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Water Supply
US Army Corps of Engineers US Army Corps of Engineers
The Value of WaterHow much water do you use in a day?
Would you believe more than 1,200 gallons?
The typicalhousehold only
uses 50 to 85 gallons aday, but it takes nearly1,200 gallons perperson per day to meetthe needs of farmers,factories, electricalutilities, and the manyother organizationsthat make it possiblefor us to have food onour table, a computeron our desk and powerfor our house.
So where does all that water come from?
Water covers more than two-thirds of the earth’ssurface, but very little of it is fresh water. In fact, onlyabout 0.3 percent of the world’s water supply isavailable for human use. In the U.S. about 80 percentof that amount comes from streams and lakes, withthe remainder taken fromwells.
Most days, that smallpercentage of availablewater is more thanenough to meet ourneeds. For example, theUnited States has over400 billion gallons ofusable water availableevery day. On the averageday, we use less than 350billion gallons.
But as many of ushave experienced in recentyears, that’s not the wholestory. In 2006, droughts
affected huge portions of the United States forcingrestrictions on water use, damaging the environmentand causing a severe economic impact.
Even in a good year, seasonal variations in rainfallcan cause shortages in some areas of the country.Moreover, the western United States is consistentlydryer than the east and faces constant water supplyissues.
Careful management of the nation’s water supplyis critical to limiting water shortages and lessening theimpact of droughts.
A irrigation water to western farmers. These farmers carefor 10 million acres of land, producing 60 percent ofthe nation’s vegetables and 25 percent of its fruits andnuts. The Corps has about 56 million acre-feet ofstorage space in 48 western reservoirs available forirrigation and other uses.
Assisting in water supply emergencies
Corps personnel work closely with states andlocal communities to help lessen the impact ofdroughts and other disasters on water supplies.These efforts include:
Supplying additional water.In many instances, the Corps can temporarilyprovide water from its reservoirs to help meetlocal needs during droughts. For example,during a 1999 drought in Maryland the Corps
released 3 billion gallons of water from one ofits reservoirs to relieve water shortages for about25 days. Had the drought escalated thereservoir could have provided up to another 3billion gallons of water.
How do you use water?How do you use water?
In the typical household water isprimarily used for:Flushing the toilet 40 %
Baths and showers 32 %
Laundry 14 %
Dishwashing 6 %
Cooking and drinking 5 %
Bathroom sink 3 %
Value to Individuals and Communitiess one of the nation’s largest water managementagencies the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
plays an important role in ensuring that Americanshave enough water to meet their needs.
The Corp helps supply water to homes, business-es, and farms nationwide. Corps personnel also workclosely with states and local communities to lessen theeffects of droughts.
Serving communities
One hundred thirtyfour of the Corps 400multipurpose reservoirprojects are used forwater supply storage.Collectively these 134projects are capable ofproviding more than3 billion gallons ofwater per day for use bycommunities, industriesand businesses. That isenough water to supplythe average yearlyhousehold needs of about55 million Americans.
Local water companies typically have primaryresponsibility for meeting community needs, butthe Corps water supplies help augment localefforts, particularly in areas where shortages arecommon, such as Texas, Oklahoma and parts ofthe southeast. The Corps also is the primarysupplier of water for the nation’s capital.
Helping farmers
Eighty percent of the water consumed in theUnited States is used to irrigate crops, feed live-stock and support other agricultural uses, which allowthe United States to maintain its role as one of theworld’s leading suppliers of food.
The Corps plays a key role in this effort, by work-ing with the Bureau of Reclamation to help provide
Value to the Economy
US Army Corps of Engineers US Army Corps of Engineers
Providing emergency clean water.In cases of a flood or hurricane, the Corpscan provide a city with clean water to replacecontaminated supplies.
Constructing emergency wells andwater transport.The Corps can construct emergency wellsand transport water when necessary to helpfarmers, ranchers or communities that arebeing adversely affected by a drought.
Advising on resource use.Corps personnel conduct research andprovide advice and expertise to help localcommunities better utilize water resourcesand minimize the impact of droughts.
Securing water supplies
The tragic events of September 11, 2001, raisedconcerns about the security of the nation’s watersupply. In the wake of those events, the Corps, like
other state and federal facilities, has heightened itsalready stringent levels of security to ensure the safetyof the water supply. Steps we have taken include:
• provided specialized training for all personnel atour water supply facilities;
• re-evaluated security requirements at each siteand made any necessary changes;
• upgraded physical security precautions such asfences, gates and electronic monitoring systems;and
• coordinated security plans with local andnational law enforcement agencies.
Meeting business needs of today
W ater plays an integral role in the day-to-dayoperation of just about every business in the
United States. A reliable water supply system is crucialto the effective functioning of the economy.
The Corps programs help ensure a steady flow ofwater to the nation’s businesses. It is estimated thatthe water supplied by the Corps contributes nearly$800 million to the economy each year.
The Corps drought assistance programs also helpto limit the impact of water shortages on businesses,which can run into the billions of dollars duringsevere droughts such as those seen in 2002.
By providing advice and technical assistance tostate and local governments, the Corps is helpingcommunities and businesses use water resources moreefficiently and cost-effectively. Our HydrologicEngineering Center has developed state-of-the artcomputer software to assist businesses and govern-ment agencies in conducting water supply analysesand developing water utilization plans.
Addressing the challenges of tomorrow
The Corps also is working to address futurechallenges to the water supply system, which couldhave a substantial impact on the economy.
Foremost among these is the rapidlygrowing need for increased water supplies incertain parts of the country. In general, thecountry is using water more efficiently todaythan ever before, particularly in the agriculturalindustry. But the population of many U.S.cities is growing so fast that it is outstrippingthese efficiency gains, requiring communities todevelop new water supply sources.
Further complicating the problem is the fact thatbetween 1990-2000 some of the greatest areas ofgrowth were in the driest parts of the western U.S.including:
Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . .66 percent growth
Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . .40 percent
Colorado . . . . . . . . . . .31 percent
Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 percent
Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 percent
Value to the Environment
US Army Corps of Engineers US Army Corps of Engineers
The Corps undertakes numerous water supplyprojects each year designed to protect and
restore the environment. Many of these projectsinvolve improving fish and wildlife habitats byreallocating water supplies or revising dam operatingplans.
For instance, on rivers that experience periodsof low natural water flow, the Corps can temporarilystore water in its reservoirs and selectively release
it to increase flow, significantly improving habitatsand enhancing overall water quality.
Environmental considerations are a top priorityin all of the Corps water supply projects. We alwayscarefully evaluate ways to minimize any negativeenvironmental impacts and to enhance theenvironmental benefits of each of our projects.
To address these concerns the Corps is exploringways to increase the available supply of water forcommunities and businesses by:
• Modifying dams to provide more water storagespace – recently accomplished at the Pradoproject in California and at the HowardHanson, Washington, project;
• Converting storage space being used for otherpurposes to water supply storage – under studyat locations to help solve the water needs ofnorth Texas, Denver, Colorado, and a publicutility serving the needs of a five-county areain Kentucky; and
• Making other changes that will maximize theamount of water supply storage space availableat existing projects – this is being performedcontinually through modifications and fine-tuning of project water control manuals.
In addition, the Corps is working with state andfederal water supply agencies and private companiesto upgrade the nation’s aging water infrastructure(reservoirs, diversion structures, pipelines, etc.). In manysections of the U.S. significant parts of the infrastruc-ture are 50 to 100 years old.
Updating these facilities is expensive and requirescareful study to minimize adverse environmentalimpacts. These updates, though, will have a numberof positive benefits for both the environment and theeconomy including:
• increasing the efficiency of water supplysystems;
• enhancing the quality and quantity of availablewater supplies;
• improving water conservation;• achieving economies of scale by combiningsmall systems into regional ones; and
• providing increased security against chemicaland biological threats.
Sharing the ChallengeWorking together
The Corps workswith a wide
variety of federalagencies, including theFederal EmergencyManagement Agency,the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency, theU.S. Department ofAgriculture and the U.S.Fish and WildlifeService to ensure areliable water supply andto address shortages when they arise.
We also provide advice and support tohundreds of state and local agencies, nonprofitorganizations, businesses, farmers and rancherseach year to help them develop more effectivemethods for managing water resources.
Learning more
For detailed information on the Corpswater supply program check out the WaterSupply Handbook, a comprehensive electronicdesktop reference guide available online atwww.iwr.usace.army.mil/inside/products/pub/iwrreports/96ps4.pdf.
For general information about the Corpswater supply programs, visit www.CorpsResults.usor www.iwr.usace.army.mil.
For general information about water supplyissues, visit the American Water WorksAssociation’s web site at http://awwa.org.
Visit our Value to the Nation website: www.CorpsResults.us©2008 Produced by the U.S. Army Engineer Institute for Water Resources.To inquire about this brochure, please contact the IWR publications office at [email protected] the sources of information used in this brochure, visit www.CorpsResults.us.
