Water-use terminology is continuing to expand in this series of water-use circulars prepared at 5-year intervals. The term "water use" as initially used in 1950 in the U.S. Geological Survey's water-use circulars meant withdrawals of water; in the report for 1960, the term was redefined to include consumptive use of water as well as withdrawals. With the beginning of the Survey's National Water-Use Information Program in 1978 the term was again redefined to include return flow and offstream and instream uses. In the report for 1985, the term was redefined to include withdrawals plus deliveries.
STANDARD WATER-USE TERMS
acre-foot (acre-ft)---the volume of water required to cover 1 acre of land (43,560 square feet) to a depth of 1 foot.
animal specialties---water use associated with the production of fish in captivity except fish hatcheries, fur-bearing animals in captivity, horses, rabbits, and pets. See also livestock water use.
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, other commercial facilities, and institutions. The water may be obtained from a public supply or may be self supplied. See also public supply and self- supplied water.
consumptive use---that part of water withdrawn that is evaporated, transpired, incorporated into products or crops, consumed by humans or livestock, or otherwise removed from the immediate water environment. Also referred to as water consumed.
conveyance loss---water that is lost in transit from a pipe, canal, conduit, or ditch by leakage or evaporation. Generally, the water is not available for further use; however, leakage from an irrigation ditch, for example, may percolate to a ground-water source and be available for further use.
cooling water---water used for cooling purposes, such as of condensers and nuclear reactors.
delivery/release---the amount of water delivered to the point of use and the amount released after use; the difference between these amounts is usually the same as the consumptive use. See also consumptive use.
domestic water use---water 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 or may be self supplied. See also public supply and self-supplied water.
evaporation---process by which water is changed from a liquid into a vapor. See also evapotranspiration and transpiration.
evapotranspiration---a collective term that includes water discharged to the atmosphere as a result of evaporation from the soil and surface-water bodies and as a result of plant transpiration. See also evaporation and transpiration.
freshwater---water that contains less than 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of dissolved solids; generally, more than 500 mg/L of dissolved solids is undesirable for drinking and many industrial uses.
ground water---generally all subsurface water 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.
hydroelectric power water use---the use of water in the generation of electricity at plants where the turbine generators are driven by falling water. Hydroelectric water use is classified as an instream use in this report.
in-channel use---see instream use.
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 or may be self supplied. See also public supply and self- supplied water.
instream use---water that is used, but not withdrawn, from a ground- or surface-water source for such purposes as hydroelectric power generation, navigation, water-quality improvement, fish propagation, and recreation. Sometimes called nonwithdrawal use or in-channel use.
irrigation district---a cooperative, self-governing public corporation set up as a subdivision of the State government, with definite geographic boundaries, organized and having taxing power to obtain and distribute water for irrigation of lands within the district; created under the authority of a State legislature with the consent of a designated fraction of the landowners or citizens.
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.
kilowatthour (kWh)---a unit of energy equivalent to one thousand watthours.
livestock water use---water for livestock watering, feed lots, dairy operations, fish farming, and other on-farm needs. Livestock as used here includes cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and poultry. Also included are animal specialties. See also rural water use and animal specialties water use.
million gallons per day (Mgal/d)---a rate of flow of water.
mining water use---water use for the extraction of minerals occurring naturally including solids, such as coal and ores; liquids, such as crude petroleum; and gases, such as natural gas. Also includes uses associated with quarrying, well operations (dewatering), milling (crushing, screening, washing, floatation, and so forth), and other preparations customarily done at the mine site or as part of a mining activity. Does not include water used in processing, such as smelting, refining petroleum, or slurry pipeline operations. These uses are included in industrial water use.
offstream use---water withdrawn or diverted from a ground- or surface-water source for public-water supply, industry, irrigation, livestock, thermoelectric power generation, and other uses. Sometimes called off-channel use or withdrawal.
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 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, thermoelectric power water use, industrial water use, and public water use.
public-supply deliveries---water provided to users through a public-supply distribution system.
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.
reclaimed wastewater---wastewater treatment plant effluent that has been diverted for beneficial use before it reaches a natural waterway or aquifer.
recycled water---water that is used more than one time before it passes back into the natural hydrologic system.
residential water use---see domestic water use.
return flow---the water that reaches a ground- or surface-water source after release from the point of use and thus becomes available for further use.
reuse---see recycled water.
rural water use---term used in previous water-use circulars to describe water used in suburban or farm areas for domestic and livestock needs. The water generally is self supplied, and includes domestic use, drinking water for livestock, and other uses, such as dairy sanitation, evaporation from stock-watering ponds, and cleaning and waste disposal. See also domestic water use, livestock water use, and self-supplied water.
saline water---water that contains more than 1,000 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids.
self-supplied water---water withdrawn from a surface- or ground-water source by a user rather than being obtained from a public supply.
standard industrial classification (SIC) codes---four- digit codes established by the Office of Management and Budget and used in the classification of establishments by type of activity in which they are engaged.
surface water---an open body of water, such as a stream or a lake.
thermoelectric power water use---water used in the process of the generation of thermoelectric power. The water may be obtained from a public supply or may be self supplied. See also public supply and self-supplied water.
transpiration---process by which water that is absorbed by plants, usually through the roots, is evaporated into the atmosphere from the plant surface. See also evaporation and evapotranspiration.
wastewater---water that carries wastes from homes, businesses, and industries.
wastewater treatment---the processing of wastewater for the removal or reduction of contained solids or other undesirable constituents.
wastewater-treatment return flow---water returned to the hydrologic system by wastewater-treatment facilities.
water-resources region---designated natural drainage basin or hydrologic area that contains either the drainage area of a major river or the combined drainage areas of two or more rivers; of 21 regions, 18 are in the conterminous United States, and one each are in Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. (See map on inside of front cover.)
water-resources subregion---the 21 designated water-resources regions of the United States are subdivided into 222 subregions. Each subregion includes that area drained by a river system, a reach of a river and its tributaries in that reach, a closed basin(s), or a group of streams forming a coastal drainage system.
water transfer---artificial conveyance of water from one area to another.
water use---1) in a restrictive sense, the term refers to water that is actually used for a specific purpose, such as for domestic use, irrigation, or industrial processing. In this report, the quantity of water use for a specific category is the combination of self-supplied withdrawals and public-supply deliveries. 2) More broadly, water use pertains to human's interaction with and influence on the hydrologic cycle, and includes elements such as water withdrawal, delivery, consumptive use, wastewater release, reclaimed wastewater, return flow, and instream use. See also offstream use and instream use.
watthour (Wh)---an electrical energy unit of measure equal to one watt of power supplied to, or taken from, an electrical circuit steadily for one hour.
withdrawal---water removed from the ground or diverted from a surface-water source for use. See also offstream use and self-supplied water.