You are here:EPA HomeClimate ChangeClean EnergyEnergy and YouHow does electricity affect the environment?WaterResource UseWater Resource UseElectricity generation generally involves the consumption of water resources (e.g., forsteam production and cooling, equipment cleaning, and other purposes). The waterconsumption and the environmental impacts of water use vary from technology totechnology, as described below.Natural GasThe burning of natural gas incombustion turbines requiresvery little water. However,natural gas-fired boiler and combined cycle systemsdo require water for cooling purposes.When power plants remove water from a lakeor river, fish and other aquatic life can bekilled, affecting animals and people who depend on these aquatic resources.CoalLarge quantities of water are frequently needed to remove impurities from coalat the mine. In addition, coal-fired power plantsuse large quantities of water for producingsteam and for cooling. When coal-fired power plants remove water from a lake orriver, fish and other aquatic life can beaffected, as well as animals and people who dependon these aquatic resources.OilOil-fired power plants use large quantitiesof water for steam production and cooling.When oil-fired powerplants remove waterfrom a lake or river, fish and other aquatic life can be killed, which affects those animals and people who depend on theseaquatic resources.In addition, the drilling of oil requires water to remove obstructions from the well,and refineries require water in the variousprocesses used to refine crude oil into usable fuel.Various Energy ResourcesAir EmissionsWater Resource UseWater DischargesSolid Waste GenerationLand Resource UseClean Energyhttp://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/water-resource.htmlLast updated on Wednesday,September 25,2013Page 1 of 3Water Resource Use | Clean Energy | US EPA7/31/2015http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/water-resource.htmlNuclear EnergyNuclear power plants use large quantitiesof water for steam production and for cooling. When nuclear power plants removewater from a lake or river for steam production andcooling, fish and other aquatic life can be affected.Municipal Solid WastePower plants that burn MSW arenormally smaller than fossil fuelpower plants but typically require a similar amount of water perunit of electricity generated. When water is removed from a lakeor river, fish and other aquatic life can be killed, affectingthoseanimals and people who depend on these resources.HydroelectricityHydropower often requires the use of dams,which can greatly affect the flow of rivers, altering ecosystems and affecting thewildlife and people who depend on those waters.Often, water at the bottom of the lake created by a dam is inhospitable to fish because itis much colder and oxygen-poorcompared with water at the top. When this colder, oxygen-poor water is released into the river, it can kill fish living downstreamthat are accustomed towarmer, oxygen-rich water.In addition, some dams withhold water and then release it all at once, causing the river downstream tosuddenly flood. Thisaction can disrupt plant and wildlife habitats and affect drinking water supplies.Non-Hydroelectric Renewable EnergySolarPhotovoltaic systems do not require the use of any water to create electricity. Solar-thermal technologies may tap local waterresources if the liquid that is being heatedto create steam is water. In this case, the water can be re-used after it has beencondensed from steam back into water.GeothermalGeothermal power plants usually re-inject the hot water that they remove from the ground back into wells. However, a smallamount of water used by geothermal plantsin the process of creating electricity may evaporate and therefore not be returned toPage 2 of 3Water Resource Use | Clean Energy | US EPA7/31/2015http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/water-resource.htmlthe ground. Also, for those geothermal plants that rely on hot,dry rocks for energy, water fromlocal resources is needed toextract the energy from the dry rocks.BiomassBiomass power plants require the use of water, because the boilers burning the biomass need water for steam production and forcooling. If this water is used over and over again, the amount of water needed is reduced. Whenever any type of power plantremoves water from a lake or river, fish and other aquatic lifecan be killed, which then affects those animals and people thatdepend on these aquatic resources.Landfill GasEngines or combustion turbines that burn landfill gas toproduce energy typically require negligible amounts of water.WindWind turbines in areas with little rainfall may require the use of a small amount of water. If rainfall is not sufficient to keep theturbine blades clean, water is used toclean dirt and insects off the blades sothat turbine performance is not reduced.Page 3 of 3Water Resource Use | Clean Energy | US EPA7/31/2015http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/water-resource.html