Thermoelectric power plant water withdrawals and associated attributes for three Federal datasets in the United States, 2010

Publication Date

2017-05-23

Time Period

2010

Harris, M.A., and Diehl, T.H., 2017, Thermoelectric power plant water withdrawals and associated attributes for three Federal datasets in the United States, 2010: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7HX19VW.

Type: Related Primary Publication

The need for reliable estimates of the amount of water withdrawn by thermoelectric plants is garnering increased attention due to the Nation’s growing demand for water and energy. Water withdrawals for thermoelectric power generation are the largest category of water withdrawals in the United States (Maupin and others, 2014). Reported and estimated thermoelectric water withdrawals vary among Federal datasets. This data release supports analyses comparing thermoelectric water-withdrawal information from three Federal datasets in an effort to better understand the uncertainties in water-withdrawal data and improve the usefulness of such information (Harris and Diehl, publication in review). Understanding the uncertainties among the datasets may lead to improvements in data collection and compilation methods, trend analyses to understand current and past uses, predictions of future water use, and water resource management. Furthermore, this comparative analysis highlights that different data sources using various categorization and estimation methods result in different thermoelectric withdrawal estimates, and ultimately different implications for policy decisions.

• USGS Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center

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