Estimated Withdrawals 

from Principal Aquifers in 

the United States, 2000

By Molly A. Maupin and Nancy L. Barber

Circular 1279

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: 2005

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:

Maupin, M.A., and Barber, N.L., 2005, Estimated withdrawals from principal aquifers in the United States, 2000: 

U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1279, 46 p.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Maupin, Molly A.

Estimated withdrawals from principal aquifers in the United States, 2000 / by Molly A.

Maupin, Nancy L. Barber.

p. cm. -- (U.S. Geological Survey circular ; 1279)

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-607-96780-3

1. Water withdrawals–United States. 2. Water consumption–United States. 3.

Water-supply–United States. I. Barber, Nancy L. II. Title. III. Series.

TD493.M38 2005

333.91'0413'0973–dc22

20055049174
iii

CONTENTS

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

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Purpose and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Sources of Data and Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Climatic Conditions During 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Aquifer terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Principal aquifers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Major lithologic groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Water use by major lithologic group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Water use by category. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Irrigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Public Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Self-Supplied Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Water use from selected principal aquifers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

High Plains Aquifer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Central Valley Aquifer System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Basin and Range Basin-Fill Aquifers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Floridan Aquifer System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Glacial Sand and Gravel Aquifers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

California Coastal Basin Aquifers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Snake River Plain Basaltic-Rock Aquifers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

References cited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
iv

FIGURES

 1. Principal aquifers of the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

 2. Examples of buried parts of principal aquifers of the United States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

 3. Total ground-water withdrawals, by water use, in the United States, 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . 11

 4. Total ground-water withdrawals, by lithologic group, in the United States, 2000 . . . . . . 11

 5. Aquifers that provided most of the total withdrawals for irrigation, publicsupply, and self-supplied industrial water uses in the United States during 2000 . . . . . . 14

 6. Total ground-water withdrawals for irrigation water use, by lithologic group, 

in the United States, 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

 7. Total ground-water withdrawals for public-supply water use, by lithologic group,

in the United States, 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

 8. Total ground-water withdrawals for self-supplied industrial water use, by

lithologic group, in the United States, 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

TABLES

 1. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer, for irrigation, public-supply, and 

self-supplied industrial water uses in the United States, 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, publicsupply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
v

Conversion Factors, Datum, and Abbreviated Water-Quality 

Unit

Multiply By To obtain

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2)

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

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

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).

Abbreviated water-quality unit:

mg/L, milligrams per liter

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Estimated Withdrawals from 

Principal Aquifers in the 

United States, 2000 

By Molly A. Maupin and Nancy L. Barber

Abstract

Fresh ground-water withdrawals from 66 principal

aquifers in the United States were estimated for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water 

uses for the year 2000. Total ground-water withdrawals 

were 76,500 million gallons per day, or 85,800 thousand acre-feet per year for these three uses. Irrigation 

used the largest amount of ground water, 56,900 million gallons per day, followed by public supply with 

16,000 million gallons per day, and self-supplied industrial with 3,570 million gallons per day. These three 

water uses represented 92 percent of the fresh groundwater withdrawals for all uses in the United States, the 

remaining 8 percent included self-supplied domestic, 

aquaculture, livestock, mining, and thermoelectric 

power uses.

Aquifer withdrawals were categorized by five 

lithologic groups: unconsolidated and semiconsolidated

sand and gravel aquifers, carbonate-rock aquifers, igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers, sandstone aquifers, 

and sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers. Withdrawals from aquifers that were not included in one of 

the 66 principal aquifers were reported in an “Other” 

aquifers group. The largest withdrawals in the United 

States were from unconsolidated and semiconsolidated 

sand and gravel aquifers, which accounted for 80 percent of total withdrawals from all aquifers. Carbonaterock aquifers provided 8 percent of the withdrawals, 

and igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers, 6 percent. 

Withdrawals from sandstone aquifers, from sandstone 

and carbonate-rock aquifers, and from the “Other” aquifers category each constituted about 2 percent of the 

total withdrawals reported.

Fifty-five percent of the total withdrawals for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water 

uses were provided by the High Plains aquifer, California Central Valley aquifer system, the Mississippi 

River Valley alluvial aquifer, and the Basin and Range 

basin-fill aquifers. These aquifers provided most of the 

withdrawals for irrigation. The High Plains aquifer was 

the most intensively used aquifer in the United States. 

This aquifer provided 23 percent of the total withdrawals from all aquifers for irrigation, public-supply, 

and self-supplied industrial water uses combined, and 

30 percent of the total withdrawals from all aquifers for 

irrigation.

The primary aquifers used for public supply were 

the glacial sand and gravel aquifers of the Northeastern and North-Central States, the California Coastal 

Basin aquifers, the Floridan aquifer system, the Basin 

and Range basin-fill aquifers, and the Coastal lowlands 

aquifer system along the Gulf Coast. These five aquifers provided 43 percent of the total withdrawals from 

all aquifers for public supply. The glacial sand and 

gravel aquifers, Coastal lowlands aquifer system, 

Floridan aquifer system, and Cambrian-Ordovician 

aquifer system were the primary sources of water for 

self-supplied industrial use; these aquifers provided 

46 percent of the total ground-water withdrawals for 

that use.

How much water is one million 

gallons per day?

One million gallons per day is a rate of flow 

for water. One million gallons, as a volume 

of water, is enough to cover 1 acre of land 

with about 3 feet of water, or fill nearly four 

Olympic-sized swimming pools. Over the 

course of a year, one million gallons per day 

is enough water to cover 1 acre of land to a 

depth of 1,121 feet, or fill 1,442 Olympicsized swimming pools.
2 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000 

INTRODUCTION

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

and reported data about the volumes of water used in homes, 

businesses, industries, and on farms within the United States 

since 1950. These data are compiled in 5-year increments 

and, when combined with other USGS water data, provide 

opportunities to study the effects of human activities on the 

Nation’s water resources, observe trends in water use, and 

address emerging issues such as water availability, especially 

in areas of the Nation where water is scarce.

This report contains a compilation of fresh groundwater withdrawal data for the year 2000 for irrigation, 

public-supply and self-supplied industrial water uses from 

principal aquifers within the United States, Puerto Rico, 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The term withdrawal describes 

how much water is pumped or otherwise removed from an 

aquifer; the term water use describes the manner in which the 

water is used, such as irrigation.

Data for this report were collected concurrently with the 

data that are presented in the report “Estimated Use of Water 

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

The USGS, in cooperation with State and local agencies, 

compiled water-use estimates for 2000 for each county in 

the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 

the U.S. Virgin Islands, and for the principal aquifers in each 

State. County and aquifer water-use estimates and ancillary 

data were entered into a database (the Aggregate Water-Use 

Data System) in each USGS State office and were reviewed 

by the USGS and cooperating agencies. Each USGS study 

chief compiled and analyzed information from various sources, made estimates of missing data, and prepared documentation that identified the sources of water-use information and 

methods used to determine water use for their State. Each 

USGS study chief was responsible for determining the most 

reliable sources of information available for estimating water 

use for their State.

Total ground-water withdrawals for all uses in the United States, estimated by county and reported by Hutson and 

others (2004), included irrigation, public-supply, and selfsupplied industrial, as well as self-supplied domestic, aquaculture, livestock, mining, and thermoelectric power uses. 

Total fresh ground-water withdrawals for all uses in the 

United States were 83,300 Mgal/d, and saline ground-water 

withdrawals during 2000 were 1,260 Mgal/d, or 1.5 percent 

of the total fresh and saline ground-water withdrawals of 

84,500 Mgal/d. Ground water accounted for 21 percent of 

the total water use from all sources.

Fresh ground-water withdrawals by aquifer were estimated only for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied 

industrial water uses for each State. Saline ground-water 

withdrawals were estimated for self-supplied industrial use 

by county but not by aquifer and, thus, are not included

in this report. Only fresh ground-water withdrawals were

estimated for public-supply 

and irrigation use for both 

counties and aquifers. These 

estimates may include water 

that exceeds the common 

threshold of 1,000 mg/L for 

fresh-water. For the remainder of this report, the term 

total withdrawals means total 

withdrawals for irrigation, 

public-supply, and selfsupplied industrial uses only 

(unless otherwise specified). 

Total withdrawals by aquifer, 

and by aquifer and State, are 

described in table 1 and table 2

(back of report), respectively. 

Additional information about 

groundwater withdrawals by

aquifer is available upon inquiry 

to the USGS water-use project 

chiefs, listed for each State at

http://water.usgs.gov/watuse/

Photograph courtesy of Jeff Woody. Used with permission.

Big Springs, Idaho 
Introduction 3

Purpose and Scope

This report summarizes estimates of 

fresh ground-water withdrawals for irrigation, 

public-supply, and self-supplied industrial uses 

from principal aquifers in the United States 

during the year 2000. Data were collected 

for 66 aquifers, most of which are illustrated 

on the USGS principal aquifer map of the 

National Atlas of the United States (U.S. Geological Survey, 2003) and shown in figure 1 

and figure 2. The map is accessible on the web 

at http://nationalatlas.gov/mld/aquifrp.html This 

report is organized into four main sections. 

The first section describes aquifer terminology; 

the second section summarizes total aquifer 

withdrawals by major lithologic group; the 

third section summarizes withdrawals for each 

of the reported water-use categories (irrigation, 

public supply, and self-supplied industrial), 

specifying the aquifers and States that constitute most of the withdrawals for each type of 

use; the fourth section discusses withdrawals 

from the nine principal aquifers that account 

for most of the ground-water withdrawals in 

the United States.

Sources of Data and Methods

The general approach for estimating 

aquifer withdrawals was first to estimate total 

ground-water withdrawals for each category of 

water use at the county level, as were reported 

by Hutson and others (2004). Additional information on the 

methods used to estimate total ground-water withdrawal by 

category can be found in a report by Kenny (2004). Withdrawals may have been derived using site-specific information or estimated using coefficients and ancillary data. The 

next step was to allocate the county withdrawals to the 

principal aquifers in each State. In some parts of the United 

States, only one aquifer is present in a given county, and the 

allocation of a county withdrawal amount is simple. In other 

parts of the United States, multiple aquifers are present and 

may be stacked. This situation requires information on the 

exact location of the water withdrawals, the aquifer extent, 

well depths, and other information to determine how to allocate the withdrawal to the aquifers. Some individual wells 

withdraw water from more than one aquifer, and estimating 

the contribution of each aquifer was problematic. In other 

cases, information on well depth was not available and, 

therefore, the source aquifer was unknown. In cases where 

site-specific information was not available, the best judgment 

of the USGS study chief in that State was used to allocate 

the withdrawals to the appropriate aquifers and integrate 

available ancillary data on aquifer properties. Ancillary 

data included information such as full extent of aquifer, productivity, depth to water, and suitability of water quality for 

the particular water use. Local experts also were consulted 

about aquifer availability and use, and the approach used 

may have varied because of the availability of different information in each State. Staff in each State reviewed aquifer 

withdrawal estimates for completeness and accuracy prior to 

final approval. Withdrawals by category may not agree with 

those reported by Hutson and others because of rounding.

If a principal aquifer underlies more than one State and 

only one State reported withdrawals for that aquifer, the withdrawals are listed in table 2 only for the reporting State. If a 

principal aquifer underlies only one State and no withdrawals were reported, the aquifer is still listed in table 2 for that 

State, but the withdrawals are reported as zero (the Southern 

Nevada volcanic-rock aquifer, which is present only in 

Nevada, was the only such aquifer).

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
4 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000 

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6 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000 

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Washington

Utah

Nevada

Idaho

Oregon

Arizona

Colorado

New

Mexico

California

Wyoming

South

Dakota

North

Dakota Montana

Louisiana

Texas

Missouri

Oklahoma

Tennessee

Arkansas

Kentucky

Ohio

Alabama

Illinois

Iowa

Michigan

Minnesota

Kansas

Indiana

Nebraska

Wisconsin

Pennsylvania

New

Hampshire

Massachusetts

Connecticut

Vermont

Rhode Island

Maine

West

Virginia Maryland

Delaware

New Jersey

New York

Virginia

North

Carolina

South

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Florida

Mississippi

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Figure 2. Examples of buried parts of principal aquifers in the

United States. (Modified from Principal Aquifers 1:5,000,000; 

U.S. Geological Survey, 2003)
Introduction 7

Climatic Conditions During 2000

Climatic conditions affect both water resources (such 

as aquifers) and water withdrawals. Precipitation, in the 

form of rain and snow, recharges aquifers either by direct 

percolation down to the aquifers or by leakage from streams, 

rivers, lakes, and wetlands. When the climate is drier than 

normal, recharge is diminished and water use increases, primarily as a result of additional irrigation needs for crops and 

lawns. The opposing conditions of diminished recharge and 

increased withdrawals stress aquifer systems, especially in 

areas where ground water is not recharged at a sufficient rate 

to sustain water levels in the aquifer.

Precipitation was below normal during 2000 in many 

areas of the Nation, although two northern States were unusually wet. Florida experienced the driest year on record, 

and precipitation in Alabama and Georgia was far below 

normal. Precipitation in the Pacific Northwest also was below normal. In contrast, New York and North Dakota experienced record wet years, and the Great Lakes region was just 

slightly wetter than normal. 

The 2000 drought, measured using the Palmer Drought 

Index (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

2001), peaked at 36 percent of the contiguous United States 

in August but decreased in November to about 6 percent, 

owing to heavy rains late in the year in many of the droughtstricken areas. Summer to early autumn (July to September) 

was the driest such period in 106 years for the United 

States. The drought was most severe in the southern States 

of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and 

South Carolina. Much of the West was in a severe drought, 

including most of Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, 

Utah, and Wyoming, southern California and northern 

Nevada, and eastern Oregon and Washington. Extremely dry 

areas included the States of Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and 

most of Texas. The dry conditions for much of the United 

States in 2000 suggest that ground-water withdrawals may 

have been greater overall than would have occurred in an 

average year.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the USGS study 

chiefs in each State who compiled the data for this report 

and the many State and local agencies that shared data and 

expertise with the USGS. Additional thanks are extended to 

the USGS Regional Water-Use Specialists for their contributions and to Kristin Linsey for her efforts in verifying the 

data and tables. 

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
8 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

AQUIFER TERMINOLOGY

Ground water occurs in permeable rocks and sediments 

called aquifers. An aquifer is defined as 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 (U.S. Geological Survey, 

1999). The permeability of aquifers, or the ease with which 

water can move through the aquifer material, varies widely 

depending on the type of materials that constitute the aquifer. 

Fine-grained material such as clay or silt is less permeable 

than sand and gravel. Crystalline rocks such as granite have 

a very low permeability unless the rocks have been fractured, 

which creates openings through which ground water can 

move or be stored. More permeable aquifers can yield more 

water to wells. However, less permeable aquifers that are 

very thick can be as productive as very permeable but thinner 

aquifers. 

Aquifers are categorized as either confined or unconfined. In a confined aquifer, the ground water is in a geologic 

unit that is overlain by less permeable layers, and the water 

level in a well that is drilled into a confined aquifer is higher 

than the top of the aquifer. In some cases, the water level 

may even be high enough to flow at land surface. In an unconfined or water-table aquifer, the water level is free to rise 

and fall within the aquifer materials. The water level in a 

well that is drilled into an unconfined aquifer is generally at 

the level of the water table.

Aquifers may be combined into aquifer systems, or 

groups of aquifers, either because the aquifers are hydraulically connected or because they have common geologic 

and hydrologic characteristics (U.S. Geological Survey, 

2003). For simplicity of presentation in this report, aquifers 

and aquifer systems collectively are referred to as aquifers, 

though the proper terminology is used for specific aquifer 

and aquifer system names. 

Principal Aquifers

A principal aquifer, as used in this report and in the principal aquifer map of the National Atlas of the United States 

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2003), is defined as a regionally extensive aquifer or aquifer system that has the potential to be 

used as a source of potable water. The aquifers and 

aquifer systems discussed in this report (figure 1,

figure 2) are those defined in the National Atlas, with the 

addition of the following: the intermediate aquifer system 

located in Florida, described in the Ground-Water Atlas of 

the United States, Segment 6 (Miller, 1990, p. 11); the New 

England crystalline-rock aquifers, which are described as 

An aquifer is defined as 

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.
Aquifer Terminology 9

crystalline-rock aquifers in the Ground-Water Atlas of the 

United States, Segment 12 (Olcott, 1995); the Northern Great

Plains aquifer system, which includes three sandstone aquifers from the principal aquifers map (Lower Tertiary aquifers, Upper Cretaceous aquifers, and the Lower Cretaceous 

aquifers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming) and possibly Paleozoic aquifers when they cannot be 

separated; and alluvial aquifers, which include alluvial materials such as stream-valley aquifers not included in another 

named principal aquifer (Roy Sonenshein, U.S. Geological 

Survey, written commun., 2004). 

The principal aquifer list is not all inclusive; aquifers 

were selected to represent those with known areal extent, 

high productivity or use, and national significance. Withdrawals that could not be allocated to one of the 66 principal 

aquifers were included under “Other” aquifers. These withdrawals might be from formations that are not definitively 

correlated with one of the principal aquifers.

In many parts of the United States, principal aquifers 

underlie other aquifers, including other principal aquifers. 

This situation often is referred to as stacked aquifers. Shallow aquifers generally are developed first, if the water quality and productivity are sufficient to meet the needs of the 

intended uses. As ground-water development continues, 

aquifers that are deeper also might be developed. 

Maps such as the National Atlas principal aquifer map 

cannot display the full extent of the aquifers where they are 

covered by other units, so the aquifer may extend over a 

much larger area than is shown. As examples, the full extent 

of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, the Floridan 

aquifer system, and the Northern Great Plains aquifer systems, including where they are buried beneath other aquifers, 

is illustrated in figure 2.

Major Lithologic Groups

Each principal aquifer is classified into one of five lithologic types: 

However, additional lithologies may be present in principal 

aquifers that are listed as one type of lithology. For example, 

a sand and gravel unit may be present in an aquifer that is 

predominantly igneous.

Unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sand and gravel 

aquifers consist of gravel, sand, silt, and clay, possibly 

interbedded with some carbonate rocks. Unconsolidated 

sand and gravel aquifers are of four types: basin-fill aquifers, 

blanket sand and gravel aquifers, glacial-deposit aquifers, 

and alluvial aquifers (U.S. Geological Survey, 2003). Water 

in these aquifers generally is under unconfined conditions. 

Basin-fill aquifers consist of sediments that fill depressions 

formed by faulting or erosion. Blanket aquifers are broad, 

sheetlike sediments that have been deposited by rivers, by 

wind, or in beach or shallow marine environments. Glacial 

deposits also are found in broad areas but were deposited 

by glaciers or by glacial meltwater. Alluvial aquifers are 

present in and near major streams and consist of sediments 

deposited by rivers or streams. These types of aquifers are 

not identified on the principal aquifer map (figure 1), because 

they were too small to map accurately at that scale. In this 

report, the alluvial aquifer category only includes stream-valley aquifers that have not been accounted for as part of other 

principal aquifers. Semiconsolidated sand aquifers underlie 

the Coastal Plains bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf 

of Mexico and generally form a wedge of sediment that 

thickens toward the sea. Most of the water in semiconsolidated sand aquifers is under confined conditions.

Sandstone aquifers generally are more geographically 

extensive than any other type of consolidated rocks and consist of consolidated sandstone where water is stored both in 

the pores between sand grains and in secondary openings 

such as fractures. Water in sandstone aquifers may exist 

under confined and unconfined conditions. 

Sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers are present mostly 

in the eastern half of the Nation, but also occur in Texas and 

in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Montana, Wyoming, and South 

Dakota. They consist of interbedded sandstone and carbonate rocks. The carbonate rocks generally yield more ground 

water than do the sandstone rocks, owing to dissolution and 

larger open-pore space. Water in aquifers of this type may 

exist under confined and unconfined conditions.

Carbonate-rock aquifers generally consist of limestone, though dolomite and marble aquifers exist. Carbonate materials were deposited in marine environments, and 

most carbonate-rock aquifers are found in the central and 

southeastern parts of the United States. Some carbonate-rock 

aquifers store water in intergranular pore spaces, but most 

limestones have secondary pore space, formed by dissolution 

• unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sand and gravel,

• carbonate rock,

• igneous and metamorphic rocks,

• sandstone rock, and

• sandstone and carbonate rocks
10 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

of the rock after it was deposited, and also may have fractures that store and transmit water. Water in carbonate-rock aquifers 

may exist under confined and unconfined conditions.

Igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers are of two general types, basaltic and other volcanic-rock aquifers, and crystallinerock aquifers. Basaltic and other volcanic-rock aquifers have a wide range of hydraulic properties, depending upon the rock type 

and process of deposition. The most productive basaltic aquifers are those that have interflow zones — very permeable zones at 

the top of one flow and the bottom of the overlying flow. Water in crystalline-rock aquifers is present in fractures in the rock and 

in the weathered material that overlies the rock.

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Water Use by Major Lithologic Group 11

WATER USE BY MAJOR LITHOLOGIC GROUP

Fresh ground-water withdrawals for irrigation, 

public-supply and self-supplied industrial uses totaled 

76,500 Mgal/d, or about 92 percent of the total fresh 

ground-water withdrawals for all water uses reported by 

Hutson and others (2004), which also included selfsupplied domestic, aquaculture, livestock, mining, and 

thermoelectric power uses. Of this total, 56,900 Mgal/d

(74 percent) was for irrigation, 16,000 Mgal/d (21 percent) 

was for public supply, and 3,570 Mgal/d (5 percent) was for 

self-supplied industrial uses (figure 3). Total ground-water 

withdrawals by lithologic group are shown in figure 4, and 

total ground-water withdrawals by aquifer, for irrigation, 

public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses are 

listed in table 1. Aquifers that provided most (90 percent) 

of the total withdrawals for irrigation, public-supply, and 

self-supplied industrial water uses in the United States are 

shown in figure 5. 

Most ground water was withdrawn from aquifers 

that consisted of unconsolidated and semiconsolidated 

sand and gravel; this lithology accounted for 61,400 Mgal/d, 

or 80 percent of total withdrawals from all aquifers (figure 4

and table 1). Most of the withdrawals from this lithology 

were from the High Plains aquifer, Central Valley aquifer 

system, Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, and Basin 

and Range basin-fill aquifers, and about 94 percent of the 

water from these aquifers was used for irrigation. They also 

provided 55 percent of the total withdrawals from all aquifers for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses. The sand and gravel aquifers north of the limit 

of Quaternary continental glaciation and east of the Rocky 

Mountains (hereafter referred to as the “glacial sand and 

gravel aquifers”) also are included in this lithology; slightly 

more public-supply withdrawals than irrigation withdrawals 

were reported for the sand and gravel aquifers. Combined, 

the five aquifers listed here provided 75 percent of total 

withdrawals from all of the aquifers in the unconsolidated 

and semiconsolidated sand and gravel lithology. 

Carbonate-rock aquifers provided 8 percent of total 

withdrawals from all aquifers. The largest withdrawals in 

this lithology were from the Floridan aquifer system, which 

accounted for 62 percent of total carbonate-rock aquifer 

withdrawals. The Floridan aquifer system was used primarily for irrigation and public supply.

Igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers provided 

6 percent of total withdrawals from all aquifers. The largest withdrawals in this lithology were from the Snake River 

Plain basaltic-rock aquifer, which accounted for 56 percent 

of the total withdrawals from this lithology. Most of the 

water from this aquifer system was used for irrigation.

Sandstone aquifers provided about 2 percent of total 

withdrawals from all aquifers; 45 percent of the total withWITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

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Carbonate rock

Igneous and metamorphic rocks

Sandstone rock

Sandstone and carbonate rock

Other

Figure 4. Total ground-water withdrawals, by lithologic group, 

in the United States, 2000

Figure 3. Total ground-water withdrawals, by water use, in the 

United States, 2000

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12 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

Table 1. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses in the United 

States, 2000

[Total values have been rounded: No., aquifer number as shown in figure 1 explanation; bold denotes total withdrawals by major lithologic group and category; 

*, not shown in figure 1 explanation.] 

No. Aquifer name

Irrigation Public-supply

Self-supplied

industrial Total

Million gallons per day

Unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sand and gravel 48,800 10,300 2,300 61,400

11 High Plains aquifer 17,000 389 99.2 17,500

10 Central Valley aquifer system 8,910 839 58.9 9,810

13 Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer 9,150 69.8 70.4 9,290

1 Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers 4,550 1,010 63.3 5,620

Gray Glacial sand and gravel aquifers 1,020 1,950 583 3,560

3 California Coastal Basin aquifers 1,760 1,580 106 3,440

18 Coastal lowlands aquifer system 933 1,010 425 2,370

Alluvial aquifers 1,190 456 154 1,800

2 Rio Grande aquifer system 867 240 12.2 1,120

22 Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system 70.2 793 172 1,040

20 Mississippi embayment aquifer system 195 576 175 946

4 Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers 784 71.8 9.28 865

21 Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system 382 340 138 860

15 Surficial aquifer system 364 263 23.1 650

6 Snake River Plain basin-fill aquifers 379 81.4 10.2 471

8 Willamette Lowland basin-fill aquifers 245 98.7 75.5 419

19 Texas coastal uplands aquifer system 188 148 45.0 381

9

Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins aquifer 

system 264 78.4 35.1 378

7 Puget Sound aquifer system 44.9 192 23.4 260

14 Seymour aquifer 162 7.4 0.60 170

5 Columbia Plateau basin-fill aquifers 136 0.00 7.50 143

12 Pecos River Basin alluvial aquifer 109 12.0 2.46 124

17 South Coast aquifer (Puerto Rico) 15.6 25.5 2.15 43.3

16 Unconsolidated-deposit aquifers (Alaska) 0.99 27.8 4.13 33.0

Carbonate rock 2,520 2,750 572 5,840

50 Floridan aquifer system 1,930 1,330 385 3,640

51 Biscayne aquifer 114 698 0.00 812

43 Roswell Basin aquifer system 364 21.1 1.17 386

39 Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers 5.65 177 83.9 267

47 Silurian-Devonian aquifers 27.4 164 54.7 246

44 Ozark Plateaus aquifer system 20.5 131 14.0 165

42 Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers 0.50 71.2 1.92 73.6

55 North Coast Limestone aquifer system (Puerto Rico) 5.71 46.8 6.41 58.9

52 New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers 1.98 35.8 8.64 46.4

45 Blaine aquifer 43.2 0.30 0.69 44.2

54 Castle Hayne aquifer 7.64 23.4 2.07 33.1
Water Use by Major Lithologic Group 13

No. Aquifer name

Irrigation Public-supply

Self-supplied

industrial Total

Million gallons per day

Carbonate rock — Continued

53 Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers 0.35 17.8 11.8 29.9

49 Upper carbonate aquifer 0.35 7.52 1.68 9.55

48 Ordovician aquifers 0.56 4.85 0.38 5.79

46 Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer 1.19 2.38 0.61 4.18

56 Kingshill aquifer (Virgin Islands) 0.00 0.52 0.22 0.74

Igneous and metamorphic rocks 3,830 751 104 4,690

59 Snake River Plain basaltic-rock aquifers 2,520 70.0 14.4 2,610

60 Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers 674 223 35.7 933

58 Pacific Northwest basaltic-rock aquifers 422 48.8 4.21 475

61 Volcanic-rock aquifers (Hawaii) 171 243 14.5 428

57 Southern Nevada volcanic-rock aquifers 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

62 Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers 29.9 92.1 23.6 146

New England crystalline-rock aquifers 11.1 73.6 11.6 96.3

Sandstone 593 1,080 372 2,050

33 Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system 92.4 590 251 932

25 Lower Cretaceous aquifers (IA, KS, MN and NE only) 259 52.9 4.89 317

23 Colorado Plateaus aquifers 81.9 102 13.9 198

31 Pennsylvanian aquifers 5.67 77.7 49.3 132

29 Early Mesozoic basin aquifers 6.42 108 17.1 131

Northern Great Plains aquifer system 66.6 33.0 1.62 101

26 Rush Springs aquifer 49.7 6.20 0.37 56.2

30 New York sandstone aquifers 0.87 34.3 20.8 55.9

32 Marshall aquifer 13.3 35.2 4.66 53.2

24 Denver Basin aquifer system 11.9 16.9 7.44 36.3

27 Central Oklahoma aquifer 5.25 25.6 0.82 31.7

28 Ada-Vamoosa aquifer 0.06 3.99 0.02 4.07

34 Jacobsville aquifer 0.06 2.81 0.14 3.01

37 Upper Tertiary aquifers 0.60 0.92 0.09 1.61

Sandstone and carbonate rocks 584 745 163 1,490

38 Edwards-Trinity aquifer system 282 411 47.2 740

* Intermediate aquifer system (Florida) 292 61.2 0.74 354

40 Mississippian aquifers 6.31 211 67.9 286

39 Valley and Ridge aquifers 0.61 48.9 45.5 95.0

41 Paleozoic aquifers 3.55 13.2 1.32 18.1

Other 683 410 67.8 1,160

TOTAL 56,900 16,000 3,570 76,500

Table 1. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses in the United 

States, , 2000 — Continued
14 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

drawals from all sandstone aquifers were from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system. More than half of the withdrawals from 

sandstone aquifers were used for public supply. 

Sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers provided about another 2 percent of total withdrawals from all aquifers; 73 percent 

of the total withdrawals from aquifers in this lithology were from the Edwards-Trinity and the intermediate aquifer system 

(Florida). Half of the total withdrawals from all sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers were used for public supply.

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

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High Plains aquifer

Central Valley aquifer system

Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

Floridan aquifer system

Glacial sand and gravel aquifers

California Coastal Basin aquifers

Snake River Plain basaltic-rock aquifers

Coastal lowlands aquifer system

Alluvial aquifers (Not shown in figure 1)

Other

Rio Grande aquifer system

Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system

Mississippi embayment aquifer system

Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers

Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system

Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers

Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system

Biscayne aquifer

Edwards-Trinity aquifer system

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Figure 5. Aquifers that provided most of the total withdrawals for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water 

uses in the United States during 2000
Water Use by Category 15

WATER USE BY CATEGORY

Irrigation water use is water that is applied by an irrigation system to sustain plant growth in any agricultural or horticultural practice. It also includes water used for frost protection, application of chemicals, weed control, field preparation, crop cooling, harvesting, dust suppression, leaching of 

salts from the root zone, and water lost in conveyance. Irrigation of golf courses, parks, nurseries, turf farms, cemeteries, 

and other self-supplied landscape-watering uses also are 

considered irrigation water uses. However, water that is provided by a public-supply system for such landscape irrigation 

purposes is included as part of public-supply withdrawals. Irrigation water use includes self-supplied ground-water withdrawals and deliveries from irrigation companies, irrigation 

districts, cooperatives, or governmental entities.

Ground-water withdrawals for irrigation in 2000 

were 56,900 Mgal/d, or 63,800 taf/yr, which accounted for 

74 percent of total withdrawals from all aquifers for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial uses. Unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sand and gravel aquifers 

provided 86 percent of the total irrigation withdrawals from 

all aquifers (figure 6). Igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers provided about 7 percent of the total irrigation withdrawals, and carbonate-rock aquifers provided about 4 percent. 

Sandstone and sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers each 

provided about 1 percent of total irrigation withdrawals.

Four principal aquifers, the High Plains aquifer 

(17,000 Mgal/d), Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer 

(9,150 Mgal/d), Central Valley aquifer system (8,910 Mgal/d),

and the Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers (4,550 Mgal/d), 

provided 70 percent of total irrigation withdrawals. All of 

these aquifers are unconsolidated and semiconsolidated 

sand and gravel aquifers (table 1), and all are located in 

States where significant volumes of ground water are used 

for irrigation (table 2, back of report).

Some States depend on withdrawals from primarily one 

principal aquifer for irrigation; the following is a list of the 

States that accounted for particularly large withdrawals for 

irrigation. Withdrawals of 8,910 Mgal/d from the Central 

Valley aquifer system in California were the largest irrigation 

withdrawals from any single aquifer in any State (table 2). 

This amount represented more than 76 percent of the total

ground-water withdrawals for irrigation in California. Withdrawals of 7,050 Mgal/d from the High Plains aquifer in 

Nebraska ranked second in the Nation. This amount represented 41 percent of total irrigation withdrawals from the 

High Plains aquifer and 95 percent of total ground-water 

withdrawals for irrigation in Nebraska. Irrigation withdrawals from the High Plains aquifer in Texas (5,070 Mgal/d) 

and Kansas (2,830 Mgal/d), which ranked fourth and fifth, 

respectively, and, combined with Nebraska, accounted for 

88 percent of total irrigation withdrawals 

from the High Plains aquifer. Withdrawals of 

6,320 Mgal/d from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer in Arkansas ranked third 

in the Nation and represented 69 percent of 

the total withdrawals for irrigation from that 

aquifer. Withdrawals of 2,680 Mgal/d from 

the Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers in 

Arizona ranked sixth in the Nation and represented 59 percent of the total withdrawals 

from the Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers 

for irrigation.

Aquifers in the igneous and metamorphic-rock lithology are used primarily for 

irrigation purposes in the Pacific Northwest, 

where highly permeable and productive basaltic-rock aquifers predominate. Major aquifers 

in this lithology include the Snake River Plain 

basaltic-rock aquifers and the Columbia 

Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers. The Snake 

Irrigation 56,900 Mgal/d

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

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Unconsolidated and semicon-

 solidated sand and gravel

Carbonate rock

Igneous and metamorphic rocks

Sandstone rock

Sandstone and carbonate rock

Other

Figure 6. Total ground-water withdrawals, by lithologic group, 

for irrigation water use in the United States, 2000
16 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

River Plain basaltic-rock aquifers alone provided 66 percent 

of the total irrigation withdrawals from this lithology. Irrigation withdrawals of 2,490 Mgal/d from the Snake River Plain 

basaltic-rock aquifer in Idaho were the seventh largest in the 

Nation.

The California Coastal Basin aquifers in California 

supplied 1,760 Mgal/d for irrigation, which represented the 

eighth largest withdrawals in the Nation and 15 percent of 

California’s total irrigation withdrawals. The California

Coastal Basin aquifers are located entirely within

California.

Carbonate-rock aquifers vary in extent, productivity, and

suitability of water quality for irrigation uses. Withdrawals 

from the Floridan aquifer system provided 76 percent of the 

total irrigation withdrawals from all aquifers in the carbonaterock lithology. Irrigation withdrawals of 1,460 Mgal/d from 

the Floridan aquifer system in Florida were the ninth largest in the Nation and represented most of the total irrigation 

withdrawals from the Floridan aquifer system. 

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Water Use by Category 17

Public Supply 16,000 Mgal/d

Public-supply water is withdrawn by public and private water systems and delivered to domestic, commercial, 

and other types of customers for their uses. In addition, 

some public-supply water is used for water treatment and 

in wastewater treatment facilities; it may be used for public 

services such as pools, parks, golf courses, and city buildings, or lost through system leaks, unmetered services, and 

maintenance activities. Public-supply facilities include 

water systems that provide water to at least 25 people or 

have a minimum of 15 connections. 

Ground-water withdrawals for public supply in 2000 

were 16,000 Mgal/d, (17,900 taf/yr), which accounted for 

about 21 percent of total withdrawals from all aquifers for 

irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial uses. 

Unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sand and gravel aquifers provided 64 percent of total public-supply withdrawals, or 10,300 Mgal/d (figure 7). Carbonate-rock aquifers 

provided 17 percent, or 2,750 Mgal/d. Sandstone aquifers 

(1,080 Mgal/d), sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers 

(745 Mgal/d) and igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers 

(751 Mgal/d) provided about 7 percent, 5 percent, and 5 percent, respectively.

States with the largest public-supply ground-water 

withdrawals were California, Florida, and Texas. Publicsupply withdrawals of 1,580 Mgal/d from the California 

Coastal Basin aquifers in California were the largest public-supply withdrawals from any aquifer in any single State. 

Withdrawals of 1,160 Mgal/d from the Floridan aquifer system 

in Florida ranked second and accounted for 87 percent of the 

total public-supply withdrawals from that aquifer system. 

Withdrawals of 531 Mgal/d from the Coastal lowlands aquifer 

system in Texas ranked third and accounted for 53 percent of 

the total public-supply withdrawals from that aquifer system.

Within the unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sand 

and gravel lithology, the glacial sand and gravel aquifers are 

the primary aquifers used for public supply. The glacial sand 

and gravel aquifers provided 12 percent (1,950 Mgal/d) of 

the total public-supply withdrawals from all aquifers, more 

than any other aquifer system. They encompass parts or all of 

22 States in the Northeastern and upper Mid-western United 

States (figure 1). The largest withdrawals from these aquifers 

were in Ohio (312 Mgal/d) and Indiana (309 Mgal/d) (table 2). 

Other important unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sand 

and gravel aquifers are the California Coastal Basin aquifers 

(1,580 Mgal/d), Coastal lowlands aquifer system (1,010 Mgal/d),

and the Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers (1,010 Mgal/d). 

Major aquifers in the carbonate-rock lithology are the 

Floridan aquifer system, Biscayne aquifer, Valley and Ridge 

carbonate-rock aquifers, and SilurianDevonian aquifers. Combined, these aquifers supplied 87 percent of all public-supply withdrawals from all 

carbonate-rock aquifers. The Floridan aquifer 

system supplied most of these withdrawals.

Aquifers in the sandstone, sandstone and 

carbonate, and igneous and metamorphic-rock 

lithologies were used much less extensively 

for public-supply water, however a few aquifer 

systems were large public-supply sources in 

two States. The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer 

system supplied more than half of the total 

public-supply withdrawals from all sandstone 

aquifers; most of the withdrawals (209 Mgal/d)

were in Minnesota. The Edwards-Trinity aquifer system supplied more than half of total 

public-supply withdrawals from the sandstone 

and carbonate-rock lithology; almost all of the 

public-supply withdrawals from the EdwardsTrinity aquifer were in Texas (402 Mgal/d). 

The igneous and metamorphic-rock 

lithology is represented primarily by basalticWITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

� ����� ����� ����� ����� ������ ������

Unconsolidated and semicon-

 solidated sand and gravel

Carbonate rock

Igneous and metamorphic rocks

Sandstone rock

Sandstone and carbonate rock

Other

Figure 7. Total ground-water withdrawals, by lithologic group, 

for public-supply water use in the United States, 2000
18 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service

rock aquifers in Western States, but only two aquifers were significant sources of public-supply water. The volcanic-rock aquifers in Hawaii and the Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers accounted for 62 percent of the public-supply withdrawals from this lithology. Nearly all of Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifer withdrawals for 

public supply were in the State of Washington (196 Mgal/d).
Water Use from Selected Principal Aquifers 19

Self-Supplied Industrial 3,570 Mgal/d

Industrial water is used for processing, washing, diluting, or transporting a product; it also may be incorporated 

into a product. Other uses include cooling and sanitation in 

manufacturing facilities. The water may be delivered from a 

public supplier or be self-supplied; however, this report refers only to self-supplied ground-water withdrawals. 

Self-supplied industrial ground-water withdrawals in 

2000 were 3,570 Mgal/d (4,000 taf/yr), which accounted for 

5 percent of the total withdrawals from all aquifers for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial uses. Unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sand and gravel aquifers provided 64 percent of total self-supplied industrial withdrawals. 

Carbonate aquifers provided about 16 percent of the total, 

and sandstone aquifers provided 10 percent. Sandstone and 

carbonate-rock aquifers provided about 5 percent of the total, 

and igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers provided about 

3 percent of the total (figure 8).

The four aquifers that supplied 46 percent of the total 

withdrawals for self-supplied industrial uses were glacial 

sand and gravel aquifers (583 Mgal/d), Coastal lowlands 

aquifer system (425 Mgal/d), Floridan aquifer system 

(385 Mgal/d), and Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system 

(251 Mgal/d) (table 1). Withdrawals in Ohio (101 Mgal/d), 

Indiana (94.9 Mgal/d), and Illinois (91.9 Mgal/d) constituted 

about 50 percent of the self-supplied industrial withdrawals 

from the glacial sand and gravel aquifers (table 2). These 

States ranked sixth, seventh, and eighth in the Nation, respectively, for self-supplied industrial withdrawals. Withdrawals 

of 199 Mgal/d in Louisiana from the Coastal lowlands aquifer system ranked second in the Nation and accounted for 

nearly half of the self-supplied industrial withdrawals from 

that aquifer system. Withdrawals in Georgia (205 Mgal/d) 

and Florida (173 Mgal/d) accounted for nearly all (99 percent) of the total self-supplied industrial withdrawals from 

the Floridan aquifer system. Withdrawals of 134 Mgal/d in 

Iowa from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system ranked 

fourth in the Nation and accounted for 53 percent of the total 

self-supplied industrial withdrawals from that aquifer system.

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

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Unconsolidated and semicon-

 solidated sand and gravel

Carbonate rock

Igneous and metamorphic rocks

Sandstone rock

Sandstone and carbonate rock

Other

Figure 8. Total ground-water withdrawals, by lithologic group, 

for self-supplied industrial water use in the United States, 2000
[This page intentionally left blank]
High Plains Aquifer

Central Valley Aquifer System

Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer

Basin and Range Basin-Fill Aquifers

Floridan Aquifer System

Glacial Sand and Gravel Aquifers

California Coastal Basin Aquifers

Snake River Plain Basaltic-Rock Aquifers

Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System

Water Use from Selected Principal Aquifers
[This page intentionally left blank]
Water Use from Selected Principal Aquifers 23

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24 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

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Water Use from Selected Principal Aquifers 25

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

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Irrigation

Self-supplied industrial

Public supply

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

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6.69

7.27

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3.68

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Irrigation

Public supply

Self-supplied

 industrial

 The Mississippi River Valley alluvial

aquifer underlies a 33,000-mi2 area and is

located mostly within Arkansas, Louisiana,

Mississippi, and Missouri, and to a much

lesser extent in Illinois, Kentucky, and

Tennessee (Renken, 1998). It is composed

of highly permeable layers of Quaternaryage deposits of sand, gravel, silt, and some

clay. 

 Withdrawals of 9,290 Mgal/d (10,400 taf/yr)

from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial

aquifer ranked third in the Nation for total

withdrawals from all aquifers and accounted

for about 12 percent of the total. More than

98 percent of the total withdrawals from the

Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer

were for irrigation (9,150 Mgal/d), almost

70 percent of which was used in Arkansas. 

95° W 90° W

30° N

85° W

35° N

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26 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

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Water Use from Selected Principal Aquifers 27

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Water Use from Selected Principal Aquifers 29

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References Cited 33

Grannemann, N.G., Hunt, R.J., Nicholas, J.R., Reilly, T.E., 

and Winter, T.C., 2000, The importance of ground water in 

the Great Lakes Region: U.S. Geological Survey WaterResources Investigations Report 00 – 4008, 14 p.

Grubb, H.F, 1998, Summary of hydrology of the regional 

aquifer systems, Gulf Coastal Plain, south-central 

United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional 

Paper 1416 – A, 61 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 in 2000: U.S. Geological Survey 

Circular 1268, 46 p., accessed October 5, 2004, at 

http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/2004/circ1268

Kenny, J.F., 2004, Guidelines for preparation of State wateruse estimates for 2000: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 4 – 4A, 49 p., accessed 

January 4, 2005, at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/tm4a4/

McGuire, V.L., Johnson, M.R., Schieffer, R.L., Stanton, J.S., 

Sebree, S.K., and Verstraeten, I.M., 2003, Water in storage 

and approaches to ground-water management, High Plains 

aquifer, 2000: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1243, 

51 p., accessed March 14, 2005, at 

http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/2003/circ1243

Miller, J.A., 1990, Ground water atlas of the United States — 

Segment 6, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina:

U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations 

Atlas 730 – G, 28 p.

Miller, J.A., ed., 2000, Ground-water atlas of the United 

States: U.S. Geological Survey, 404 p.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2001, 

Climate of 2000 – annual review, U.S. summary, 

January 12, 2001: National Climatic Data Center, 

accessed August 4, 2003, at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/

climate/research/2000/ann/us _ summary.html

Olcott, P.G., 1995, Ground-water atlas of the United States — 

Segment 12, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New 

Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont: 

U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations 

Atlas 730 – M, 28 p.

Planert, Michael, and Williams, J.S., 1995, Ground-water 

atlas of the United States — Segment 1, California, 

Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations 

Atlas 730 – B, 28 p.

Renken, R.A., 1998, Ground-water atlas of the United 

States — Segment 5, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi: 

U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations 

Atlas 730 – F, 28 p.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1999, Ground Water: U.S. 

Geological Survey General Interest Publication, 

accessed October 5, 2004, at 

http://capp.water.usgs.gov/GIP/gw_gip/index.html

———2003, Principal aquifers, in National Atlas of the 

United States of America, 1 sheet, accessed October 5, 2004, 

at http://nationalatlas.gov/mld/aquifrp.html

Whitehead, R.L., 1994, Ground water atlas of the United 

States — Segment 7, Idaho, Oregon, Washington: 

U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations 

Atlas 730 – H, 30 p.

Williamson, A.K., Prudic, D.E., and Swain, L.A., 1989, 

Ground-water flow in the Central Valley, California: U.S. 

Geological Survey Professional Paper 1401 – D, 127 p. 

REFERENCES CITED
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Table 2
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Table 2 37

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000

[Total values have been rounded; No., aquifer number as shown in figure 1 explanation; bold denotes totals collected for that particular aquifer, *, not 

shown in figure 1 explanation.]

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

28 Ada-Vamoosa aquifer Oklahoma 4.07 0.06 3.99 0.02

* Alluvial aquifers 1,800 1,190 456 154

Colorado 496 482 5.55 8.77

Kansas 435 327 81.3 27.1

Kentucky 123 0.00 47.1 76.1

Louisiana 6.78 6.62 0.16 0.00

Missouri 176 59.0 106 11.1

Montana 33.6 21.7 11.1 0.77

Nebraska 150 92.2 50.0 7.68

North Dakota 23.2 15.6 4.29 3.25

Ohio 53.0 0.87 39.4 12.8

Oklahoma 128 74.9 49.3 3.55

South Dakota 40.2 24.9 15.1 0.21

Tennessee 2.43 0.03 2.40 0.00

Texas 12.6 12.6 0.01 0.00

Utah 31.6 22.9 8.20 0.47

West Virginia 21.5 0.00 20.8 0.68

Wyoming 67.1 50.4 15.7 1.02

46 Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer Oklahoma 4.18 1.19 2.38 0.61

1 Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers 5,620 4,550 1,010 63.3

Arizona 3,060 2,680 372 7.60

California 637 368 255 14.5

Idaho 131 122 4.39 4.35

Nevada 719 566 148 4.97

New Mexico 181 164 16.6 0.08

Oregon 212 209 3.91 0.00

Utah 679 439 208 31.8

42 Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers 73.6 0.50 71.2 1.92

Idaho 0.77 0.00 0.77 0.00

Nevada 0.50 0.50 0.00 0.00

Utah 72.3 0.00 70.4 1.92
38 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

51 Biscayne aquifer Florida 812 114 698 0.00

45 Blaine aquifer 44.2 43.2 0.30 0.69

Oklahoma 20.4 19.7 0.00 0.69

Texas 23.8 23.5 0.30 0.00

3 California Coastal Basin aquifers California 3,440 1,760 1,580 106

33 Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system 932 92.4 590 251

Illinois 149 3.79 116 29.8

Iowa 195 0.40 61.0 134

Michigan 1.13 0.35 0.64 0.14

Minnesota 271 26.4 209 35.6

Missouri 22.5 3.29 18.7 0.48

Wisconsin 294 58.2 185 50.6

54 Castle Hayne aquifer North Carolina 33.1 7.64 23.4 2.07

27 Central Oklahoma aquifer Oklahoma 31.7 5.25 25.6 0.82

10 Central Valley aquifer system California 9,810 8,910 839 58.9

18 Coastal lowlands aquifer system 2,370 933 1,010 425

Alabama 75.6 5.69 37.4 32.5

Florida 105 13.0 54.4 37.4

Louisiana 1,040 557 280 199

Mississippi 180 1.72 109 69.3

Texas 973 356 531 86.3

23 Colorado Plateaus aquifers 198 81.9 102 13.9

Arizona 88.4 37.6 38.6 12.2

Colorado 23.2 16.9 6.10 0.28

New Mexico 13.5 0.59 12.0 0.95

Utah 49.8 7.23 42.5 0.13

Wyoming 22.7 19.6 2.76 0.38

60 Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers 933 674 223 35.7

Idaho 11.4 2.24 8.15 1.04

Oregon 166 142 19.0 5.06

Washington 756 530 196 29.6

5 Columbia Plateau basin-fill aquifers Washington 143 136 0.00 7.50

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
Table 2 39

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

24 Denver Basin aquifer system Colorado 36.3 11.9 16.9 7.44

29 Early Mesozoic basin aquifers 131 6.42 108 17.1

Connecticut 17.2 3.31 13.4 0.44

Maryland 1.29 0.06 1.21 0.02

Massachusetts 0.02 0.00 0.02 0.00

North Carolina 1.31 1.09 0.22 0.00

New Jersey 67.4 1.62 55.6 10.2

Pennsylvania 41.9 0.25 35.6 6.07

Virginia 2.07 0.09 1.59 0.39

38 Edwards-Trinity aquifer system 740 282 411 47.2

Arkansas 7.54 0.00 7.31 0.23

Oklahoma 4.26 1.96 2.12 0.18

Texas 729 280 402 46.8

50 Floridan aquifer system 3,640 1,930 1,330 385

Alabama 5.91 1.46 2.33 2.15

Florida 2,790 1,460 1,160 173

Georgia 782 436 142 205

South Carolina 57.6 28.5 24.5 4.61

Gray Glacial sand and gravel aquifers 3,560 1,020 1,950 583

Connecticut 14.3 2.62 11.3 0.38

Illinois 413 140 181 91.9

Indiana 455 50.6 309 94.9

Iowa 265 18.0 171 76.6

Kansas 5.09 0.33 4.69 0.07

Maine 19.8 0.31 14.6 4.92

Massachusetts 226 19.7 196 10.7

Michigan 338 106 157 75.7

Minnesota 282 160 104 18.1

Montana 33.9 28.4 5.34 0.11

Nebraska 202 200 2.04 0.01

New Hampshire 30.4 0.37 25.3 4.72

New Jersey 84.4 0.47 80.5 3.37

New York 263 16.4 175 71.6

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
40 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

Gray

Glacial sand and gravel 

 aquifers — Continued North Dakota 76.0 52.6 20.6 2.83

Ohio 421 8.20 312 101

Rhode Island 19.0 0.44 16.7 1.88

South Dakota 118 90.9 26.4 0.17

Vermont 16.6 0.26 14.8 1.55

Wisconsin 273 126 125 22.4

11 High Plains aquifer 17,500 17,000 389 99.2

Colorado 841 837 3.39 0.71

Kansas 2,920 2,830 70.2 17.4

Nebraska 7,270 7,050 191 25.2

New Mexico 522 498 23.1 1.06

Oklahoma 414 400 13.5 0.12

South Dakota 19.2 16.7 2.46 0.00

Texas 5,200 5,080 75.2 52.8

Wyoming 293 281 9.89 1.94

* Intermediate aquifer system (Florida) Florida 354 292 61.2 0.74

34 Jacobsville aquifer Michigan 3.01 0.06 2.81 0.14

56 Kingshill aquifer (Virgin Islands) Virgin Islands 0.74 0.00 0.52 0.22

25 Lower Cretaceous aquifers (IA, KS, MN and NE only) 317 259 52.9 4.89

Iowa 31.4 0.50 28.8 2.12

Kansas 189 184 4.11 1.19

Minnesota 3.18 1.01 2.06 0.11

Nebraska 87.5 73.2 12.8 1.47

32 Marshall aquifer Michigan 53.2 13.3 35.2 4.66

20 Mississippi embayment aquifer system 946 195 576 175

Alabama 9.83 0.31 8.93 0.59

Arkansas 322 184 77.2 61.0

Kentucky 21.1 0.00 10.8 10.3

Louisiana 102 6.26 64.9 30.9

Mississippi 172 0.71 146 25.2

Missouri 10.3 0.00 10.2 0.09

Tennessee 309 3.49 258 46.8

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
Table 2 41

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

13 Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer 9,290 9,150 69.8 70.4

Arkansas 6,370 6,320 40.5 5.74

Louisiana 282 221 7.27 54.3

Mississippi 1,320 1,310 10.4 6.69

Missouri 1,310 1,300 11.7 3.68

Tennessee 1.34 1.34 0.00 0.00

40 Mississippian aquifers 286 6.31 211 67.9

Alabama 42.3 1.64 34.6 6.12

Illinois 4.38 0.00 1.20 3.18

Indiana 2.88 0.37 1.16 1.35

Iowa 7.01 0.47 4.89 1.65

Kentucky 17.4 0.00 9.06 8.30

Maryland 1.08 0.01 1.00 0.07

Missouri 22.5 3.29 18.7 0.48

Ohio 158 0.00 119 38.6

Pennsylvania 5.36 0.06 3.74 1.56

Tennessee 24.1 0.47 17.3 6.35

Virginia 0.07 0.00 0.02 0.05

West Virginia 0.88 0.00 0.69 0.19

* New England crystalline-rock aquifers 96.3 11.1 73.6 11.6

Connecticut 52.1 10.4 38.6 3.09

Maine 19.8 0.31 14.6 4.92

Massachusetts 0.41 0.00 0.41 0.00

New Hampshire 10.0 0.11 7.68 2.22

New York 8.15 0.17 7.40 0.58

Rhode Island 0.60 0.02 0.27 0.31

Vermont 5.25 0.09 4.67 0.49

52 New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers 46.4 1.98 35.8 8.64

Connecticut 3.54 0.63 2.70 0.21

Maine 0.48 0.01 0.42 0.05

New York 40.3 1.34 30.6 8.29

Pennsylvania 2.13 0.00 2.04 0.09

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
42 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

30 New York sandstone aquifers New York 55.9 0.87 34.3 20.8

55

North Coast Limestone aquifer system 

 (Puerto Rico) Puerto Rico 58.9 5.71 46.8 6.41

22 Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system 1,040 70.2 793 172

Delaware 40.4 3.00 29.5 7.89

Maryland 85.4 9.72 66.3 9.34

New Jersey 317 20.3 248 48.3

New York 359 4.28 326 28.3

North Carolina 142 31.4 91.8 18.4

Pennsylvania 2.66 0.00 2.56 0.10

Virginia 90.8 1.46 29.2 60.1

* Northern Great Plains aquifer system 101 66.6 33.0 1.62

Montana 11.0 4.55 5.84 0.58

North Dakota 5.35 1.59 3.42 0.34

South Dakota 6.28 0.95 5.26 0.07

Wyoming 78.6 59.5 18.5 0.63

9

Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane

 Basins aquifer system 378 264 78.4 35.1

Idaho 240 210 30.6 0.30

Montana 92.7 28.3 33.9 30.5

Washington 43.9 25.6 13.9 4.35

48 Ordovician aquifers 5.79 0.56 4.85 0.38

Kentucky 2.32 0.00 1.94 0.38

Tennessee 3.47 0.56 2.91 0.00

Other Other 1,160 683 410 67.8

Alaska 1.66 0.00 1.47 0.19

Arizona 88.2 29.9 58.3 0.00

California 181 89.1 91.4 0.16

Colorado 114 89.4 18.4 6.44

Delaware 2.44 0.14 2.30 0.00

Illinois 10.9 0.00 6.70 4.24

Indiana 0.10 0.00 0.08 0.02

Iowa 0.57 0.06 0.51 0.00

Kansas 89.0 83.4 5.10 0.48

Kentucky 1.24 1.24 0.00 0.00

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
Table 2 43

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

Other Other — Continued Michigan 2.02 0.02 1.59 0.41

Minnesota 4.70 0.00 4.70 0.00

Mississippi 6.33 0.00 6.33 0.00

Nebraska 15.5 4.12 10.3 1.08

Nevada 3.61 0.00 3.29 0.32

New Mexico 83.9 66.5 17.0 0.38

New York 25.2 0.25 9.20 15.8

North Dakota 7.06 2.34 4.28 0.44

Ohio 5.81 0.06 4.35 1.40

Oklahoma 19.3 13.3 5.83 0.17

Pennsylvania 109 0.10 81.0 28.2

Puerto Rico 33.2 14.4 16.2 2.60

South Dakota 1.90 0.00 0.51 1.39

Tennessee 0.05 0.04 0.00 0.01

Texas 310 283 24.1 2.80

Utah 31.7 0.00 31.7 0.01

Wisconsin 7.81 3.65 3.31 0.85

West Virginia 1.72 0.00 1.58 0.14

Wyoming 3.30 2.42 0.63 0.25

44 Ozark Plateaus aquifer system 165 20.5 131 14.0

Arkansas 8.44 1.23 7.16 0.05

Kansas 7.12 0.06 6.77 0.29

Missouri 145 19.2 113 13.4

Oklahoma 4.30 0.00 4.02 0.28

4 Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers 865 784 71.8 9.28

California 367 333 30.6 3.01

Idaho 434 406 26.1 2.26

Oregon 51.8 41.4 7.90 2.52

Washington 12.1 3.42 7.23 1.49

58 Pacific Northwest basaltic-rock aquifers 475 422 48.8 4.21

California 193 188 4.40 0.01

Idaho 108 105 0.00 3.29

Oregon 162 129 31.8 0.91

Utah 3.31 0.00 3.31 0.00

Washington 9.30 0.00 9.30 0.00

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
44 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

41 Paleozoic aquifers 18.1 3.55 13.2 1.32

Minnesota 0.36 0.00 0.36 0.00

South Dakota 9.07 3.40 4.35 1.32

Wyoming 8.66 0.15 8.51 0.00

12 Pecos River Basin alluvial aquifer 124 109 12.0 2.46

New Mexico 3.49 0.11 2.02 1.36

Texas 120 109 10.0 1.10

31 Pennsylvanian aquifers 132 5.67 77.7 49.3

Alabama 5.93 0.33 4.69 0.91

Illinois 1.09 0.00 1.09 0.00

Indiana 0.11 0.00 0.09 0.02

Kentucky 2.04 0.00 2.01 0.03

Maryland 0.24 0.02 0.19 0.03

Michigan 57.3 4.93 44.4 8.05

Ohio 2.65 0.00 2.00 0.65

Pennsylvania 43.6 0.13 12.2 31.3

Tennessee 0.78 0.26 0.52 0.00

Virginia 0.48 0.00 0.48 0.00

West Virginia 18.3 0.00 9.98 8.30

53 Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers 29.9 0.35 17.8 11.8

Maryland 2.92 0.25 0.81 1.86

Pennsylvania 27.0 0.10 17.0 9.93

62 Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers 146 29.9 92.1 23.6

Alabama 0.92 0.00 0.30 0.62

Delaware 0.48 0.19 0.17 0.12

Georgia 27.2 4.26 20.2 2.74

Maryland 4.44 1.22 2.93 0.29

New Jersey 5.72 0.01 5.45 0.26

North Carolina 62.6 23.2 36.4 2.95

Pennsylvania 20.7 0.20 13.20 7.26

South Carolina 9.10 0.00 5.47 3.63

Virginia 14.5 0.81 7.95 5.71

7 Puget Sound aquifer system Washington 260 44.9 192 23.4

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
Table 2 45

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

2 Rio Grande aquifer system 1,120 867 240 12.2

Colorado 723 719 3.39 0.02

New Mexico 311 136 171 3.75

Texas 85.7 11.8 65.5 8.40

43 Roswell Basin aquifer system New Mexico 386 364 21.1 1.17

26 Rush Springs aquifer Oklahoma 56.2 49.7 6.20 0.37

14 Seymour aquifer Texas 170 162 7.40 0.60

47 Silurian-Devonian aquifers 246 27.4 164 54.7

Illinois 55.9 5.77 47.6 2.51

Indiana 41.7 4.53 33.8 3.37

Iowa 49.8 0.99 37.2 11.7

Michigan 30.0 3.99 5.63 20.4

Ohio 35.6 4.79 23.2 7.55

Wisconsin 32.9 7.28 16.5 9.12

59 Snake River Plain basaltic-rock aquifers 2,610 2,520 70.0 14.4

Idaho 2,570 2,490 70.0 14.4

Oregon 32.6 32.6 0.00 0.00

6 Snake River Plain basin-fill aquifers 471 379 81.4 10.2

Idaho 468 379 78.8 10.2

Oregon 2.60 0.00 2.60 0.00

17 South Coast aquifer (Puerto Rico) Puerto Rico 43.3 15.6 25.5 2.15

21 Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system 860 382 340 138

Alabama 141 4.54 127 9.22

Georgia 468 306 91.6 70.4

Mississippi 63.0 0.01 46.6 16.3

South Carolina 188 71.1 74.6 42.6

57 Southern Nevada volcanic-rock aquifers Nevada 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

15 Surficial aquifer system 650 364 263 23.1

Delaware 54.3 32.3 13.1 8.97

Florida 534 304 225 5.47

Maryland 31.0 18.3 8.69 3.98

New Jersey 0.22 0.22 0.00 0.00

North Carolina 18.8 2.50 14.0 2.27

South Carolina 6.04 6.04 0.00 0.00

Virginia 5.65 0.90 2.38 2.37

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
46 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000 

No. Aquifer name State

Total

withdrawals Irrigation Public supply

Self-supplied 

industrial

Million gallons per day

19 Texas coastal uplands aquifer system Texas 381 188 148 45.0

16 Unconsolidated-deposit aquifers (Alaska) Alaska 33.0 0.99 27.8 4.13

49 Upper carbonate aquifer Minnesota 9.55 0.35 7.52 1.68

37 Upper Tertiary aquifers Wyoming 1.61 0.60 0.92 0.09

39 Valley and Ridge aquifers 95.0 0.61 48.9 45.5

Maryland 1.89 0.06 1.79 0.04

New Jersey 1.13 0.05 0.92 0.16

Pennsylvania 45.6 0.37 18.5 26.8

Tennessee 10.4 0.00 10.4 0.00

Virginia 34.2 0.12 15.8 18.3

West Virginia 1.71 0.01 1.47 0.23

39 Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers 267 5.65 177 83.9

Alabama 71.2 0.49 66.5 3.95

Georgia 39.7 3.35 24.4 11.9

Maryland 2.08 0.17 1.64 0.27

New Jersey 12.8 0.12 9.66 3.07

Pennsylvania 69.9 0.16 25.7 44.0

Tennessee 33.0 1.17 28.7 3.19

Virginia 30.8 0.18 13.3 17.4

West Virginia 7.23 0.01 7.08 0.14

61 Volcanic-rock aquifers (Hawaii) Hawaii 428 171 243 14.5

8 Willamette Lowland basin-fill aquifers 419 245 98.7 75.5

Oregon 295 238 53.3 3.60

Washington 124 7.08 45.4 71.9

TOTAL 76,500 56,900 16,000 3,570

Table 2. Total ground-water withdrawals, by aquifer and State, for irrigation, public-supply, and self-supplied industrial water uses, 

2000 — Continued
Introduction 47