U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5241

Prepared in cooperation with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission

Water Use in Arkansas, 2005
Cover photograph. Irrigation well in northeastern Arkansas (photograph by Ralf Montanus, U.S. Geological Survey, 2007).
Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

By Terrance W. Holland

In cooperation with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission

Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5241

U.S. Department of the Interior

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

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Mark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007

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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:

Holland, T.W., 2007, Water use in Arkansas, 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5241, 

32 p.
iii

Contents

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

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

Data-Collection Methods..............................................................................................................................2

Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source..............................................................................3

Public Supply.........................................................................................................................................8

Domestic (self-supplied)....................................................................................................................11

Commerical (self-supplied) ...............................................................................................................12

Industrial (self-supplied)....................................................................................................................13

Mining. ..................................................................................................................................................14

Livestock...............................................................................................................................................16

Aquaculture .........................................................................................................................................17

Irrigation...............................................................................................................................................18

Duck (Hunting) Clubs..........................................................................................................................21

Thermoelectric Power Generation ..................................................................................................22

Changes in Water Use ................................................................................................................................24

Sources of Ground-Water Withdrawals ..................................................................................................25

Summary........................................................................................................................................................29

Selected References...................................................................................................................................30

Glossary.........................................................................................................................................................31

Figures

 1-5. Maps showing :

 1. Major surface-water sources ...............................................................................................2

 2. Counties where selected water-use data are reported at Conservation District

 offices ........................................................................................................................................3

 3. Total water use by county for Arkansas, 2005....................................................................5

 4. Ground-water use by county for Arkansas, 2005...............................................................6

 5. Surface-water use by county for Arkansas, 2005..............................................................7

6-10. Graphs showing:

 6. Total water use in Arkansas by category, 2005 ..................................................................8

 7. Ground-water use in Arkansas by category, 2005.............................................................8

 8. Surface-water use in Arkansas by category, 2005............................................................8

 9. Total ground- and surface-water use compared to irrigation water use in

 Arkansas, 1965-2005.............................................................................................................24

 10. Ground- and surface-water use and population served for public-supply systems

 in Arkansas, 1965-2005.........................................................................................................24

11. Maps showing location of selected major aquifers in Arkansas ..........................................25
iv

Tables

1. Ground water, surface water, and total withdrawals by county for Arkansas, 2005...........4

2. Public supply and per capita water use in Arkansas, 2005 .....................................................9

3. Domestic (self-supplied) water use in Arkansas, 2005...........................................................11

4. Commercial (self-supplied) water use in Arkansas, 2005......................................................12

5. Industrial (self-supplied) water use in Arkansas, 2005...........................................................13

6. Mining water use in Arkansas, 2005..........................................................................................15

7. Livestock water requirements....................................................................................................16

8. Livestock water use in Arkansas, 2005 .....................................................................................16

9. Aquaculture water use in Arkansas, 2005................................................................................17

10. Irrigation water use in Arkansas, 2005......................................................................................19

11. Duck (hunting) clubs water use in Arkansas, 2005 .................................................................21

12. Thermoelectric-power generation water use in Arkansas, 2005 .........................................23

13. Changes in water use for selected categories in Arkansas, 1965-2005..............................24

14. Ground-water use by major aquifers in Arkansas, 2005 ........................................................26

Conversion Factors and Datums

Multiply By To obtain

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft)

cubic meter (m3

) 35.31 cubic foot (ft3)

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

square kilometer (km2

) 247.1 square mile (mi2)

cubic meter per second (m3

/s) 35.31 cubic foot per second (ft3/s)

kilogram (kg) 2.205 pound (lb)

Temperature in degrees Celsius (  ̊C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit ( ̊F) as follows:

 ̊F = (1.8 x  ̊C) + 32

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929).
Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

By Terrance W. Holland

Abstract

The water-use program in Arkansas is a cooperative 

effort between the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission 

and the U.S. Geological Survey to inventory water use. During 2005, the amount of water withdrawn from ground- and 

surface-water sources in Arkansas was estimated to be 11,455 

million gallons per day (Mgal/d). Of this amount, about 7,510 

Mgal/d (66 percent) was from ground-water and about 3,946 

Mgal/d (34 percent) was from surface-water sources. 

Approximately 93 percent of the population (2.6 million 

people) in Arkansas was served by public supply systems during 2005. These systems withdrew approximately 404 Mgal/d. 

Most of the water, 66 percent, was from surface-water sources. 

The statewide average for per-capita residential use from 

public supply systems was 157 gallons per day and increased 

about 35 percent between 1965 and 2005. 

The largest use of water was for irrigation (8,265 

Mgal/d), which accounted for 92 percent (6,942 Mgal/d) of 

the ground water withdrawn in Arkansas and 72 percent of the 

total withdrawals (both ground water and surface water). The 

next largest use category is thermoelectric generation (1,997 

Mgal/d), followed by public supply (404 Mgal/d) and duck 

(hunting) clubs (269 Mgal/d). The withdrawal categories of 

domestic, commercial, industrial, mining, livestock, and aquaculture each withdrew less than 260 Mgal/d.

Introduction

Water is one of Arkansas’ most valuable natural 

resources. Much of the State’s agriculture and industry is 

dependent upon having an adequate supply of quality water. 

The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC) conducts an annual inventory of the ground- and surface-water 

withdrawals in Arkansas in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Data collected during this inventory are 

shared by State and Federal agencies to document the State’s 

total water use and to facilitate planning the most effective use 

of Arkansas’ water resources for the economic and social well 

being of the people of Arkansas and the Nation.

Every 5 years since 1950, the USGS has conducted an 

inventory of water use 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; Hutson and others, 2004). In 1978, the USGS 

initiated the National Water-Use Information Program to 

establish a nationwide water-use database. In 1985, the ANRC 

and the USGS began a water-use program that provides for the 

collection, storage, and dissemination of accurate water-use 

information for Arkansas within a consistent national framework. 

Ground- and surface-water sources are important in 

Arkansas. Major aquifers are present in alluvial deposits and 

in the Cockfield Formation, Cane River Formation, Sparta 

Sand, and Memphis Sand of Claiborne Group; Wilcox Group 

(undifferentiated); Nacatoch Sand; Tokio Formation; Trinity 

Group; and rocks of Paleozoic age (undifferentiated) (Petersen 

and others, 1985). Hereafter, these aquifers are referred to 

as the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, aquifers in 

other alluvial deposits, Cockfield aquifer, Cane River aquifer, 

Sparta-Memphis aquifer, Wilcox aquifer, Claiborne aquifer, 

Nacatoch aquifer, Tokio aquifer, Trinity aquifer, and Paleozoic 

aquifer. Major surface-water sources include the Arkansas, 

Saline, and Ouachita Rivers, and Beaver, Bull Shoals, Maumelle, and Winona Lakes (fig. 1).

This report describes water use in Arkansas based on the 

total withdrawals from ground- and surface-water resources 

by county for 2005. Ten categories of water use are described 

in this report—public supply, domestic (self-supplied), commercial (self-supplied), industrial (self-supplied), mining, 

livestock, aquaculture, irrigation, duck (hunting) clubs, and 

thermoelectric power generation. Water-use trends in Arkansas 

from 1965 to 2005 and sources of ground-water withdrawals 

also are described.
2 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Figure 1. Major surface-water sources.

Beaver

Lake

Bull

Shoals

Lake Norfork

Lake

Lake

Dardanelle

Lake

Conway

Lake

Ouachita

Lake

Hamilton

Lake

Greeson

De Gray

Lake

Lake

Chicot

Millwood

Lake

Lake

Erling

River

Arkansas

River

River

River

River

White

Greers Ferry 

Lake

Arkansas

Blue Mountain

Lake Nimrod Lake

Lake

Maumelle

Lake

Winona

Lake

Catherine

White Oak

Lake

White

Mississippi River

Ouachita

River

Saline

36 ̊

35 ̊

34 ̊

94 ̊ 93 ̊ 92 ̊ 91 ̊

90 ̊

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

Base from U.S. Geological Survey 

digital data, 1:100,000

Data-Collection Methods Figure 1. Major surface-water sources.

Site-specific water-use data for several categories are 

collected and compiled annually by the ANRC in cooperation 

with the USGS. Water users that withdraw 1 acre-foot or more 

of surface water per year or wells with the capability of pumping 50,000 gallons per day (gal/d) or more of ground water are 

required by Arkansas law to report their withdrawals to the 

appropriate reporting agency. Data for the irrigation, livestock, 

aquaculture, and duck (hunting) clubs categories are reported 

through the Conservation District offices in selected counties 

(fig. 2). Water-use data for each of the other categories are 

reported directly to the ANRC. Site-specific water-use data for 

irrigation, livestock, duck (hunting) clubs, public supply, commercial, industrial, mining, and power generation are stored in 

the Arkansas Water-Use Data Base (WUDBS) maintained by 

USGS (http://ar.water.usgs.gov/wateruse.html). Information 

about amounts of water withdrawn, sources of water, how the 

water was used, and how much water was returned is available to water-resources managers and policy makers through 

WUDBS.

Because of incomplete reporting, in some cases it is necessary to supplement these data with data from other sources. 

These sources include public agencies, industries, public utilities, other organizations, and individuals. Principal contributors include the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, 

Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Arkansas 

Department of Health, Arkansas Department of Parks and 

Tourism, Arkansas Electric Cooperative, Arkansas Geological Survey, Arkansas Industrial Development Commission, 

Entergy Arkansas, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, the Cooperative Extension Service, National 

Agricultural Statistics Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Southwest Power Administration, U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service.

 Estimates are made by the USGS based on population 

(U.S. Bureau of Commerce, 2005) and average consumptiveuse rates (Holland, 1987) for water-use categories for which 

data are not available or are incomplete. After sufficient data 

are collected from all available sources, these data are aggregated by county for each water-use category and by aquifer for 

each county.
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 3

Water Use by Category and 

Withdrawals by Source

During 2005, total withdrawals from ground-water and 

surface-water sources in Arkansas were 11,455 Mgal/d (table 

1, most water-use values listed in discussions in rest of report 

are rounded to whole numbers). This is an increase of about 

31 percent from the total of 8,767 Mgal/d withdrawn in 1995 

(Holland, 1999) and about a 4.5 percent increase from that 

used (10,963 Mgal/d) in 2000 (Holland, 2004). Of the total 

withdrawn in 2005, about 66 percent (7,510 Mgal/d) was from 

ground water, and the remaining 34 percent (3,946 Mgal/d) 

was from surface water. The largest total withdrawals generally occurred in eastern Arkansas and in counties along major 

rivers (fig. 3). The five counties with the largest total water use 

are Pope, Arkansas, Poinsett, Cross, and Lonoke, in order of 

decreasing use (table 1). The largest ground-water users were 

in eastern Arkansas (fig. 4). The highest ground-water use 

(682 Mgal/d) occurred in Poinsett County primarily for irrigation (table 1). The highest surface-water use occurred from the 

Arkansas River in Pope County primarily for thermoelectric 

power generation (1,163 Mgal/d) (table 1, fig. 5).

The distribution of total (both ground and surface) water 

use by category (fig. 6) illustrates the dominance of water 

use for irrigation in Arkansas. Irrigation also is the dominant 

category of ground-water use in Arkansas (fig. 7). Duck (hunting) club water use (269 Mgal/d) is the fourth largest category 

in Arkansas. Thermoelectric power generation, followed by 

irrigation, is the dominant category of surface-water use in 

Arkansas (fig. 8). 

BENTON CARROLL BOONE

MARION

BAXTER FULTON

SHARP

RANDOLPH CLAY

GREENE

CRAIGHEAD MISSISSIPPI

POINSETT

CROSS

CRITTENDEN

ST. FRANCIS

LEE

PHILLIPS

DESHA

ARKANSAS

MONROE

WOODRUFF

JACKSON

LAWRENCE

INDEPENDENCE

WHITE

LONOKE PRAIRIE

JEFFERSON

CLEVELAND LINCOLN

DREW

ASHLEY

CHICOT

UNION

BRADLEY

CALHOUN

OUACHITA

DALLAS

HOT SPRING GRANT

SALINE

PULASKI

FAULKNER

CLEBURNE

STONE

IZARD

SEARCY

VAN BUREN

POPE

CONWAY

PERRY

GARLAND

CLARK

NEVADA

COLUMBIA

LAFAYETTE

MILLER

LITTLE RIVER HEMPSTEAD

SEVIER

HOWARD

PIKE

MONTGOMERY

SCOTT

YELL

LOGAN SEBASTIAN

WASHINGTON

CRAWFORD FRANKLIN JOHNSON

NEWTON

MADISON

POLK

EXPLANATION

0 15 30 60 MILES

0 15 30 60 KILOMETERS

94° 92° 91° 93°

36°

35°

34°

36°

90°

Base from the U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 2000, 1:100,000

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 15 

Figure 2. Counties where selected water-use data are reported at Conservation District offices.

Counties with water-use data 

 reported at Conservation 

 District offices

Mississippi River

Figure 2. Counties where selected water-use data are reported at 

Conservation District offices.
4 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Table 1. Ground water, surface water, and total withdrawals by county for Arkansas, 2005.

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground water

(Mgal/d)

Surface water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 509.48 457.64 967.12

Ashley 156.30 75.97 232.27

Baxter 1.95 3.88 5.83

Benton 2.87 438.18 441.05

Boone 1.91 1.19 3.10

Bradley 1.78 0.08 1.86

Calhoun 0.53 0.04 0.57

Carroll 2.87 8.72 11.59

Chicot 249.53 70.39 319.92

Clark 0.51 6.07 6.58

Clay 471.05 10.20 481.25

Cleburne 0.41 8.35 8.76

Cleveland 0.73 0.20 0.93

Columbia 3.64 2.23 5.87

Conway 2.51 16.90 19.41

Craighead 365.03 44.68 409.71

Crawford 0.94 7.61 8.55

Crittenden 159.51 0.97 160.48

Cross 599.29 45.01 644.30

Dallas 1.47 0.03 1.50

Desha 304.34 109.27 413.61

Drew 77.40 13.41 90.81

Faulkner 2.40 14.81 17.21

Franklin 0.40 3.52 3.92

Fulton 1.96 0.48 2.44

Garland 0.32 19.56 19.88

Grant 2.60 0.10 2.70

Greene 223.63 3.90 227.53

Hempstead 4.02 8.34 12.36

Hot Spring 0.27 322.90 323.17

Howard 0.50 5.14 5.64

Independence 41.84 62.74 104.58

Izard 1.79 3.22 5.01

Jackson 383.12 22.58 405.70

Jefferson 279.71 70.27 349.98

Johnson 0.32 5.02 5.34

Lafayette 39.40 1.81 41.21

Lawrence 223.27 32.83 256.10

Lee 266.79 5.41 272.20

County

Ground water

(Mgal/d)

Surface water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Lincoln 182.87 23.53 206.40

Little River 4.43 10.04 14.47

Logan 1.65 4.25 5.90

Lonoke 423.84 110.41 534.25

Madison 1.15 0.98 2.13

Marion 0.83 1.21 2.04

Miller 16.28 110.30 126.58

Mississippi 277.76 2.57 280.33

Monroe 290.04 26.41 316.45

Montgomery 0.70 0.82 1.52

Nevada 0.73 1.36 2.09

Newton 1.17 0.23 1.40

Ouachita 1.08 58.46 59.54

Perry 0.46 14.33 14.79

Phillips 208.51 1.78 210.29

Pike 0.48 1.21 1.69

Poinsett 682.31 90.48 772.79

Polk 1.17 2.39 3.56

Pope 2.09 1,162.81 1,164.90

Prairie 253.58 102.18 355.76

Pulaski 26.39 57.88 84.27

Randolph 102.51 38.88 141.39

Saline 2.29 6.98 9.27

Scott 2.35 0.45 2.80

Searcy 0.29 0.70 0.99

Sebastian 0.94 38.46 39.40

Sevier 1.74 0.82 2.56

Sharp 4.31 0.98 5.29

St. Francis 295.73 18.57 314.30

Stone 0.60 1.84 2.44

Union 15.55 10.65 26.20

Van Buren 0.41 2.60 3.01

Washington 1.35 2.50 3.85

White 48.59 42.93 91.52

Woodruff 267.00 84.47 351.47

Yell 2.37 7.42 9.79

Total 7,509.94 3,945.53 11,455.47
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 5

BENTON CARROLL BOONE

MARION

BAXTER FULTON

SHARP

RANDOLPH CLAY

GREENE

CRAIGHEAD MISSISSIPPI

POINSETT

CROSS

CRITTENDEN

ST. FRANCIS

PHILLIPS

DESHA

ARKANSAS

MONROE

WOODRUFF

JACKSON

LAWRENCE

INDEPENDENCE

WHITE

LONOKE PRAIRIE

JEFFERSON

CLEVELAND LINCOLN

DREW

ASHLEY

CHICOT

UNION

BRADLEY

CALHOUN

OUACHITA

DALLAS

HOT SPRING GRANT

SALINE

PULASKI

FAULKNER

CLEBURNE

STONE

IZARD

SEARCY

VAN BUREN

POPE

CONWAY

PERRY

GARLAND

CLARK

NEVADA

COLUMBIA

LAFAYETTE

MILLER

LITTLE RIVER HEMPSTEAD

SEVIER

HOWARD

PIKE

POLK MONTGOMERY

SCOTT

YELL

LOGAN

SEBASTIAN

WASHINGTON

CRAWFORD FRANKLIN JOHNSON

NEWTON

MADISON

LEE

EXPLANATION

0 15 30 60 MILES

0 15 30 60 KILOMETERS

94° 92° 91° 93°

36°

35°

34°

36°

90°

Base from the U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 2000, 1:100,000

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 15 

Figure 3. Total water use by county for Arkansas, 2005.

Total water use, in million gallons

 per day; > greater than

 0 to 1

 >1 to 10

 > 10 to 100

 > 100 to 1,000

 >1,000 to 2,000

Mississippi River

Figure 3. Total water use by county for Arkansas, 2005.
6 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

BENTON CARROLL BOONE

MARION

BAXTER FULTON

SHARP

RANDOLPH CLAY

GREENE

CRAIGHEAD MISSISSIPPI

POINSETT

CROSS

CRITTENDEN

ST. FRANCIS

PHILLIPS

DESHA

ARKANSAS

MONROE

WOODRUFF

JACKSON

LAWRENCE

INDEPENDENCE

WHITE

LONOKE PRAIRIE

JEFFERSON

CLEVELAND LINCOLN

DREW

ASHLEY

CHICOT

UNION

BRADLEY

CALHOUN

OUACHITA

DALLAS

HOT SPRING GRANT

SALINE

PULASKI

FAULKNER

CLEBURNE

STONE

IZARD

SEARCY

VAN BUREN

POPE

CONWAY

PERRY

GARLAND

CLARK

NEVADA

COLUMBIA

LAFAYETTE

MILLER

LITTLE RIVER HEMPSTEAD

SEVIER

HOWARD

PIKE

POLK MONTGOMERY

SCOTT

YELL

LOGAN

SEBASTIAN

WASHINGTON

CRAWFORD FRANKLIN JOHNSON

NEWTON

MADISON

LEE

EXPLANATION

0 15 30 60 MILES

0 15 30 60 KILOMETERS

94° 92° 91° 93°

36°

35°

34°

36°

90°

Base from the U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 2000, 1:100,000

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 15 

Figure 4. Ground-water use by county for Arkansas, 2005.

Ground-water use, in million gallons

 per day; > greater than

 0 to 1

 >1 to 10

 > 10 to 100

 > 100 to 400

 >400 to 1,200

Mississippi River

Figure 4. Ground-water use by county for Arkansas, 2005.
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 7

BENTON CARROLL BOONE

MARION

BAXTER FULTON

SHARP

RANDOLPH CLAY

GREENE

CRAIGHEAD MISSISSIPPI

POINSETT

CROSS

CRITTENDEN

ST. FRANCIS

PHILLIPS

DESHA

ARKANSAS

MONROE

WOODRUFF

JACKSON

LAWRENCE

INDEPENDENCE

WHITE

LONOKE PRAIRIE

JEFFERSON

CLEVELAND LINCOLN

DREW

ASHLEY

CHICOT

UNION

BRADLEY

CALHOUN

OUACHITA

DALLAS

HOT SPRING GRANT

SALINE

PULASKI

FAULKNER

CLEBURNE

STONE

IZARD

SEARCY

VAN BUREN

POPE

CONWAY

PERRY

GARLAND

CLARK

NEVADA

COLUMBIA

LAFAYETTE

MILLER

LITTLE RIVER HEMPSTEAD

SEVIER

HOWARD

PIKE

POLK MONTGOMERY

SCOTT

YELL

LOGAN

SEBASTIAN

WASHINGTON

CRAWFORD FRANKLIN JOHNSON

NEWTON

MADISON

LEE

EXPLANATION

0 15 30 60 MILES

0 15 30 60 KILOMETERS

94° 92° 91° 93°

36°

35°

34°

36°

90°

Base from the U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 2000, 1:100,000

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 15 

Figure 5. Surface-water use by county for Arkansas, 2005.

Surface-water use, in million gallons

 per day; > greater than

 0 to 1

 >1 to 10

 > 10 to 100

 > 100 to 400

 >400 to 1,200

Mississippi River

Figure 5. Surface-water use by county for Arkansas, 2005.
8 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

WATER USE, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

Public supply

Commercial

Domestic

Industrial

Thermoelectric

Mining

Livestock

Aquaculture

Irrigation

Duck clubs

Figure 6. Total water use in Arkansas by category, 2005. Figure 7. Ground-water use in Arkansas by category, 2005.

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

WATER USE, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

Public supply

Commercial

Domestic

Industrial

Thermoelectric

Mining

Livestock

Aquaculture

Irrigation

Duck clubs

Figure 6. Total water use in Arkansas by category, 2005.

Figure 8. Surface-water use in Arkansas by category, 2005.

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

WATER USE, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

Public supply

Commercial

Industrial

Thermoelectric

Mining

Livestock

Aquaculture

Irrigation

Duck clubs

Figure 8. Surface-water use in Arkansas by category, 2005.

Population served, source of water, water sold to facilities, and 

water purchased from other public supply facilities are available on the ADH web site (Arkansas Department of Health, 

2007). 

Public-supply systems served about 2.6 million people or 

about 93 percent of Arkansas’ population in 2005. Public-supply withdrawals in 2005 in Arkansas were 404 Mgal/d (table 

2; fig. 6); about 66 percent were from surface-water sources. 

Public-supply withdrawals account for about 4 percent of 

the total withdrawals of water in the State for all purposes. 

Ground-water withdrawals for public supply were about 2 

percent of the State’s total ground-water withdrawals for 2005. 

Public-supply surface-water withdrawals were about 7 percent 

of the State’s total surface-water withdrawals.

Benton County had the largest total withdrawals for public supply at 59 Mgal/d during 2005. Jefferson County had the

Figure 7. Ground-water use in Arkansas by category, 2005.

Public Supply

Public supply refers to water withdrawn by public and 

private water suppliers and delivered to multiple users for 

domestic, commercial, industrial, and thermoelectric power 

generation uses. Public supply includes public and private 

systems that furnish water to at least 25 people or have a minimum of 15 service connections.

Data on public-supply withdrawals are obtained from 

ANRC water-use registration reports. ANRC requires all 

public and private suppliers in Arkansas to report their 

annual and monthly withdrawals and deliveries. Site-specific 

data for about 800 public-water suppliers are stored in the 

WUDBS maintained by USGS. Data reporting deficiencies 

are supplemented with information from monthly operation 

reports reported to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). 
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 9

Table 2. Public supply and per capita water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day; gal/d, gallons per day]

Water withdrawals

(Mgal/d)

County

Total population 

served

(thousands)

Ground

water

Surface

water Total

Per capita

water use

(gal/d)

Arkansas 18.07 6.02 0.00 6.02 333

Ashley 21.12 2.12 0.00 2.12 100

Baxter 32.90 0.53 3.67 4.20 128

Benton 181.20 1.10 57.99 59.09 326

Boone 30.34 0.88 0.33 1.21 40

Bradley 11.64 1.22 0.00 1.22 105

Calhoun 4.50 0.40 0.00 0.40 89

Carroll 23.59 0.90 7.71 8.61 365

Chicot 11.03 1.82 0.00 1.82 165

Clark 22.13 0.07 2.82 2.89 131

Clay 16.58 1.42 0.00 1.42 86

Cleburne 24.39 0.08 7.82 7.90 324

Cleveland 8.10 0.54 0.00 0.54 67

Columbia 24.00 1.38 1.96 3.34 139

Conway 18.74 0.00 4.00 4.00 213

Craighead 81.61 13.52 0.00 13.52 166

Crawford 50.36 0.00 5.82 5.82 116

Crittenden 49.88 8.47 0.00 8.47 170

Cross 19.24 2.44 0.00 2.44 127

Dallas 7.26 1.34 0.00 1.34 185

Desha 14.36 2.18 0.00 2.18 152

Drew 17.94 2.78 0.00 2.78 155

Faulkner 91.85 0.52 8.03 8.55 93

Franklin 18.22 0.00 2.89 2.89 159

Fulton 10.95 1.28 0.00 1.28 117

Garland 92.77 0.13 16.55 16.68 180

Grant 15.96 2.03 0.00 2.03 127

Greene 38.87 4.23 0.00 4.23 109

Hempstead 14.65 2.65 0.43 3.08 210

Hot Spring 29.50 0.00 3.64 3.64 123

Howard 14.01 0.01 3.31 3.32 237

Independence 32.83 0.87 5.52 6.39 195

Izard 11.85 1.01 0.00 1.01 85

Jackson 16.01 1.52 0.00 1.52 95

Jefferson 80.38 14.25 0.00 14.25 177

Johnson 24.04 0.00 4.58 4.58 191

Lafayette 5.85 0.92 0.00 0.92 157

Lawrence 17.15 1.61 0.00 1.61 94

Lee 11.42 0.99 0.00 0.99 87
10 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Table 2. Public supply and per capita water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day; gal/d, gallons per day]

Water withdrawals

(Mgal/d)

County

Total population 

served

(thousands)

Ground

water

Surface

water Total

Per capita

water use

(gal/d)

Lincoln 14.26 1.04 0.00 1.04 73

Little River 12.11 0.61 0.95 1.56 129

Logan 13.24 0.00 3.36 3.36 254

Lonoke 54.51 6.49 0.00 6.49 119

Madison 8.27 0.00 0.00 0.00 0

Marion 9.84 0.03 0.91 0.94 96

Miller 35.02 0.25 0.00 0.25 7

Mississippi 47.91 4.05 0.00 4.05 85

Monroe 9.30 1.49 0.00 1.49 160

Montgomery 3.95 0.03 0.48 0.51 129

Nevada 6.79 0.15 0.77 0.92 135

Newton 7.82 0.97 0.00 0.97 124

Ouachita 26.48 0.97 2.81 3.78 143

Perry 6.90 0.01 0.76 0.77 112

Phillips 24.11 3.70 0.00 3.70 153

Pike 8.42 0.05 0.85 0.90 107

Poinsett 23.54 5.12 0.00 5.12 218

Polk 10.87 0.00 1.74 1.74 160

Pope 53.58 0.00 9.58 9.58 179

Prairie 7.11 0.79 0.00 0.79 111

Pulaski 366.46 4.56 44.67 49.23 134

Randolph 13.01 0.33 1.15 1.48 114

Saline 84.77 1.63 5.93 7.56 89

Scott 7.14 1.69 0.00 1.69 237

Searcy 7.14 0.00 0.38 0.38 53

Sebastian 113.04 0.20 38.04 38.24 338

Sevier 13.46 1.15 0.00 1.15 85

Sharp 14.40 3.80 0.00 3.80 264

St. Francis 25.90 5.18 0.00 5.18 200

Stone 11.72 0.02 1.47 1.49 127

Union 36.77 8.44 0.00 8.44 230

Van Buren 16.03 0.00 2.36 2.36 147

Washington 178.36 0.00 0.58 0.58 3

White 63.13 0.75 8.27 9.02 143

Woodruff 7.16 0.96 0.00 0.96 134

Yell 21.39 2.00 4.28 6.28 294

Total 2,579.20 137.69 266.41 404.10 1

157

1

Average per capita use for the State (in gallons per day).
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 11

largest ground-water withdrawals for public supply with 14 

Mgal/d, Benton County had the largest surface-water withdrawals for public supply (from Beaver Lake) with 58 Mgal/d 

during 2005. The statewide average for per capita residential 

use from public supply systems was about 157 gallons per day 

(gal/d). Carroll County had the highest per capita use at 365 

gal/d (table 2).

Domestic (self-supplied)

Domestic water use includes water for household purposes, such as drinking, food preparation, bathing, washing 

clothes and dishes, flushing toilets, and watering lawns and 

gardens. Most water used for domestic purposes in Arkansas is 

provided by public supply. However, about 199,000 people in 

Arkansas (or about 1 percent of the State’s population) (U.S. 

County Population

(in thousands)

Per capita

 use

(gal/d)

Domestic 

use

(Mgal/d)

Grant 1.38 87 0.12

Greene 0.53 94 0.05

Hempstead 8.73 89 0.78

Hot Spring 1.77 91 0.16

Howard 0.54 92 0.05

Independence 1.91 89 0.17

Izard 1.58 88 0.14

Jackson 1.59 88 0.14

Jefferson 1.32 91 0.12

Johnson 0.00 0 0.00

Lafayette 2.17 87 0.19

Lawrence 0.00 0 0.00

Lee 0.12 82 0.01

Lincoln 0.00 0 0.00

Little River 1.12 90 0.10

Logan 9.70 89 0.86

Lonoke 6.15 89 0.55

Madison 6.69 90 0.60

Marion 6.89 89 0.61

Miller 8.14 88 0.72

Mississippi 0.00 0 0.00

Monroe 0.00 0 0.00

Montgomery 5.32 88 0.47

Nevada 2.76 91 0.25

Newton 0.63 95 0.06

Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2005) furnish 

their own water supplies from individual wells; these users are 

considered self supplied. All self-supplied withdrawals were 

assumed to be obtained from ground-water sources. 

The domestic (self-supplied) water use in each county 

was computed by multiplying the population (not served by a 

public-supply system) by a per-capita-use factor (ranging from 

80-97 gal/d per person (Halberg, 1977)) (U.S. Department 

of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). Domestic use in 

Arkansas for 2005 (table 3) was 18 Mgal/d. Logan County, at 

0.86 Mgal/d, had the highest domestic water use in Arkansas 

in 2005.

Table 3. Domestic (self-supplied) water use in Arkansas, 2005.

County Population

(in thousands)

Per capita

 use

(gal/d)

Domestic 

use

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 2.00 90 0.18

Ashley 2.06 88 0.18

Baxter 7.43 89 0.66

Benton 5.74 89 0.51

Boone 5.46 90 0.49

Bradley 0.56 90 0.05

Calhoun 1.09 92 0.10

Carroll 3.41 88 0.30

Chicot 2.00 90 0.18

Clark 0.78 89 0.07

Clay 0.00 0 0.00

Cleburne 1.00 90 0.09

Cleveland 0.80 87 0.07

Columbia 0.70 86 0.06

Conway 2.00 90 0.18

Craighead 5.12 90 0.46

Crawford 7.27 89 0.65

Crittenden 2.00 90 0.18

Cross 0.00 0 0.00

Dallas 1.27 87 0.11

Desha 0.00 0 0.00

Drew 0.75 93 0.07

Faulkner 5.29 89 0.47

Franklin 0.00 0 0.00

Fulton 0.98 92 0.09

Garland 0.78 90 0.07
12 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

County Population

(in thousands)

Per capita

 use

(gal/d)

Domestic 

use

(Mgal/d)

Ouachita 0.62 97 0.06

Perry 3.57 90 0.32

Phillips 0.00 0 0.00

Pike 2.62 88 0.23

Poinsett 1.81 88 0.16

Polk 9.31 89 0.83

Pope 3.00 90 0.27

Prairie 2.00 90 0.18

Pulaski 0.00 0 0.00

Randolph 5.46 90 0.49

Saline 6.41 89 0.57

Scott 4.01 90 0.36

Searcy 0.83 85 0.07

Sebastian 5.71 89 0.51

Sevier 3.00 90 0.27

Sharp 3.00 90 0.27

St. Francis 2.00 90 0.18

Stone 0.00 0 0.00

Union 7.41 89 0.66

Van Buren 0.50 80 0.04

Washington 2.00 90 0.18

White 8.20 89 0.73

Woodruff 0.94 85 0.08

Yell 0.00 0 0.00

Total 199.93 1

89 17.83

1

Average per capita use for the State (in gallons per day).

Commercial (self-supplied)

Commercial water use includes water for motels, hotels, 

restaurants, office buildings, schools, and civilian and military 

institutions. Total commercial (self-supplied) water use in 

Arkansas for 2005 was 27 Mgal/d, of which about 88 percent 

(24 Mgal/d) was from surface-water and about 12 percent 

(3.16 Mgal/d) was from ground-water sources (table 4). The 

largest self-supplied commercial use of water occurred in 

Lawrence County at 7.94 Mgal/d of which 97 percent was 

from surface-water sources. The largest commercial use of 

ground water (Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer) was in 

Clay County (1.97 Mgal/d).

Table 4. Commercial (self-supplied) water use in 

Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surfac

 water

(Mgal/d)

Total 

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 0.18 0.54 0.72

Ashley 0.00 0.00 0.00

Baxter 0.00 0.00 0.00

Benton 0.00 0.15 0.15

Boone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bradley 0.00 0.00 0.00

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00

Carroll 0.10 0.00 0.10

Chicot 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clark 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clay 1.97 0.58 2.55

Cleburne 0.00 0.17 0.17

Cleveland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Columbia 0.00 0.00 0.00

Conway 0.00 0.00 0.00

Craighead 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crawford 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crittenden 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cross 0.00 0.00 0.00

Dallas 0.00 0.00 0.00

Desha 0.00 0.00 0.00

Drew 0.00 1.25 1.25

Faulkner 0.00 0.00 0.00

Franklin 0.00 0.00 0.00

Fulton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Garland 0.00 0.01 0.01

Grant 0.00 0.00 0.00

Greene 0.14 0.00 0.14

Hempstead 0.01 4.82 4.83

Hot Spring 0.00 0.00 0.00

Howard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Independence 0.00 0.00 0.00

Izard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jackson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jefferson 0.00 0.67 0.67

Johnson 0.00 0.02 0.02

Lafayette 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lawrence 0.24 7.70 7.94

Table 3. Domestic (self-supplied) water use in Arkansas,

2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 13

Table 4. Commercial (self-supplied) water use in 

Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surfac

 water

(Mgal/d)

Total 

(Mgal/d)

Lee 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lincoln 0.00 0.00 0.00

Little River 0.06 0.00 0.06

Logan 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lonoke 0.00 0.00 0.00

Madison 0.00 0.00 0.00

Marion 0.00 0.00 0.00

Miller 0.00 0.80 0.80

Mississippi 0.00 0.44 0.44

Monroe 0.00 0.00 0.00

Montgomery 0.00 0.04 0.04

Nevada 0.00 0.00 0.00

Newton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ouachita 0.00 0.00 0.00

Perry 0.00 0.21 0.21

Phillips 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pike 0.00 0.03 0.03

Poinsett 0.19 0.00 0.19

Polk 0.01 0.00 0.01

Pope 0.10 0.05 0.15

Prairie 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pulaski 0.12 0.16 0.28

Randolph 0.00 0.00 0.00

Saline 0.00 0.00 0.00

Scott 0.00 0.00 0.00

Searcy 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sebastian 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sevier 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sharp 0.00 0.00 0.00

St. Francis 0.00 0.90 0.90

Stone 0.01 0.00 0.01

Union 0.00 5.46 5.46

Van Buren 0.00 0.00 0.00

Washington 0.03 0.02 0.05

White 0.00 0.00 0.00

Woodruff 0.00 0.00 0.00

Yell 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total 3.16 24.02 27.18

Industrial (self-supplied)

Industrial water use includes water for such purposes 

as fabrication, processing, washing, and cooling in facilities 

that manufacture products. The paper products and chemical industries are the largest water users in Arkansas. Total 

industrial (self-supplied) water use in Arkansas for 2005 was 

178 Mgal/d, of which about 37 percent (66 Mgal/d) was from 

ground-water and about 63 percent (113 Mgal/d) was from 

surface-water sources (table 5). The largest total water use 

occurred in Ashley County at 59 Mgal/d. The largest ground 

water use (Sparta-Memphis aquifer) occurred in Jefferson 

County (43 Mgal/d) and the largest surface water use occurred 

in Ashley County (53 Mgal/d).

Table 5. Industrial (self-supplied) water use in 

Arkansas, 2005.

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground 

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface 

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ashley 6.20 52.81 59.01

Baxter 0.61 0.00 0.61

Benton 0.00 0.16 0.16

Boone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bradley 0.46 0.00 0.46

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00

Carroll 0.00 0.00 0.00

Chicot 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clark 0.27 0.00 0.27

Clay 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleburne 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleveland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Columbia 2.08 0.09 2.17

Conway 0.00 7.62 7.62

Craighead 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crawford 0.00 0.45 0.45

Crittenden 0.30 0.00 0.30

Cross 0.40 0.00 0.40

Dallas 0.00 0.00 0.00

Desha 3.19 9.92 13.11

Drew 0.00 0.00 0.00

Faulkner 0.00 0.00 0.00

Franklin 0.00 0.00 0.00

Fulton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Garland 0.06 2.35 2.41
14 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

County

Ground 

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface 

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Grant 0.15 0.00 0.15

Greene 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hempstead 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hot Spring 0.00 0.04 0.04

Howard 0.00 1.18 1.18

Independence 0.00 32.61 32.61

Izard 0.00 2.85 2.85

Jackson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jefferson 42.54 0.00 42.54

Johnson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lafayette 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lawrence 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lee 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lincoln 0.00 0.00 0.00

Little River 0.24 1.31 1.55

Logan 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lonoke 0.59 0.00 0.59

Madison 0.00 0.00 0.00

Marion 0.00 0.00 0.00

Miller 0.00 0.00 0.00

Mississippi 2.16 0.00 2.16

Monroe 0.00 0.00 0.00

Montgomery 0.00 0.00 0.00

Nevada 0.17 0.00 0.17

Newton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ouachita 0.00 0.00 0.00

Perry 0.00 0.00 0.00

Phillips 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pike 0.00 0.00 0.00

Poinsett 0.00 0.00 0.00

Polk 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pope 0.00 0.00 0.00

Prairie 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pulaski 0.00 0.00 0.00

Randolph 0.00 0.00 0.00

Saline 0.00 0.34 0.34

Scott 0.00 0.00 0.00

Searcy 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sebastian 0.00 0.00 0.00

County

Ground 

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface 

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Sevier 0.00 0.34 0.34

Sharp 0.00 0.50 0.50

St. Francis 0.00 0.00 0.00

Stone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Union 6.33 0.00 6.33

Van Buren 0.00 0.00 0.00

Washington 0.00 0.00 0.00

White 0.00 0.00 0.00

Woodruff 0.00 0.00 0.00

Yell 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total 65.75 112.57 178.32

Mining

Mining water use includes, in part, water used for coal, 

sand and gravel washing operations, and saline withdrawals 

from oil and natural gas production wells. Total mining water 

use in Arkansas for 2005 was 1.29 Mgal/d, of which about 19 

percent (0.24 Mgal/d) was from ground-water and about 81 

percent (1.05 Mgal/d) was from surface-water sources (table 

6). The largest use of mining water (sand and gravel operations) occurred in Lawrence County at 0.68 Mgal/d of which 

100 percent was from surface-water sources. The largest mining use of ground water (sand and gravel operations) occurred 

in Craighead and Poinsett Counties at 0.08 Mgal/d each. 

Table 5. Industrial (self-supplied) water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 15

County

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ashley 0.00 0.00 0.00

Baxter 0.00 0.00 0.00

Benton 0.00 0.03 0.03

Boone 0.00 0.01 0.01

Bradley 0.00 0.00 0.00

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00

Carroll 0.00 0.00 0.00

Chicot 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clark 0.00 0.01 0.01

Clay 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleburne 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleveland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Columbia 0.00 0.00 0.00

Conway 0.00 0.00 0.00

Craighead 0.08 0.00 0.08

Crawford 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crittenden 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cross 0.00 0.00 0.00

Dallas 0.00 0.00 0.00

Desha 0.00 0.00 0.00

Drew 0.00 0.00 0.00

Faulkner 0.00 0.01 0.01

Franklin 0.00 0.00 0.00

Fulton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Garland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Grant 0.00 0.00 0.00

Greene 0.07 0.00 0.07

Hempstead 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hot Spring 0.00 0.12 0.12

Howard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Independence 0.00 0.00 0.00

Izard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jackson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jefferson 0.01 0.00 0.01

Johnson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lafayette 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lawrence 0.00 0.68 0.68

County

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Lee 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lincoln 0.00 0.00 0.00

Little River 0.00 0.00 0.00

Logan 0.00 0.07 0.07

Lonoke 0.00 0.06 0.06

Madison 0.00 0.00 0.00

Marion 0.00 0.00 0.00

Miller 0.00 0.00 0.00

Mississippi 0.00 0.00 0.00

Monroe 0.00 0.00 0.00

Montgomery 0.00 0.00 0.00

Nevada 0.00 0.00 0.00

Newton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ouachita 0.00 0.00 0.00

Perry 0.00 0.00 0.00

Phillips 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pike 0.00 0.00 0.00

Poinsett 0.08 0.00 0.08

Polk 0.00 0.02 0.02

Pope 0.00 0.00 0.00

Prairie 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pulaski 0.00 0.04 0.04

Randolph 0.00 0.00 0.00

Saline 0.00 0.00 0.00

Scott 0.00 0.00 0.00

Searcy 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sebastian 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sevier 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sharp 0.00 0.00 0.00

St. Francis 0.00 0.00 0.00

Stone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Union 0.00 0.00 0.00

Van Buren 0.00 0.00 0.00

Washington 0.00 0.00 0.00

White 0.00 0.00 0.00

Woodruff 0.00 0.00 0.00

Yell 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total 0.24 1.05 1.29

Table 6. Mining water use in Arkansas, 2005.

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]
16 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Livestock

Livestock water use includes water used for stock watering, feed lots, dairy farming, and other farm needs. Many livestock water users fall below the ANRC threshold for reporting 

either ground water or surface water. Water users that report 

their usage of water for livestock represent a small portion of 

the livestock water users in the State. Therefore, the majority 

of the water use reported for livestock was estimated based on 

water requirements (Holland, 1987; table 7). The data components required for estimation of water use for livestock include 

county livestock population and the appropriate water requirement, or water-use coefficient, for each type of livestock 

produced. Livestock population values for Arkansas for 2005 

were published by county by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Crop Reporting Service web site (U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, 2005). Livestock population was multiplied 

by the water requirement to obtain the livestock water-use 

estimate.

 Total livestock water use in Arkansas for 2005 was 39 

Mgal/d, of which about 40 percent (16 Mgal/d) was from 

ground-water sources and about 60 percent (23 Mgal/d) was 

from surface-water sources (table 8). Consumptive use for 

livestock is considered to be 100 percent of withdrawals. The 

largest use of livestock water was in Benton County at 2.92 

Mgal/d. Washington County was the largest user of ground 

water at 1.14 Mgal/d. Benton County was the largest surface 

water user at 1.80 Mgal/d. 

Table 7. Livestock water requirements.

Livestock

Water required

per animal

(gallons per day)

Dairy cattle 30

Other cattle 15

Hogs 2

Poultry

 Broilers 0.04

 Hens 0.06

 Turkeys 0.08

Table 8. Livestock water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 0.02 0.03 0.05

Ashley 0.03 0.04 0.07

Baxter 0.15 0.21 0.36

Benton 1.12 1.80 2.92

Boone 0.54 0.81 1.35

Bradley 0.05 0.08 0.13

Calhoun 0.02 0.04 0.06

Carroll 0.68 1.01 1.69

Chicot 0.04 0.06 0.10

Clark 0.10 0.16 0.26

Clay 0.06 0.10 0.16

Cleburne 0.24 0.36 0.60

Cleveland 0.12 0.20 0.32

Columbia 0.12 0.18 0.30

Conway 0.39 0.58 0.97

Craighead 0.05 0.07 0.12

Crawford 0.24 0.35 0.59

Crittenden 0.00 0.01 0.01

Cross 0.03 0.04 0.07

Dallas 0.02 0.03 0.05

Desha 0.02 0.03 0.05

Drew 0.07 0.09 0.16

Faulkner 0.30 0.46 0.76

Franklin 0.40 0.60 1.00

Fulton 0.33 0.48 0.81

Garland 0.06 0.08 0.14

Grant 0.07 0.10 0.17

Greene 0.06 0.09 0.15

Hempstead 0.58 0.85 1.43

Hot Spring 0.11 0.17 0.28

Howard 0.44 0.65 1.09

Independence 0.35 0.53 0.88

Izard 0.24 0.37 0.61

Jackson 0.02 0.04 0.06

Jefferson 0.04 0.05 0.09

Johnson 0.29 0.42 0.71

Lafayette 0.26 0.39 0.65

Lawrence 0.17 0.24 0.41

Lee 0.02 0.02 0.04
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 17

Table 8. Livestock water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Lincoln 0.10 0.16 0.26

Little River 0.23 0.35 0.58

Logan 0.51 0.75 1.26

Lonoke 0.12 0.18 0.30

Madison 0.55 0.83 1.38

Marion 0.19 0.30 0.49

Miller 0.21 0.31 0.52

Mississippi 0.00 0.01 0.01

Monroe 0.01 0.01 0.02

Montgomery 0.20 0.29 0.49

Nevada 0.16 0.24 0.40

Newton 0.14 0.22 0.36

Ouachita 0.05 0.07 0.12

Perry 0.13 0.19 0.32

Phillips 0.01 0.01 0.02

Pike 0.18 0.26 0.44

Poinsett 0.02 0.03 0.05

Polk 0.33 0.48 0.81

Pope 0.38 0.57 0.95

Prairie 0.03 0.05 0.08

Pulaski 0.06 0.10 0.16

Randolph 0.23 0.35 0.58

Saline 0.07 0.11 0.18

Scott 0.30 0.45 0.75

Searcy 0.22 0.32 0.54

Sebastian 0.23 0.34 0.57

Sevier 0.32 0.48 0.80

Sharp 0.24 0.37 0.61

St. Francis 0.02 0.02 0.04

Stone 0.25 0.37 0.62

Union 0.12 0.18 0.30

Van Buren 0.16 0.24 0.40

Washington 1.14 1.71 2.85

White 0.39 0.59 0.98

Woodruff 0.01 0.01 0.02

Yell 0.37 0.55 0.92

Total 15.53 23.32 38.85

Aquaculture

Aquaculture water use includes water used for farming 

of organisms that live in water, such as fish, shellfish, and 

algae. Total aquaculture water use in Arkansas for 2005 was 

256 Mgal/d, of which about 96 percent (246 Mgal/d) was from 

ground-water sources and about 4 percent (11 Mgal/d) was 

from surface-water sources (table 9). The largest use of aquacultural water was in Lonoke County at 60 Mgal/d of which 94 

percent was from ground-water sources. The largest aquaculture use of ground water was in Chicot County at 57 Mgal/d 

and the largest use of surface water was in Lonoke County at 

3.36 Mgal/d. Other counties with notable aquaculture water 

use (greater than 20 Mgal/d) were Prairie and Ashley in order 

of decreasing use.

Table 9. Aquaculture water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground

water

(Mga/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 8.26 0.00 8.26

Ashley 22.91 0.11 23.02

Baxter 0.00 0.00 0.00

Benton 0.07 0.00 0.07

Boone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bradley 0.00 0.00 0.00

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00

Carroll 0.00 0.00 0.00

Chicot 56.79 0.90 57.69

Clark 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clay 1.52 0.16 1.68

Cleburne 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleveland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Columbia 0.00 0.00 0.00

Conway 0.00 0.00 0.00

Craighead 0.16 0.00 0.16

Crawford 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crittenden 1.50 0.00 1.50

Cross 0.02 0.03 0.05

Dallas 0.00 0.00 0.00

Desha 9.67 2.61 12.28

Drew 0.03 0.00 0.03

Faulkner 0.00 0.00 0.00

Franklin 0.00 0.00 0.00

Fulton 0.13 0.00 0.13

Garland 0.00 0.00 0.00
18 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

County

Ground

water

(Mga/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Grant 0.00 0.00 0.00

Greene 12.91 0.00 12.91

Hempstead 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hot Spring 0.00 0.00 0.00

Howard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Independence 0.00 0.00 0.00

Izard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jackson 3.40 0.00 3.40

Jefferson 2.03 3.12 5.15

Johnson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lafayette 4.49 0.00 4.49

Lawrence 0.26 0.00 0.26

Lee 3.64 0.00 3.64

Lincoln 3.89 0.00 3.89

Little River 0.00 0.00 0.00

Logan 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lonoke 56.60 3.36 59.96

Madison 0.00 0.02 0.02

Marion 0.00 0.00 0.00

Miller 0.35 0.00 0.35

Mississippi 0.98 0.00 0.98

Monroe 13.38 0.02 13.40

Montgomery 0.00 0.00 0.00

Nevada 0.00 0.00 0.00

Newton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ouachita 0.00 0.00 0.00

Perry 0.00 0.00 0.00

Phillips 0.02 0.00 0.02

Pike 0.01 0.00 0.01

Poinsett 4.72 0.09 4.81

Polk 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pope 0.00 0.00 0.00

Prairie 32.89 0.15 33.04

Pulaski 0.09 0.01 0.10

Randolph 0.00 0.00 0.00

Saline 0.00 0.00 0.00

Scott 0.00 0.00 0.00

Searcy 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sebastian 0.00 0.00 0.00

County

Ground

water

(Mga/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Sevier 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sharp 0.00 0.00 0.00

St. Francis 2.33 0.03 2.36

Stone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Union 0.00 0.00 0.00

Van Buren 0.00 0.00 0.00

Washington 0.00 0.00 0.00

White 0.27 0.04 0.31

Woodruff 2.50 0.00 2.50

Yell 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total 245.82 10.65 256.47

Irrigation

Irrigation water use includes water applied on lands to 

assist in the growing of crops and pastures or to maintain 

vegetative growth in recreational lands, such as parks and golf 

courses according to the ANRC. The major crops irrigated in 

Arkansas (in descending order of water use) are rice, soybeans, cotton, corn, and milo. During 2005 there were nearly 

4.73 million acres of irrigated land reported to ANRC for 

Arkansas. Rice totaled 1.73 million acres or about 35 percent 

of the total land irrigated in the State. The primary types of 

irrigation were flood, furrow, and to a lesser extent, microirrigation. Irrigation water use accounted for 92 percent (6,942 

Mgal/d) of the ground water withdrawn in Arkansas (table 10) 

and 72 percent (8,265 Mgal/d) of the total withdrawals.

Irrigation water use totaled 8,265 Mgal/d, of which about 

84 percent (6,942 Mgal/d) was from ground-water sources 

and about 16 percent (1,323 Mgal/d) was from surface-water 

sources (table 10). Water used for the growing of rice totaled 

4,583 Mgal/d or about 40 percent of the total water used in 

Arkansas during 2005. The largest use of water for irrigation 

was Arkansas County with 836 Mgal/d, of which about 56 percent (470 Mgal/d) was from ground-water sources and about 

44 percent (366 Mgal/d) was from surface-water sources. 

Other counties with notable total irrigation water use (greater 

than 400 Mgal/d) were Poinsett, Cross, Clay, and Lonoke, in 

order of decreasing use (table 10).

Table 9. Aquaculture water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 19

Table 10. Irrigation water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

Water withdrawals

 (Mgal/d)

Irrigated land

(thousand acres)

County

Ground

water

Surface

water Total

Microirrigation Sprinkler Surface Total

Arkansas 470.15 366.29 836.44 16.99 0.45 391.26 408.70

Ashley 124.86 12.86 137.72 0.01 0.13 105.20 105.34

Baxter 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Benton 0.07 0.08 0.15 0.13 0.09 0.10 0.32

Boone 0.00 0.04 0.04 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.06

Bradley 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Calhoun 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.02

Carroll 0.89 0.00 0.89 12.50 0.00 0.00 12.50

Chicot 190.70 69.43 260.13 3.97 26.59 142.43 172.99

Clark 0.00 3.05 3.05 1.33 0.00 1.12 2.45

Clay 466.08 9.36 475.44 0.77 10.00 189.77 200.54

Cleburne 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleveland 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Columbia 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Conway 1.94 4.70 6.64 0.15 1.43 5.58 7.16

Craighead 350.76 44.23 394.99 0.00 7.55 250.44 257.99

Crawford 0.05 0.99 1.04 1.43 1.39 0.70 3.52

Crittenden 148.94 0.96 149.90 0.73 59.06 62.29 122.08

Cross 596.40 44.56 640.96 0.61 8.41 228.69 237.71

Dallas 0 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Desha 284.37 87.75 372.12 0.39 2.49 214.30 217.18

Drew 74.25 12.07 86.32 0.01 0.10 54.79 54.90

Faulkner 1.11 6.31 7.42 0.20 0.05 3.83 4.08

Franklin 0.00 0.03 0.03 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.10

Fulton 0.13 0.00 0.13 0.00 0.00 0.18 0.18

Garland 0.00 0.57 0.57 0.00 0.02 0.10 0.12

Grant 0.23 0.00 0.23 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.09

Greene 206.17 3.81 209.98 0.00 6.11 142.27 148.38

Hempstead 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hot Spring 0.00 6.86 6.86 0.00 0.00 3.01 3.01

Howard 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Independence 40.43 14.97 55.40 0.47 6.45 22.56 29.48

Izard 0.40 0.00 0.40 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.20

Jackson 369.86 17.54 387.40 8.25 19.75 189.57 217.57

Jefferson 215.58 43.01 258.59 0.55 4.13 171.84 176.52

Johnson 0.03 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.01 0.58 0.59

Lafayette 28.42 1.01 29.43 0.16 2.73 18.31 21.20

Lawrence 220.77 24.21 244.98 0.05 1.26 134.94 136.25
20 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Table 10. Irrigation water use in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

Water withdrawals

 (Mgal/d)

Irrigated land

(thousand acres)

County

Ground

water

Surface

water Total

Microirrigation Sprinkler Surface Total

Lee 254.71 4.85 259.56 3.33 27.84 132.47 163.64

Lincoln 177.81 23.34 201.15 1.35 0.00 112.37 113.72

Little River 3.19 5.15 8.34 0.20 0.00 5.40 5.60

Logan 0.28 0.07 0.35 0.00 0.00 0.60 0.60

Lonoke 355.84 103.56 459.40 1.94 2.21 264.50 268.65

Madison 0.00 0.13 0.13 0.04 0.08 0.02 0.14

Marion 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Miller 9.75 67.99 77.74 0.24 2.78 30.78 33.80

Mississippi 270.57 2.12 272.69 7.23 126.22 119.11 252.56

Monroe 269.62 22.56 292.18 0.26 1.59 166.31 168.16

Montgomery 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.01

Nevada 0.00 0.35 0.35 0.00 0.14 0.14 0.28

Newton 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ouachita 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Perry 0.00 13.17 13.17 0.67 1.45 2.46 4.58

Phillips 204.31 1.77 206.08 8.57 75.55 96.18 180.30

Pike 0.01 0.07 0.08 0.01 0.08 0.00 0.09

Poinsett 671.27 83.69 754.96 6.45 33.02 287.03 326.50

Polk 0.00 0.15 0.15 0.00 0.17 0.00 0.17

Pope 1.34 0.61 1.95 0.12 0.24 1.21 1.57

Prairie 218.68 89.64 308.32 3.77 0.85 200.80 205.42

Pulaski 20.76 12.61 33.37 0.09 2.67 22.79 25.55

Randolph 101.46 37.38 138.84 0.77 0.29 59.20 60.26

Saline 0.02 0.60 0.62 0.10 0.29 0.00 0.39

Scott 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Searcy 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sebastian 0.00 0.08 0.08 0.00 0.01 0.06 0.07

Sevier 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01

Sharp 0.00 0.11 0.11 0.13 0.04 0.07 0.24

St. Francis 285.34 17.34 302.68 0.00 29.97 135.93 165.90

Stone 0.32 0.00 0.32 0.00 0.22 0.06 0.28

Union 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Van Buren 0.21 0.00 0.21 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.12

Washington 0.00 0.19 0.19 0.06 0.12 0.04 0.22

White 41.57 33.84 75.41 0.40 2.93 37.32 40.65

Woodruff 262.50 24.60 287.10 0.25 15.37 152.61 168.23

Yell 0.00 2.59 2.59 0.00 0.00 1.08 1.08

Total 6,942.16 1,323.27 8,265.12 84.85 482.36 4,162.81 4,730.02 
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 21

Duck (Hunting) Clubs

Duck (hunting) clubs are for the restricted use of their 

members and their guests. Both ground and surface water are 

applied to fill open fields or large bayous or ponds with water 

to attract migratory waterfowl for the purpose of hunting. 

Until recently (2003), duck (hunting) club water use had been 

included in the irrigation category. Water-use accounting by 

duck clubs is important because duck hunting season (usually 

between October and January) is when the greatest groundwater recharge occurs. Total duck (hunting) club water use in 

Arkansas for 2005 was 269 Mgal/d, of which about 30 percent 

(81 Mgal/d) was from ground-water and about 70 percent (188 

Mgal/d) was from surface-water sources (table 11). The largest 

use of water for duck (hunting) clubs was in Arkansas County 

at 115 Mgal/d of which 79 percent (91 Mgal/d) was from 

surface-water sources and 21 percent (25 Mgal/d) was from 

ground-water sources. Other counties with substantial duck 

(hunting) club water use (greater than 10 Mgal/d) were Miller, 

Desha, Prairie, Jackson, and Jefferson, in order of decreasing 

use.

Table 11. Duck (hunting) clubs water use in Arkansas, 

2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground 

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

 water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 24.67 90.78 115.45

Ashley 0.00 0.00 0.00

Baxter 0.00 0.00 0.00

Benton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Boone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bradley 0.00 0.00 0.00

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00

Carroll 0.00 0.00 0.00

Chicot 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clark 0.00 0.03 0.03

Clay 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleburne 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleveland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Columbia 0.00 0.00 0.00

Conway 0.00 0.00 0.00

Craighead 0.00 0.38 0.38

Crawford 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crittenden 0.12 0.00 0.12

Cross 0.00 0.38 0.38

Dallas 0.31 0.00 0.31

Desha 4.91 8.96 13.87

Table 11. Duck (hunting) clubs water use in Arkansas, 

2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground 

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

 water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Drew 0.20 0.00 0.20

Faulkner 0.00 0.00 0.00

Franklin 0.00 0.00 0.00

Fulton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Garland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Grant 0.00 0.00 0.00

Greene 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hempstead 0.00 2.24 2.24

Hot Spring 0.00 0.43 0.43

Howard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Independence 0.02 0.45 0.47

Izard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jackson 8.18 5.00 13.18

Jefferson 5.14 7.91 13.05

Johnson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lafayette 4.62 0.41 5.03

Lawrence 0.22 0.00 0.22

Lee 7.42 0.54 7.96

Lincoln 0.03 0.03 0.06

Little River 0.00 2.28 2.28

Logan 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lonoke 3.65 3.25 6.90

Madison 0.00 0.00 0.00

Marion 0.00 0.00 0.00

Miller 5.00 41.20 46.20

Mississippi 0.00 0.00 0.00

Monroe 5.54 3.82 9.36

Montgomery 0.00 0.00 0.00

Nevada 0.00 0.00 0.00

Newton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ouachita 0.00 0.00 0.00

Perry 0.00 0.00 0.00

Phillips 0.04 0.00 0.04

Pike 0.00 0.00 0.00

Poinsett 0.75 6.67 7.42

Polk 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pope 0.00 0.00 0.00

Prairie 1.01 12.34 13.35
22 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Table 11. Duck (hunting) clubs water use in Arkansas, 

2005.—Continued

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Ground 

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

 water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Pulaski 0.80 0.09 0.89

Randolph 0.00 0.00 0.00

Saline 0.00 0.00 0.00

Scott 0.00 0.00 0.00

Searcy 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sebastian 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sevier 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sharp 0.00 0.00 0.00

St Francis 2.68 0.28 2.96

Stone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Union 0.00 0.00 0.00

Van Buren 0.00 0.00 0.00

Washington 0.00 0.00 0.00

White 4.88 0.19 5.07

Woodruff 0.95 0.27 1.22

Yell 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total 81.14 187.93 269.07

Thermoelectric Power Generation

Water is used in the process of the generation of thermoelectric power for boiler makeup, cooling, and domestic purposes. Surface water generally is diverted for “once 

through” cooling and then returned to a stream. Total thermoelectric power generation water use in Arkansas for 2005 was 

1,997 Mgal/d of which more than 99 percent (1,996 Mgal/d) 

was from surface-water sources and less than 1 percent (0.93 

Mgal/d) was from ground-water sources (table 12). Water used 

for thermoelectric power generation was about 17 percent of 

the total water used in Arkansas during 2005 and 51 percent of 

the total surface water used. About 58 percent (1,152 Mgal/d) 

of the water used in this category was used for cooling at a 

nuclear power plant in Pope County. About 98 percent (1,957 

Mgal/d) of the water used in this category was used in Pope 

(Lake Dardanelle), Benton, Hot Spring (Lake Catherine and 

Ouachita River), Woodruff (White River), and Ouachita 

(Ouachita River) Counties, in order of decreasing use.
Water Use by Category and Withdrawals by Source 23

County Ground water

(Mgal/d)

Surface water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Arkansas 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ashley 0.00 10.15 10.15

Baxter 0.00 0.00 0.00

Benton 0.00 377.97 377.97

Boone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bradley 0.00 0.00 0.00

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00

Carroll 0.00 0.00 0.00

Chicot 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clark 0.00 0.00 0.00

Clay 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleburne 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cleveland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Columbia 0.00 0.00 0.00

Conway 0.00 0.00 0.00

Craighead 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crawford 0.00 0.00 0.00

Crittenden 0.00 0.00 0.00

Cross 0.00 0.00 0.00

Dallas 0.00 0.00 0.00

Desha 0.00 0.00 0.00

Drew 0.00 0.00 0.00

Faulkner 0.00 0.00 0.00

Franklin 0.00 0.00 0.00

Fulton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Garland 0.00 0.00 0.00

Grant 0.00 0.00 0.00

Greene 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hempstead 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hot Spring 0.00 311.64 311.64

Howard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Independence 0.00 8.66 8.66

Izard 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jackson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jefferson 0.00 15.51 15.51

Johnson 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lafayette 0.50 0.00 0.50

Lawrence 0.00 0.00 0.00

County Ground water

(Mgal/d)

Surface water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

Lee 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lincoln 0.00 0.00 0.00

Little River 0.00 0.00 0.00

Logan 0.00 0.00 0.00

Lonoke 0.00 0.00 0.00

Madison 0.00 0.00 0.00

Marion 0.00 0.00 0.00

Miller 0.00 0.00 0.00

Mississippi 0.00 0.00 0.00

Monroe 0.00 0.00 0.00

Montgomery 0.00 0.00 0.00

Nevada 0.00 0.00 0.00

Newton 0.00 0.00 0.00

Ouachita 0.00 55.58 55.58

Perry 0.00 0.00 0.00

Phillips 0.43 0.00 0.43

Pike 0.00 0.00 0.00

Poinsett 0.00 0.00 0.00

Polk 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pope 0.00 1,152.00 1,152.00

Prairie 0.00 0.00 0.00

Pulaski 0.00 0.20 0.20

Randolph 0.00 0.00 0.00

Saline 0.00 0.00 0.00

Scott 0.00 0.00 0.00

Searcy 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sebastian 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sevier 0.00 0.00 0.00

Sharp 0.00 0.00 0.00

St. Francis 0.00 0.00 0.00

Stone 0.00 0.00 0.00

Union 0.00 5.01 5.01

Van Buren 0.00 0.00 0.00

Washington 0.00 0.00 0.00

White 0.00 0.00 0.00

Woodruff 0.00 59.59 59.59

Yell 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total 0.93 1,996.31 1,997.24

Table 12. Thermoelectric-power generation water use in Arkansas, 2005.
24 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Changes in Water Use, 1965-2005

Total water use in Arkansas has increased about 435 

percent between 1965 and 2005 (table 13). Total groundwater use in Arkansas between 1965 and 2005 has increased 

from 1,231 to 7,510 Mgal/d, an increase of about 510 percent. Total surface-water use in Arkansas between 1965 and 

2005 increased from 911 to 3,945 Mgal/d, an increase of 333 

percent. Ground-water irrigation use between 1965 and 2005 

increased from 949 to 6,942 Mgal/d, an increase of about 632 

percent. Surface-water irrigation use between 1965 and 2005 

Figure 10. Ground- and surface-water use and population served 

for public-supply systems in Arkansas, 1965-2005.

Figure 9. Total ground- and surface-water use compared to 

irrigation water use in Arkansas, 1965-2005.

increased from 211 to 1,323 Mgal/d, an increase of about 527 

percent (table 13, fig. 9). Public supply water use between 

1965 and 2005 increased from 127 to 404 Mgal/d, an increase 

of 218 percent (table 13). As the population served by public 

supply (Arkansas Department of Health, 2007) between 1965 

and 2005 increased 36 percent from approximately 1.9 to 2.6 

million people (fig. 10), the per capita use of public supply 

water increased about 35 percent from approximately 116 to 

157 gal/d. 

Table 13. Changes in water use for selected categories in Arkansas, 1965-2005.

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

Irrigation Public supply Total

Year

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Population

served

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Per capita 

use

(gallon/

day/person)

Ground

water

(Mgal/d)

Surface

water

(Mgal/d)

Total

(Mgal/d)

1965 949 211 1,900,000 54 73 116 1,231 911 2,142

1970 1,064 229 1,920,000 71 95 135 1,530 1,531 3,061

1975 2,094 346 2,116,000 89 118 180 2,596 2,468 5,064

1980 3,484 597 2,283,733 110 153 155 4,053 2,166 6,219

1985 3,330 541 2,358,000 104 156 153 3,810 2,041 5,851

1990 4,296 949 2,353,000 119 190 173 4,708 3,128 7,836

1995 4,925 1,013 2,484,000 135 246 191 5,456 3,311 8,767

2000 6,506 1,407 2,322,520 138 289 181 6,952 4,011 10,963

2005 6,942 1,323 2,579,200 138 266 157 7,510 3,945 11,455

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

WATER USE, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

POPULATION, IN MILLIONS

Ground water

Surface water

Population

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

WATER USE, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Total ground water

Total surface water

Ground-water irrigation

Surface-water irrigation
Sources of Ground-Water Withdrawals 25

Sources of Ground-Water Withdrawals

Ground-water withdrawals comprised about 66 percent 

(7,510 Mgal/d) of the total amount of water used in Arkansas 

in 2005 (table 13). About 98 percent (7,349 Mgal/d) of the 

water was withdrawn from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer (table 14) and the Sparta-Memphis aquifer (table 

14, fig. 11).

The Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer supplied 

about 96 percent (7,180 Mgal/d) of all ground water used in 

Arkansas in 2005 (table 14). Poinsett, Cross, and Arkansas 

were the counties with the most use from the Mississippi River 

Valley alluvial aquifer.

Figure 11. Location of selected major aquifers in Arkansas.

The Sparta-Memphis aquifer supplied about 2 percent 

of the ground water used in Arkansas, mostly by industry and 

public-supply systems in eastern and southern Arkansas. The 

counties with the highest use from the Sparta-Memphis aquifer 

are Jefferson and Arkansas Counties using about 51 percent of 

the total water withdrawn from the aquifer.
26 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005 Table 14. Ground-water use by major aquifers in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued [In million gallons per day] County Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer Other alluvial deposits Cockfield aquifer Cane River aquifer Sparta- Memphis aquifer Wilcox aquifer Claiborne aquifer Nacatoch aquifer Tokio aquifer Trinity aquifer Paleozoic aquifer County total County Arkansas 472.97 0.00 0.48 0.00 36.03 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 509.48 Arkansas Ashley 148.13 0.00 8.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 156.30 Ashley Baxter 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.95 1.95 Baxter Benton 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.87 2.87 Benton

Boone 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.91 1.91 Boone

Bradley 0.00 0.00 0.08 0.00 1.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.78 Bradley

Calhoun 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53 Calhoun

Carroll 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.87 2.87 Carroll

Chicot 247.08 0.00 1.93 0.00 0.52 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 249.53 Chicot

Clark 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.43 0.07 0.00 0.01 0.51 Clark

Clay 466.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.33 0.00 0.97 0.00 0.00 3.69 471.05 Clay

Cleburne 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.41 0.41 Cleburne

Cleveland 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.73 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.73 Cleveland

Columbia 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.61 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.00 3.64 Columbia

Conway 0.00 2.51 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.51 Conway

Craighead 350.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.14 0.81 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 365.03 Craighead

Crawford 0.00 0.94 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.94 Crawford

Crittenden 151.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.09 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 159.51 Crittenden

Cross 592.27 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 599.29 Cross

Dallas 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.47 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.47 Dallas

Desha 297.34 0.00 1.58 0.00 5.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 304.34 Desha

Drew 74.58 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.82 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 77.40 Drew

Faulkner 0.00 2.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.18 2.40 Faulkner

Franklin 0.00 0.39 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.40 Franklin

Fulton 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.96 1.96 Fulton

Garland 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.32 0.32 Garland

Grant 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.60 Grant

Greene 217.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.55 0.00 0.48 0.00 0.00 0.00 223.63 Greene
Sources of Ground-Water Withdrawals 27

Table 14. Ground-water use by major aquifers in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued[In million gallons per day]

County

Mississippi

River Valley

alluvial

aquifer

Other

alluvial

deposits

Cockfield

aquifer

Cane River

aquifer

SpartaMemphis

aquifer

Wilcox

aquifer

Claiborne

aquifer

Nacatoch

aquifer

Tokio

aquifer

Trinity

aquifer

Paleozoic

aquifer

County

total County

Hempstead 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.92 2.10 0.00 0.00 4.02 Hempstead

Hot Spring 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.27 0.27 Hot Spring

Howard 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.50 0.00 0.00 0.50 Howard

Independence 41.84 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 41.84 Independence

Izard 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.79 1.79 Izard

Jackson 382.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 383.12 Jackson

Jefferson 227.36 0.00 1.97 0.00 50.38 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 279.71 Jefferson

Johnson 0.00 0.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.32 Johnson

Lafayette 0.00 38.31 0.00 0.67 0.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 39.40 Lafayette

Lawrence 222.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.13 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.93 223.27 Lawrence

Lee 265.86 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.93 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 266.79 Lee

Lincoln 181.67 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 182.87 Lincoln

Little River 0.00 4.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.43 Little River

Logan 0.00 1.65 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.65 LoganLonoke 413.08 0.00 0.90 0.00 9.35 0.51 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 423.84 LonokeMadison 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.15 1.15 MadisonMarion 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.83 0.83 MarionMiller 0.00 16.14 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.28 MillerMississippi 271.19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.57 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 277.76 MississippiMonroe 288.33 0.00 0.94 0.00 0.77 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 290.04 MonroeMontgomery 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.70 0.70 MontgomeryNevada 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.19 0.18 0.18 0.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.73 NevadaNewton 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.17 1.17 NewtonOuachita 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.04 1.03 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.08 OuachitaPerry 0.00 0.46 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.46 PerryPhillips 204.37 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 208.51 Phillips
28 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005 Table 14. Ground-water use by major aquifers in Arkansas, 2005.—Continued [In million gallons per day] County Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer Other alluvial deposits Cockfield aquifer Cane River aquifer Sparta- Memphis aquifer Wilcox aquifer Claiborne aquifer Nacatoch aquifer Tokio aquifer Trinity aquifer Paleozoic aquifer County total County Pike 0.00 0.47 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.48 Pike Poinsett 678.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.29 2.85 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 682.31 Poinsett Polk -- 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.17 1.17 Polk Pope 0.00 1.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.54 2.09 Pope

Prairie 247.57 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.79 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 253.58 Prairie

Pulaski 26.24 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 26.39 Pulaski

Randolph 102.26 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 102.51 RandolphSaline 0.00 0.98 0.00 0.00 0.38 0.93 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.29 SalineScott 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.35 2.35 ScottSearcy 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.29 0.29 SearcySebastian 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.94 0.94 SebastianSevier 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.73 0.00 0.00 1.74 SevierSharp 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.08 0.00 4.23 4.31 SharpSt. Francis 295.34 0.00 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 295.73 St. Francis

Stone 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60 0.60 Stone

Union 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 15.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 15.55 Union

Van Buren 0.00 0.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.41 Van Buren

Washington 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.35 1.35 Washington

White 48.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.54 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 48.59 White

Woodruff 265.79 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 267.00 Woodruff

Yell 0.00 2.37 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.37 Yell

Total 7,179.55 72.51 16.11 0.71 169.94 27.01 0.18 4.00 4.48 0.03 34.78 7,509.94 Total
Summary 29

Summary

The water-use program in Arkansas is a cooperative 

effort between the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission 

and the U.S. Geological Survey to inventory water use. During 2005, the amount of water withdrawn from ground- and 

surface-water sources in Arkansas was estimated to be 11,455 

Mgal/d. Of this amount, about 7,510 Mgal/d was from groundwater sources and about 3,946 Mgal/d was from surface-water 

sources. 

Public supply systems served about 2.6 million people 

or about 93 percent of Arkansas’ population in 2005. Benton 

County had the largest surface-water withdrawals (Beaver 

Lake) at 58 Mgal/d. Jefferson County had the largest groundwater withdrawals (Sparta-Memphis aquifer) at 14 Mgal/d. 

The statewide average for per capita residential use from 

public supply systems was about 157 gallons per day (gal/d). 

Carroll County had the highest per capita use (365 gal/d).

Total (self-supplied) industrial water use in Arkansas for 

2005 was 178 Mgal/d, of which about 37 percent (66 Mgal/d) 

was from ground-water and about 63 percent (113 Mgal/d) 

was from surface-water sources. The largest industrial use of 

ground water (Sparta-Memphis aquifer) occurred in Jefferson 

County (43 Mgal/d) and the largest industrial use of surface 

water occurred in Ashley County (53 Mgal/d).

Total aquaculture water use in Arkansas for 2005 was 

256 Mgal/d, of which about 96 percent (246 Mgal/d) was 

from ground water and about 4 percent (11 Mgal/d) was from 

surface-water sources. The largest use of aquacultural water 

was in Lonoke County at 60 Mgal/d of which 94 percent was 

from ground-water sources. The largest aquaculture use of 

surface water was in Lonoke County at 3.36 Mgal/d. Other 

counties with notable aquaculture water use (greater than 20 

Mgal/d) were Prairie and Ashley, in order of decreasing use.

Irrigation water use accounted for 92 percent (6,942 

Mgal/d) of the ground water withdrawn in Arkansas and 72 

percent (8,265 Mgal/d) of the total withdrawals. Rice totaled 

1.73 million acres or about 35 percent of the total land irrigated in the State.

Irrigation water use totaled 8,265 Mgal/d, of which about 

84 percent (6,942 Mgal/d) was from ground-water and about 

16 percent (1,323 Mgal/d) was from surface-water sources. 

Water used for the growing of rice totaled 4,583 Mgal/d or 

about 40 percent of the total water used in Arkansas during 

2005. The largest use of water for irrigation was Arkansas 

County with 836 Mgal/d, of which about 56 percent (470 

Mgal/d) was from ground-water and about 44 percent (366 

Mgal/d) was from surface-water sources. Other counties with 

notable total irrigation water use (greater than 400 Mgal/d) 

were Poinsett, Cross, Clay, and Lonoke, in order of decreasing 

use.

Duck (hunting) club water use in Arkansas for 2005 was 

269 Mgal/d, of which about 30 percent (81 Mgal/d) was from 

ground water and about 70 percent (188 Mgal/d) was from 

surface-water sources. The largest use of ground water for 

duck (hunting) clubs was in Arkansas County at 25 Mgal/d. 

The largest duck (hunting) club use of surface water was in 

Arkansas County at 91 Mgal/d. Other counties with substantial duck (hunting) club water use (greater than 10 Mgal/d) 

were Miller, Desha, Prairie, Jackson, and Jefferson, in order of 

decreasing use.

Total thermoelectric power water use in Arkansas for 

2005 was 1,997 Mgal/d of which over 99 percent (1,996 

Mgal/d) was from surface water and less than 1 percent (0.93 

Mgal/d) was from ground-water sources. Water used for thermoelectric power generation was about 17 percent of the total 

water used in Arkansas during 2005 and 51 percent of the total 

surface water used. About 58 percent (1,152 Mgal/d) of the 

water used in this category was used for cooling at a nuclear 

power plant in Pope County. About 98 percent (1,957 Mgal/d) 

of the water used in this category was used in Pope (Lake 

Dardanelle), Benton, Hot Spring (Lake Catherine and Ouachita River), Woodruff (White River), and Ouachita (Ouachita 

River) Counties, in order of decreasing use.

Total water use in Arkansas increased about 435 percent 

between 1965 and 2005. Total ground-water use increased 

510 percent and total surface-water use increased 333 percent 

between 1965 and 2005.

About 98 percent of the ground water was withdrawn 

from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial and the SpartaMemphis aquifers.
30 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Selected References

Arkansas Department of Health, 2007, “Drinking Water Information for Arkansas,” accessed February 2, 2007 at URL 

http://www.healthyarkansas.com/eng/pwslist0.htm.

Halberg, H.N., and Stephens, J.W., 1966, Use of water in 

Arkansas, 1965: Arkansas Geological Commission Water 

Resources Summary 5, 12 p.

Halberg, H.N., 1972, Use of water in Arkansas, 1970: Arkansas Geological Commission Water Resources Summary 7, 

15 p.

Halberg, H.N., 1977, Use of water in Arkansas, 1975: Arkansas Geological Commission Water Resources Summary 9, 

28 p.

Hall, A.P., and Holland, T.W., 1984, Water use in Arkansas, 

1981: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 84-4070, 1 sheet.

Holland, T.W., 1987, Use of water in Arkansas, 1985: Arkansas Geological Commission Water Resources Summary 16, 

27 p.

Holland, T.W., 1993, Use of water in Arkansas, 1990: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-48, 1 sheet.

Holland, T.W., 2004, Estimated Water Use in Arkansas, 2000; 

U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2004-5230, 31 p.

Holland, T.W., 1999, Water Use in Arkansas, 1995: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-188, 1 sheet. 

Holland, T.W., and Hall, A.P., 1986, Water use in Arkansas, 

1982: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 85-4282, 1 sheet.

Holland, T.W., and Ludwig, A.H., 1981, Use of water in 

Arkansas, 1980: Arkansas Geological Commission Water 

Resources Summary 14, 30 p.

Hutson, S.A., and others, 2004, Estimated use of water in the 

United States in 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

1268, 46 p.

MacKichan, K.A., 1951, Estimated water use in the United 

States—1950: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 115, 13 p.

MacKichan, K.A., 1957, Estimated water use in the United 

States—1955: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 398, 18 p.

MacKichan, K.A., and Kammerer, J.C., 1961, Estimated water 

use in the United States, 1960: U.S. Geological Survey 

Circular 456, 26 p.

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.

Petersen, J.C., Broom, M.E., and Bush, W.V., 1985, Geohydrologic units of the Gulf Coastal Plain in Arkansas: U.S. 

Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 

85-4116, 20 p.

Solley, W.B., Chase, E.B., and Mann, W.B., 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. 

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. 

Stephens, J.W., and Halberg, H.N., 1961, Use of water in 

Arkansas, 1960: Arkansas Geological Commission Water 

Resources Special Report Series 294, 56 p.

U.S. Bureau of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2005: Census 2005 summary file (SF1) 100-percent data, accessed 

December 1, 2006, at http://factfinder.census.gov

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2005, Crop Reporting Service 

web site, accessed July 17, 2006 at

http://www.usda.gov/nass/pubs/agr05/acro05.htm.
Glossary 31

Glossary

Water-use terminology continues to evolve as the field 

grows and expands. The following is a list of definitions for 

terms, phrases, and various data-collection components commonly used in the process of water-use data collection and 

compilation.

Acre-foot of water (acre-ft)—the volume of water required to 

cover 1 acre of land (43,560 ft2) to a depth of 1 ft. 

Acres irrigated—the total number of acres of the crop that was 

irrigated during the year.

Aquaculture—Farming of organisms that live in water, such as 

fish, shellfish, and algae.

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.

Commercial water use—Water for motels, hotels, restaurants, 

office buildings, schools, and other commercial facilities and 

institutions, both civilian and military. The water may be 

obtained from a public-supply facility or may be self-supplied. 

See also public-supply and self-supplied water.

Cooling water—Water used for cooling purposes, such as 

cooling of condensers and nuclear reactors.

Domestic population served—The total number of people 

served by the public supplier during the calendar year.

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 facility or may be self-supplied. See also 

public supply and self-supplied water.

Freshwater—Water that contains less that 1,000 mg/L (milligrams per liter) of dissolved solids and is desirable for drinking and many industrial uses.

Ground water—Generally all subsurface water and springs as 

distinct from surface water; specifically, that part of the subsurface water in the saturated zone (a zone in which all voids 

are filled with water) where the water is under pressure greater 

than atmospheric.

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, mining, and petroleum refining. The water 

may be obtained from a public-supply facility or may be selfsupplied. See also public-supply and self-supplied water.

Instream use—Water use taking place within the stream 

channel for such purposes as hydroelectric power generation, 

navigation, water-quality improvement, fish propagation, and 

recreation. Sometimes called nonwithdrawal use or in-channel 

use.

Irrigation—Refers to the process of supplementing rainfall 

with water that is needed to produce a crop.

Irrigation water use—Artificial application of water on lands 

to assist in the growing of crops and pastures or to maintain 

vegetative growth in recreational lands, such as parks and golf 

courses.

Livestock water use—Water for stock watering, feed lots, 

dairy operations, fish farming, and other farm needs. Livestock 

as used here includes cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and poultry. 

Also included are such animal specialties as horses, rabbits, 

bees, pets, and fur-bearing animals in captivity.

Mining water use—Water use for the extraction of minerals 

occurring naturally, including solids, such as coal, clay, and 

ores; liquids, such as crude petroleum; and gases, such as natural gas. Also includes uses associated with sand, gravel, and 

quarrying for rock aggregates, well operations (dewatering), 

milling (crushing, screening, washing, floatation, and other), 

and other preparations customarily done at the mine site or as 

part of a mining activity.

Per capita use—The average amount of water used per person 

during a standard time period, generally per day.

Public supply—Water withdrawn by public and private water 

suppliers and delivered to groups of users. Public suppliers 

provide water for a variety of uses, such as domestic, commercial, thermoelectric power, industrial, and public water use. 

See also commercial water use, domestic water use, industrial 

water use, and public water use.

Public water use—Water supplied from a public water supply 

and used for such purposes as firefighting, street washing, and 

municipal parks and swimming pools. See also public supply.
32 Water Use in Arkansas, 2005

Self-supplied water—Water withdrawn from a ground- or 

surface-water source by a user rather than being obtained from 

a public-supply facility.

Sewage—Wastewater carried off by sewers and drains.

Surface water—An open body of water, such as a stream, 

lake, or river.

Thermoelectric power generation—Electrical power generated using fossil-fuel (coal, oil, or natural gas), geothermal, or 

nuclear energy.

Thermoelectric power water use—Water used in the process 

of the generation of thermoelectric power. The water may be 

obtained from a public-supply facility or may be self-supplied. 

See also public-supply and self-supplied water.

Water consumed or consumptive use—Refers to that part 

of water withdrawn that is no longer available because it 

has evaporated, been incorporated into products and crops, 

consumed by man or livestock, or otherwise removed from the 

water environment.

Water use—Describes how and where the water was used and 

in what amounts.

Withdrawal—The amount of water withdrawn from a source 

(ground water or surface water). This is equivalent to “intake,” 

“water diversion,” or “pumpage,” terms commonly used by 

industry and for irrigation and public supply, respectively.

Publishing support provided by:

Rolla Publishing Service Center

For more information concerning the research described

in the report:

U.S. Geological Survey

Arkansas Water Science Center

401 Hardin Road

Little Rock, AR 72211-3528

(501) 228-3600

http://ar.water.usgs.gov

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 2007 – 734-106/26011
Summary 33
Holland—Water Use in Arkansas, 2005—Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5241

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