Regional Variations in Freshwater Withdrawals in the US for 100 MSAs

Abstract:

Water withdrawals reported every five years by the US Geologic Survey (USGS) indicate that total freshwater withdrawals in the US have declined since 1980. Many interpretations have been offered to justify this finding. This decline in freshwater withdrawals is particularly perplexing considering a steadily increasing population trend. This topic is further complicated by climate change, constantly evolving urban environments, and subsequent cases of water shortage. This exploratory analysis examines regional variations of this national phenomenon by analyzing public supply freshwater withdrawals for the 25 most populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) within each of the four regional divisions of the US, aggregated from county level data. Results indicate that there are distinct regional correlations in freshwater withdrawal and population. Case study cities within each region are selected from the data set for a multi-disciplinary analysis including: regional and local variation on freshwater withdrawals, implications on urban policy, and impacts on urban water acquisition.