US Announces Water Conservation Gains

According to a US Geological Survey press release, we have collectively received the message loud and clear on the benefits of conserving water. After having peaked three decades ago, per capita water usage has steadily declined.

In fact, the total annual water usage in the US is less now than it was during the late 1970s and early 1980s, in spite of the fact that the country’s population has since increased by more than 75 million people.

The majority of the improvement, according to the USGS, results from the implementation of improved efficiency in agricultural and power generation settings, which in sum account for about 80 percent of domestic water usage.

The efficiency improvements are great news in light of a growing population that puts increasing demands on our precious water resources.

In response to the USGS announcement, global water policy advocacy specialist Pacific Institute based in Oakland, Calif., notes the successes we’ve achieved while alerting us to opportunities for additional improvement. As the Pacific Institute observes, we have not yet seen efficiency achievements at the household level, many of our fastest growing cities are water-poor, and much of our agricultural activity comes at the expense of very old aquifers whose withdrawal rates exceed replenishment by a wide margin.

But with the largest uses of water accomplishing more with less water, our efforts to conserve have been on a terrific trajectory, positioning us nicely to continue the important work.

Photo courtesy of US Department of Agriculture, via Wikimedia Commons