Texas coastal uplands aquifer system

Maine New England crystalline-rock aquifers

New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Maryland Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

Mississippian aquifers

Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Surficial aquifer system

Valley and Ridge aquifers

Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Massachusetts Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

New England crystalline-rock aquifers

New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Michigan Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system

Jacobsville aquifer

Marshall aquifer

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Table 2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological Survey for 

aggregation of 2000 water-use data. 

State Name of principal aquifer or aquifer system

—Continued
34 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Minnesota Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system

Lower Cretaceous aquifers

Paleozoic aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Upper Carbonate aquifer

Mississippi Coastal lowlands aquifer system

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system

Missouri Alluvial aquifers

Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

Mississippian aquifers

Ozark Plateaus aquifer system

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Montana Alluvial aquifers

Lower Cretaceous aquifers

Lower Tertiary aquifers

Northern Great Plains aquifer system

Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins aquifer systems

Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers

Paleozoic aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Upper Cretaceous aquifers

Nebraska Alluvial aquifers

High Plains aquifer

Lower Cretaceous aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Nevada Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers

Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers

Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers

Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers

Southern Nevada volcanic-rock aquifers

New Hampshire New England crystalline-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

New Jersey Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers

Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Table 2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological Survey for 

aggregation of 2000 water-use data. 

State Name of principal aquifer or aquifer system

—Continued
Supplemental Information 35

 New Jersey—Continued Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Surficial aquifer system

Valley and Ridge aquifers

Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

New Mexico Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers

Colorado Plateaus aquifers

High Plains aquifer

Pecos River Basin alluvial aquifer

Rio Grande aquifer system

Roswell Basin aquifer system

New York Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

New England crystalline-rock aquifers

New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers

New York Sandstone aquifers

Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Valley and Ridge aquifers

North Carolina Castle Hayne aquifer

Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system

Surficial aquifer system

Valley and Ridge aquifers

North Dakota Alluvial aquifers

Lower Cretaceous aquifers

Lower Tertiary aquifers

Northern Great Plains aquifer system

Paleozoic aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Upper Cretaceous aquifers

Ohio Alluvial aquifers

Mississippian aquifers

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Oklahoma Ada-Vamoosa aquifer

Alluvial aquifers

Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer

Table 2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological Survey for 

aggregation of 2000 water-use data. 

State Name of principal aquifer or aquifer system

—Continued
36 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

 Oklahoma—Continued Blaine aquifer

Central Oklahoma aquifer

Edwards-Trinity aquifer system

High Plains aquifer

Ozark Plateaus aquifer system

Rush Springs aquifer

Oregon Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers

Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers

Columbia Plateau basin-fill aquifers

Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers

Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers

Puget Sound aquifer system

Snake River Plain basaltic-rock aquifers

Snake River Plain basin-fill aquifers

Pennsylvania Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

Mississippian aquifers

New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers

Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Valley and Ridge aquifers

Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Puerto Rico North Coast Limestone aquifer system (Puerto Rico)

South Coast aquifer (Puerto Rico)

Rhode Island New England crystalline-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

South Carolina Floridan aquifer system

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system

Surficial aquifer system

South Dakota Alluvial aquifers

High Plains aquifer

Lower Cretaceous aquifers

Lower Tertiary aquifers

Northern Great Plains aquifer system

Paleozoic aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Upper Cretaceous aquifers

Table 2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological Survey for 

aggregation of 2000 water-use data. 

State Name of principal aquifer or aquifer system

—Continued
Supplemental Information 37

Tennessee Alluvial aquifers

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

Mississippian aquifers

Ordovician aquifers

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system

Valley and Ridge aquifers

Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Texas Alluvial aquifers

Blaine aquifer

Coastal lowlands aquifer system

Edwards-Trinity aquifer system

High Plains aquifer

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Pecos River Basin alluvial aquifer

Rio Grande aquifer system

Seymour aquifer

Texas coastal uplands aquifer system

Utah Alluvial aquifers

Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers

Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers

Colorado Plateaus aquifers

Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers

Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers

Vermont New England crystalline-rock aquifers

New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Virgin Islands Kingshill aquifer (Virgin Islands)

Virginia Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

Mississippian aquifers

Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers

Surficial aquifer system

Valley and Ridge aquifers

Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Washington Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers

Columbia Plateau basin-fill aquifers

Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins aquifer systems

Table 2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological Survey for 

aggregation of 2000 water-use data. 

State Name of principal aquifer or aquifer system

—Continued
38 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

 Washington—Continued Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers

Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers

Puget Sound aquifer system

Willamette Lowland basin-fill aquifers

West Virginia Alluvial aquifers

Mississippian aquifers

Pennsylvanian aquifers

Valley and Ridge aquifers

Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers

Wisconsin Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system

Jacobsville aquifer

Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)

Silurian-Devonian aquifers

Wyoming Alluvial aquifers

Colorado Plateaus aquifers

High Plains aquifer

Lower Cretaceous aquifers

Lower Tertiary aquifers

Northern Great Plains aquifer system

Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins aquifer systems

Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers

Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers

Paleozoic aquifers

Upper Cretaceous aquifers

Wyoming Tertiary aquifers

Table 2. List of principal aquifers and aquifer systems by State that are used by the U.S. Geological Survey for 

aggregation of 2000 water-use data. 

State Name of principal aquifer or aquifer system

—Continued
Supplemental Information 39

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

Public supply 4941 Water supply 

Domestic 8811 Private households 

Industrial 1521–1522 General building contractors—residential buildings

1531 Operative builders

1541–1542 General building contractors—nonresidential buildings

1611 Highway and street construction, except elevated highways

1622–1629 Heavy construction, except highway and street construction

1711 Plumbing, heating, air-conditioning

1721 Painting and paper hanging

1731 Electrical work

1741–1743 Masonry, stonework, tile setting, and plastering

1751–1752 Carpentry and floor work

1761 Roofing, siding, and sheet metal work

1771 Concrete work

1781 Water well drilling

1791–1799 Miscellaneous special trade contractors

2011–2015 Meat products

2021–2026 Dairy products

2032–2038 Canned, frozen, and preserved fruits, and vegetables, and food specialties

2041–2048 Grain mill products

2051–2053 Bakery products

2061–2068 Sugar and confectionery products

2074–2079 Fats and oils

2082–2087 Beverages

2091–2099 Miscellaneous food preparations and kindred products

2111 Cigarettes

2121 Cigars

2131 Chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff

2141 Tobacco stemming and redrying

2211 Broadwoven fabric mills, cotton

2221 Broadwoven fabric mills, manmade fiber and silk

2231 Broadwoven fabric mills, wool (including dyeing and finishing)

2241 Narrow fabric and other smallwares mills: cotton, wool, silk, and manmade fiber

2251–2259 Knitting mills

2261–2269 Dyeing and finishing textiles, except wool fabrics and knit goods

2273 Carpets and rugs

2281–2284 Yarn and thread mills

2295–2299 Miscellaneous textile goods
40 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Industrial—Continued 2311 Men's and boys' suits, coats and overcoats

2321–2329 Men's and boys' furnishings, work clothing, and allied garments

2331–2339 Women's, misses', and juniors' outerwear

2341–2342 Women's, misses', children's, and infants' undergarments

2353 Hats, caps, and millinery

2361–2369 Girls', children's, and infants' outerwear

2371 Fur goods

2381–2389 Miscellaneous apparel and accessories

2391–2399 Miscellaneous fabricated textile products

2411 Logging

2421–2429 Sawmills and planing mills

2431–2439 Millwork, veneer, plywood, and structural wood members

2441–2449 Wood containers

2451–2452 Wood buildings and mobile homes

2491–2499 Miscellaneous wood products

2511–2519 Household furniture

2521–2522 Office furniture

2531 Public building and related furniture

2541–2542 Partitions, shelving, lockers, and office and store fixtures

2591–2599 Miscellaneous furniture and fixtures

2611 Pulp mills

2621 Paper mills

2631 Paperboard mills

2652–2657 Paperboard containers and boxes

2671–2679 Converted paper and paperboard products, except containers and boxes

2711 Newspapers: publishing, or publishing and printing

2721 Periodicals: publishing, or publishing and printing

2731–2732 Books

2741 Miscellaneous publishing

2752–2759 Commercial printing

2761 Manifold business forms

2771 Greeting cards

2782–2789 Blankbooks, looseleaf binders, and bookbinding and related work

2791–2796 Service industries for the printing trade

2812–2819 Industrial inorganic chemicals

2821–2824 Plastics materials and synthetic resins, synthetic rubber, cellulosic and other manmade fibers, 

except glass

2833–2836 Drugs

2841–2844 Soap, detergents, and cleaning preparations; perfumes, cosmetics, and other toilet preparations

2851 Paints, varnishes, lacquers, enamels, and allied products

2861–2869 Industrial organic chemicals

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
Supplemental Information 41

Industrial—Continued 2873–2879 Agricultural chemicals

2891–2899 Miscellaneous chemical products

2911 Petroleum refining

2951–2952 Asphalt paving and roofing materials

2992–2999 Miscellaneous products of petroleum and coal

3011 Tires and inner tubes

3021 Rubber and plastics footwear

3052–3053 Gaskets, packing, and sealing devices and rubber and plastic hose and belting

3061–3069 Fabricated rubber products, not elsewhere classified

3081–3089 Miscellaneous plastics products

3111 Leather tanning and finishing

3131 Boot and shoe cut stock and findings

3142–3149 Footwear, except rubber

3151 Leather gloves and mittens

3161 Luggage

3171–3172 Handbags and other personal leather goods

3199 Leather goods, not elsewhere classified

3211 Flat glass

3221–3229 Glass and glassware, pressed or blown

3231 Glass products, made of purchased glass

3241 Cement, hydraulic

3251–3259 Structural clay products

3261–3269 Pottery and related products

3271–3275 Concrete, gypsum, and plaster products

3281 Cut stone and stone products

3291–3299 Abrasive, asbestos, and miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral products

3312–3317 Steel works, blast furnaces, and rolling and finishing mills

3321–3325 Iron and steel foundries

3331–3339 Primary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals

3341 Secondary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals

3351–3357 Rolling, drawing, and extruding of nonferrous metals

3363–3369 Nonferrous foundries (castings)

3398–3399 Miscellaneous primary metal products

3411–3412 Metal cans and shipping containers

3421–3429 Cutlery, handtools, and general hardware

3431–3433 Heating equipment, except electric and warm air; and plumbing fixtures

3441–3449 Fabricated structural metal products

3451–3452 Screw machine products, and bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, and washers

3462–3469 Metal forgings and stampings

3471–3479 Coating, engraving, and allied services

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
42 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Industrial—Continued 3482–3489 Ordnance and accessories, except vehicles and guided missiles

3491–3499 Miscellaneous fabricated metal products

3511–3519 Engines and turbines

3523–3524 Farm and garden machinery and equipment

3531–3537 Construction, mining, and materials handling machinery and equipment

3541–3549 Metalworking machinery and equipment

3552–3559 Special industry machinery, except metalworking machinery

3561–3569 General industrial machinery and equipment

3571–3579 Computer and office equipment

3581–3589 Refrigeration and service industry machinery

3592–3599 Miscellaneous industrial and commercial machinery and equipment

3612–3613 Electric transmission and distribution equipment

3621–3629 Electrical industrial apparatus

3631–3639 Household appliances

3641–3648 Electric lighting and wiring equipment

3651–3652 Household audio and video equipment, and audio recordings

3661–3669 Communications equipment

3671–3679 Electronic components and accessories

3691–3699 Miscellaneous electrical machinery, equipment, and supplies

3711–3716 Motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment

3721–3728 Aircraft and parts

3731–3732 Ship and boat building and repairing

3743 Railroad equipment

3751 Motorcycles, bicycles, and parts

3761–3769 Guided missiles and space vehicles and parts

3792–3799 Miscellaneous transportation equipment

3812 Search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical systems, instruments, and 

equipment

3821–3829 Laboratory apparatus and analytical, optical, measuring and controlling instruments

3841–3845 Surgical, medical, and dental instruments and supplies

3851 Ophthalmic goods

3861 Photographic equipment and supplies

3873 Watches, clocks, clockwork operated devices, and parts

3911–3915 Jewelry, silverware, and plated ware

3931 Musical instruments

3942–3949 Dolls, toys, games and sporting and athletic goods

3951–3955 Pens, pencils, and other artists' materials

3961–3965 Costume jewelry, costume novelties, buttons, and miscellaneous notions, except precious metal

3991–3999 Miscellaneous manufacturing industries

Irrigation 0111–0119 Cash grains (wheat, rice, corn, soybeans, other)

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
Supplemental Information 43

Irrigation—Continued 0131–0139 Field crops, except cash grains (cotton, tobacco, sugarcane, sugarbeets, potatoes, alfalfa, hay, 

other)

0161 Vegetables and melons

0171–0179 Fruits and tree nuts (berry crops, grapes, tree nuts, citrus fruit, deciduous tree fruits, other)

0181–0182 Horticultural specialties (ornamental floriculture and nursery products including sod farms, food 

crops grown under cover)

0191 General farms, primarily crop

4971 Irrigation systems

7992 Public golf courses

7997 Membership sports and recreation clubs

Thermoelectric power 4911 Electric services

Mining 1011 Iron ores

1021 Copper ores

1031 Lead and zinc ores

1041–1044 Gold and silver ores

1061 Ferroalloy ores, except vanadium

1081 Metal mining services

1094–1099 Miscellaneous metal ores

1221–1222 Bituminous coal and lignite mining

1231 Anthracite mining

1241 Coal mining services

1311 Crude petroleum and natural gas

1321 Natural gas liquids

1381–1389 Oil and gas field services

1411 Dimension stone

1422–1429 Crushed and broken stone, including riprap

1442–1446 Sand and gravel

1455–1459 Clay, ceramic, and refractory minerals

1474–1479 Chemical and fertilizer mineral mining

1481 Nonmetallic minerals services, except fuels

1499 Miscellaneous nonmetallic minerals, except fuels

Livestock 0211–0219 Livestock, except dairy and poultry (beef cattle, hogs, sheep and goats) 

0240–0241 Dairy farms

0251–0259 Poultry and eggs farms (chickens, turkeys, ducks, other)

0271 Fur-bearing animals and rabbits

0272 Horses and other equines

0279 Animal specialties, not elsewhere classified

0291 General farms, primarily livestock and animal specialties

Aquaculture 0273 Animal aquaculture (catfish, crustaceans, finfish, tropical fish, trout)

0921 Fish hatcheries and preserves

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
44 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Commercial 0711 Soil preparation services 

0721 Crop services 

0741 Veterinary services 

0751 Animal services, except veterinary 

0761–0762 Farm labor and management services 

0781–0783 Landscape horticultural services

0811 Timber tracts 

0831 Forest nurseries and gathering of forest products 

0851 Forestry services

0912–0919 Commercial fishing

0971 Hunting and trapping, and game propagation 

4011–4013 Railroads 

4111–4119 Local and suburban transportation 

4121 Taxicabs

4131 Intercity and rural bus transportation 

4141–4142 Bus charter service

4151 School buses

4173 Terminal and service facilities for motor vehicle passenger transportation

4212–4215 Trucking and courier services, except air 

4221–4226 Public warehousing and storage

4231 Terminal and joint terminal maintenance facilities for motor freight transportation 

4311 U.S. Postal Service

4412 Deep sea foreign transportation of freight 

4424 Deep sea domestic transportation of freight 

4432 Freight transportation on the Great Lakes—St. Lawrence Seaway

4449 Water transportation of freight, not elsewhere classified

4481–4489 Water transportation of passengers

4491–4499 Services incidental to water transportation

4512–4513 Air transportation, scheduled, and air courier services

4522 Air transportation, nonscheduled

4581 Airports, flying fields, and airport terminal services

4612–4619 Pipelines, except natural gas

4724–4729 Arrangement of passenger transportation

4731 Arrangement of transportation of freight and cargo

4741 Rental of railroad cars

4783–4789 Miscellaneous services incidental to transportation

4812–4813 Telephone communications

4822 Telegraph and other message communications

4832–4833 Radio and television broadcasting stations

4841 Cable and other pay television services

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
Supplemental Information 45

Commercial—Continued 4899 Communications services, not elsewhere classified

4922–4925 Gas production and distribution

4931–4939 Combination electric and gas, other utility services

4953–4959 Sanitary services, other than sewage systems

4961 Steam and air-conditioning supply

5012–5015 Motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and supplies

5021–5023 Furniture and home furnishings

5031–5039 Lumber and construction materials

5043–5049 Professional and commercial, equipment and supplies

5051–5052 Metals and minerals, except petroleum

5063–5065 Electrical goods

5072–5078 Hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies

5082–5088 Machinery, equipment, and supplies

5091–5099 Miscellaneous durable goods

5111–5113 Paper and paper products

5122 Drugs, drug proprietaries, and druggists' sundries

5131–5139 Apparel, piece goods, and notions

5141–5149 Groceries and related products

5153–5159 Farm-product raw materials

5162–5169 Chemicals and allied products

5171–5172 Petroleum and petroleum products

5181–5182 Beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages

5191–5199 Miscellaneous nondurable goods

5211 Lumber and other building materials dealers

5231 Paint, glass, and wallpaper stores

5251 Hardware stores

5261 Retail nurseries and garden supply stores

5271 Mobile home dealers

5311 Department stores

5331 Variety stores

5399 Miscellaneous general merchandise stores

5411 Grocery stores

5421 Meat and fish (seafood) markets, including freezer provisioners

5431 Fruit and vegetable markets

5441 Candy, nut, and confectionery stores

5451 Dairy products stores

5461 Retail bakeries

5499 Miscellaneous food stores

5511 Motor vehicle dealers (new and used)

5521 Motor vehicle dealers (used only)

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
46 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Commercial—Continued 5531 Auto and home supply stores

5541 Gasoline service stations

5551 Boat dealers

5561 Recreational vehicle dealers

5571 Motorcycle dealers

5599 Automotive dealers, not elsewhere classified

5611 Men's and boys' clothing and accessory stores

5621 Women's clothing stores

5632 Women's accessory and specialty stores

5641 Children's and infants' wear stores

5651 Family clothing stores

5661 Shoe stores

5699 Miscellaneous apparel and accessory stores

5712–5719 Home furniture and furnishing stores

5722 Household appliance stores

5731–5736 Radio, television, consumer electronics, and music stores

5812–5813 Eating and drinking places

5912 Drug stores and proprietary stores

5921 Liquor stores

5932 Used merchandise stores

5941–5949 Miscellaneous shopping goods stores

5961–5963 Nonstore retailers

5983–5989 Fuel dealers

5992–5999 Retail stores, not elsewhere classified

6011–6019 Central Reserve depository institutions

6021–6029 Commercial banks

6035–6036 Savings institutions

6061–6062 Credit unions

6081–6082 Foreign banking and branches and agencies of foreign banks

6091–6099 Functions related to depository banking 

6111 Federal and Federally sponsored credit agencies

6141 Personal credit institutions

6153–6159 Business credit institutions

6162–6163 Mortgage bankers and brokers

6211 Security brokers, dealers, and flotation companies

6221 Commodity contracts brokers and dealers

6231 Security and commodity exchanges

6182–6189 Services allied with the exchange of securities or commodities

6311 Life insurance

6321–6324 Accident and health insurance and medical service plans

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
Supplemental Information 47

Commercial—Continued 6331 Fire, marine, and casualty insurance

6351 Surety insurance

6361 Title insurance

6371 Pension, health, and welfare funds

6399 Insurance carriers, not elsewhere classified

6411 Insurance agents, brokers, and service

6512–6519 Real estate operators (except developers) and lessors

6531 Real estate agents and managers

6541 Title abstract offices

6552–6553 Land subdividers and developers

6712–6719 Holding offices

6722–6726 Investment offices

6732–6733 Trusts

6792–6799 Miscellaneous investing

7011 Hotels and motels

7021 Rooming and boarding houses

7032–7033 Camps and recreational vehicle parks

7041 Organization hotels and lodging houses, on membership basis

7211–7219 Laundry, cleaning, and garment services

7221 Photographic studios, portrait

7231 Beauty shops

7241 Barber shops

7251 Shoe repair shops and shoeshine parlors

7261 Funeral service and crematories

7291–7299 Miscellaneous personal services

7311–7319 Advertising

7322–7323 Consumer credit reporting agencies, mercantile reporting agencies, and adjustment and collection 

agencies

7331–7338 Mailing, reproduction, commercial art and photography, and stenographic services

7342–7349 Services to dwellings and other buildings 

 7352–7359 Miscellaneous equipment rental and leasing

7361–7363 Personnel supply services 

7371–7379 Computer programming, data processing, and other computer related services

 7381–7389 Miscellaneous business services

7513–7519 Automotive rental and leasing, without drivers

7521 Automobile parking

7532–7539 Automotive repair shops

7542–7549 Automotive services, except repair

7622–7629 Electrical repair shops

7631 Watch, clock, and jewelry repair

7641 Re-upholstery and furniture repair

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
48 Guidelines for Preparation of State Water-Use Estimates for 2000

Commercial—Continued 7692–7699 Miscellaneous repair shops and related services

7812–7819 Motion picture production and allied services

7822–7829 Motion picture distribution and allied services

7832–7833 Motion picture theaters

7841 Video tape rental

7911 Dance studios, schools, and halls

7922–7929 Theatrical producers (except motion picture), bands, orchestras, and entertainers

7933 Bowling centers

7941–7948 Commercial sports

7991–7999 Miscellaneous amusement and recreation services

8011 Offices and clinics of doctors of medicine

8021 Offices and clinics of dentists

8031 Offices and clinics of doctors of osteopathy

8041–8049 Offices and clinics of other health practitioners

8051–8059 Nursing and personal care facilities

8062–8069 Hospitals

8071–8072 Medical and dental laboratories

8082 Home health care services

8292–8299 Miscellaneous health and allied services, not elsewhere classified

8111 Legal services

8211 Elementary and secondary schools

8221–8222 Colleges and universities

8231 Libraries

8243–8249 Vocational schools

8299 Schools and educational services, not elsewhere classified

8322 Individual and family social services

8331 Job training and related services

8351 Child day care services

8361 Residential care

8399 Social services, not elsewhere classified

8412 Museums and art galleries

8422 Arboreta and botanical or zoological gardens

8611 Business associations

8621 Professional membership organizations

8631 Labor unions and similar labor organizations

8641 Civic, social, and fraternal associations

8651 Political organizations

8661 Religious organizations

8699 Membership organizations, not elsewhere classified

8711–8713 Engineering, architectural, and surveying services

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued
Supplemental Information 49

Commercial—Continued 8721 Accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping services

8731–8734 Research and testing services

8741–8748 Management and public relations

8999 Services, not elsewhere classified

9111 Executive offices

9121 Legislative bodies

9131 Executive and legislative offices combined

9199 General government, not elsewhere classified

9211 Courts

9221–9229 Public order and safety

9311 Public finance, taxation, and monetary policy

9411 Administration of educational programs

9431 Administration of public health programs

9441 Administration of social, human resource and income maintenance programs

9451 Administration of veterans' affairs, except health and insurance

9511–9512 Administration of environmental quality programs

9531–9532 Housing and urban development

9611 Administration of general economic programs

9621 Regulation and administration of transportation programs

9631 Regulation and administration of communications, electric, gas and other utilities

9641 Regulation of agricultural marketing and commodities

9651 Regulation, licensing, and inspection of miscellaneous commercial sectors 

9661 Space research and technology 

9711 National security

9721 International affairs 

Hydroelectric power 4911 Electric services

Table 3. List of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes by water-use category.

Water-use category SIC code or 

range Description

—Continued