Natural river and rivulet stretches account for a mere 15 per cent of the total length of watercourses. There are 12 smaller power stations in Lithuania. About 4.58 billion m3 of water are annually taken out from the country s water bodies for domestic and industrial needs. Of this amount over 300 million m3 is ground water. Industry consumes 1.1 percent, 4.4 percent go for domestic needs and 2.6 percent of water is used in fishery ponds.
Water extraction is concentrated in the environs of Lithuanian cities.
A day, about 1.5 thousand m3 of mineral water are extracted to meet the demands of health resorts. Today s fresh water extraction constitutes about 30 percent of its total resources. From 1993 to 1995 ground water consumption decreased by 22 percent.