Oregon Water Science Center
Water-Use Program
BACKGROUND
With the ever-increasing rate of utilization of and competition for water
(particularly during periods of drought) accurate, current water-use
information is of considerable value. This is particularly so in determining
future water availability in hydrologically critical
areas and for making sound resource-management decisions. For the Oregon Water
Science Center
a viable water-use data-collection program complements the ongoing surface and
ground water data programs and provides the data necessary for developing a
comprehensive picture of statewide water resources.
WATER USE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The objective is to provide state-wide water-use information for the optimum
management and use of the Nation's water resources for the overall benefit of
the people. Water Use compilations have been done throughout the United States
every five years since 1950.
SCOPE
The program includes collection, storage, and dissemination of water-use
related data, both offstream and onstream to compliment data on water
availability and development and operation of systems to handle the data. The
program must be responsive to the data needs of local users, the USGS, and
other Federal agencies.
Areas of coverage: Within the State of Oregon or project defined boundaries for current
hydrogeologic investigations.
WATER USE COMPILATIONS
2005 Compilation Results
For Water Year 2005, the Oregon
Water Science
Center compiled water use
data for the following offstream categories: Irrigation, Public Supply,
Aquaculture, Industrial, Thermoelectric and Domestic Self-served. Mining and
Livestock categories were compiled by a water-use specialist from the Office of
Ground Water. The water-use data were collected and compiled at the county
level and major aquifer. To maintain consistency among the other USGS Water
Science Centers the Oregon WSC followed the USGS Water Use 2005 Compilation Guidelines.
Withdrawal estimates, by county,
for these categories:
[Irrigation] [Public Supply]
[Aquaculture]
[Industrial] [Thermoelectric] [Domestic] [Mining] [Livestock]
Withdrawal Totals:
[Compilation
Totals for Ground-water] [Compilation Totals
by County] [Compilation
Totals for Surface- and Ground-water]
[2005 Totals (pie
charts)] [Ground
Water withdrawals by county (map)] [Surface Water
withdrawals by county (map)] [Totals by
county (map)]
2000 Compilation Results
The 2000 Oregon
water-use compilation was a reduced effort from previous compilations. Western
states dropped several previously mandatory categies
including: Mining, Livestock, Commercial and Aquaculture. Withdrawals were compiled
and estimated for these four major categories of water use.
- Public supply - based on
public withdrawal data gathered by the Oregon Water Resources Department
and Population Data Center
at Portland State University.
- Irrigation - based on
published crop statistics by county, USGS and OWRD reports and previous
studies, climate data, irrigation practices, Bureau of Reclamation Hydromet data and water right information provided by
OWRD.
- Industrial - based on data
provided by industries in the state that used self-supplied water for
plant operations, OWRD water right information
- Thermoelectric generation -
based on utility companies and Department of Energy data.
Also estimated was a state total for domestic self-served
withdrawals.
Withdrawal estimates, by County,
for these categories:
[Irrigation] [Public Supply] [Industrial] [Thermoelectric]
Withdrawal Totals:
[Total Withdrawals by Category]
[Total Surface Water Withdrawals by
County] [Total Ground Water
Withdrawals by County ]
[Totals by Category by Aquifer]
U.S. totals by State:
Estimated
Use of Water in the United States in 2000 USGS Circular 1268 (Published
March 2004) PDF Format
ADDITIONAL DATA AND REPORTS
County Historic Totals:
Summary tables of ground-water and surface-water withdrawals for some
selected water-use categories from 1985 - 2005
[Totals by County] [Irrigation] [Industrial] [Public Supply] [Thermoelectric]
Online Reports
Printed Publications
- State Reports - WRIR
96-4080. Estimated Water-Use and General Hydrologic Conditions for Oregon, 1985 and
1990, by Tyson M. Broad and Charles A. Collins, 166 pg.
- USGS Circular 1200
Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1995, by Wayne B. Solley, Robert R. Pierce, and Howard A. Perlman, 71
pg.
- USGS Circular 1279
Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000,
by Molly A.Maupin and Nancy L. Barber, 46 pg.
PROJECTS
The Oregon
WSC Water Use program in recent years has participated in three major
ground-water investigations. All were multi-year, cooperative projects with
Federal, state, county or local agencies. Below are the links to the web pages
that contain water-use results from these projects:
- Willamette Basin
Ground-Water Study
- Scientific
Investigations Report Ground-Water Hydrology of the Willamette Basin,
Oregon, by Conlon, T.D., Wozniak, K.C., Woodcock, D., Herrera, N.B.,
Fisher, B.J., Morgan, D.S., Lee, K.K., and Hinkle, S.R., 2005-5168, 83
p., 1 plate. Abstract and
link to online version
- Upper Klamath
Basin Ground-Water Study
- Mosier Valley
Ground-Water Sustainability Study
GLOSSARY (Glossary of Water
Use terms)
DATA
DICTIONARY TERMS
Back to [Oregon WSC Home Page] | [Oregon WSC Studies Page] | [National Water Use Program]
Send questions or comments to <bjfisher@usgs.gov>
