Wounded Waters

Power plants - well known for their impact on air quality - are also major water users. On a national scale, the environmental damage from water intake and discharge for power production is large, warranting attention from citizens and government alike. Wounded Waters, authored by the Clean Air Task Force, systematically describes impacts from water withdrawal, consumption, and discharge, under different cooling water technologies. As competition for water increases in most part of the country, the power sector is an area where technologies exist to reduce water demand and as a result impact on aquatic systems.