Pacific Institute Releases Analysis on USGS Water Use in the United States

Pacific Institute has released a concise, three page analysis of the United States Geological Survey's latest assessment of water use in the United States.

Last week I wrote about the USGS's Estimated Water Use in the United States in 2005 and based on my quick read of the report's summary, I provided my own two cents on what the study indicated. Well, Pacific Institute has released their own, more in-depth analysis of the report.

Among Pacific Insitute's findings:

Water planners and managers always assume that as populations grow, and as economies grow, that water use will also grow. This is no longer true, as limits to water resources become more apparent and severe, and as improvements in technologies and management approaches permit efficiency of use to improve. Figure 3 shows the “economic productivity” of water use in the United States, as calculated by the Pacific Institute, from 1900 to 2005. This figure measures the dollars of gross domestic product (GDP) produced with every 100 gallons of water used. The U.S. now produces far more wealth, with far less water, than at any time in the past.

Download: Pacific Institute's Fact Sheet on Water Use in the United States (PDF)