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Oregon 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 groundwater data programs and provides the data necessary for developing a comprehensive picture of Statewide water resources.

WATER USE PROGRAM OBJECTIVE

The objective of the program is to provide Statewide 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 5 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. The program area includes the State of Oregon and other project-defined boundaries for Oregon Water Science Center hydrologic investigations.

WATER USE COMPILATIONS

2005 Compilation Results

For Water Year 2005, the most recent compilation, 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 the USGS Office of Ground Water. Water-use data were compiled by county and major aquifer. To maintain consistency among the other USGS Water Science Centers, the Oregon Water Science Center 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 Groundwater | Compilation Totals by County | Compilation Totals for Surface Water and Groundwater | 2005 Totals (pie charts) | Groundwater 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 categories 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 Oregon Water Resources Department reports and previous studies, climate data, irrigation practices, Bureau of Reclamation Hydromet data and water right information provided by the Oregon Water Resources Department.
• Industrial - based on data provided by industries in the State that used self-supplied water for plant operations and Oregon Water Resources Department 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)

ADDITIONAL DATA AND REPORTS

County Historic Totals

Summary tables of ground-water and surface-water withdrawals for selected water-use categories from 1985 through 2005:

Totals by County | Irrigation | Industrial | Public Supply | Thermoelectric |

Online Reports

• Estimated Use of Water in the United States - Compilation Reports dating from 1950 - 1990
• Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1995 1995 data compiled by County and Hydrologic Unit
• 1995 Water Use data for all States (Tab delimited files)
• Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000 USGS Circular 1268
• Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000 USGS Circular 1279

Printed Publications

Scanned versions can be downloaded from the USGS Publications Warehouse after installation of free viewing software available at the Web site.

• Water-Resources Investigations Report 96-4080. Estimated Water-Use and General Hydrologic Conditions for Oregon, 1985 and 1990, by Tyson M. Broad and Charles A. Collins, 166 p.
• 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 p.
• USGS Circular 1279 Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000, by Molly A.Maupin and Nancy L. Barber, 46 p.

PROJECTS

The Oregon Water Science Center Water Use program in recent years has participated in three major ground-water investigations. All were multiyear, 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 2005-5168, Ground-Water Hydrology of the Willamette Basin, Oregon, by Terrence D. Conlon, Karl C. Wozniak, David Woodcock, Nora B. Herrera, Bruce J. Fisher, David S. Morgan, Karl K. Lee, K.K., and Stephen R. Hinkle.
• Upper Klamath Basin Ground-Water Study
• Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5050. Ground-Water Hydrology of the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California, by Marshall W. Gannett, Kenneth E. Lite Jr., Jonathan L. La Marche, Bruce J. Fisher, and Danial J. Polette.
• Mosier Valley Ground-Water Sustainability Study

Glossary of Water-Use Terms

Data Dictionary Terms

National Water Use Program

Send questions or comments to Jonathan Haynes

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