Uses Of Water

Introduction

Water is a vital component for both plant and animal life. Research indicates that seventy percent of a human beings body is water. Seventy five percent of the earth’s surface is also being occupied by water. Scientists have found out that water is the most interesting fluid on the earth’s surface due to is importance and versatility CITATION Cha11 l 1033 (Fishman). Water is required for drinks, irrigation, recreation in form of swimming pools and several other uses. From 1950, the geological statistics by the United States put together water consumption rates by companies, homes, businesses and farms all over United States and explained how its usage has changed over time. The data has then been used to facilitate explanations on conceptualizing the impacts of activities of human beings on the country’s water resources. This paper attempts to discuss the importance of water to the American people by looking at its usage statistics previously.

Background of study

In the period ranging from 1950 and 1980 there was a balanced rise in the usage of water in the U.S.A. This period had the anticipation that as people became many; the usage of water would also increase. Converse to the anticipation, water usage reduced during 1985 and remained comparatively balanced from then despite the population increase witnessed in U.S.A. technological advancements witnessed in federal and state laws, economical factors together with improved water conservation education and awareness led to better usage of water available from United States of America water sources such as aquifers, lakes, oceans and reservoirs.

2000 water usage approximates reveal that close to four hundred and eight billion gallons were drawn for purposes of usage that single year. These estimates have changed with less than three percent from 1985 as water drawings are now stable for the two biggest consumers namely irrigation and thermo electricity CITATION Ste99 l 1033 (Thompson). Usage of fresh waters was close to eighty percent of of the whole figure, while the rest was inform of saline water.

Water usage to generate electricity

The main reference was Burke county cooling plant situated in Georgia. According to the United States geological statistics, electric power consumes close to half of the total water usage. Much of the water is sourced from water from the surface and used once only for the purposes of cooling within the power plant. Approximately fifty two percent of the surface water that is fresh drawn and close to ninety six percent of the drawn saline water are for purposes of electric power usages.

Usage of water for Irrigation

The main point of reference was at Fremont county great pipe irrigation situated in Wyoming. The natural resources conservation irrigation stands for close to a third of water usage and at the moment it is the biggest United States consumer of fresh water. Use of water for irrigation factors in use of water for farming, chemical applications, control of weeds, protection of frost, general agricultural usage together with maintenance of golf courses areas and parks. Basing on history, less water from the ground as opposed to water from the surfaces has been applied for irrigation purposes. Nevertheless, there has been a consistent rise in percentages of ground water draws from a figure of 23 during the 1950s to a figure of 42 in 2000. The total land under irrigation went beyond a double figure between the period of 1950 and 1980; from there it attained a constant figure prior to rising by close to seven percent from 1995 to 2000.

The size of land under sprinkler irrigation and that under micro-irrigation systems has over time risen and currently consist of more than one and half of the total size of land under irrigation.

Water use for supply of power

The point of reference was Bay County water intake power supply situated in Florida. As per the United States geological statistics public water supply is defined as water drawn by the general public plus private suppliers of water as opposed to personal supplied water which is drawn by individual users. Public water supply can be used for home usage, industry usage, commercial, electricity generation and some other general public use. In around 1950, just sixty two percent of the people living in U.S.A. sourced water for drinking through suppliers of the public, but then by the year 2000 close to eighty five percent had adopted this. The use of public water has risen consistently from 1950 and stood for only eleven percent of water usage in 2000 CITATION Ste99 l 1033 (Thompson).

Water use in industries

Industries that supply themselves is the basis of this. During the year 2000, personal supplied industrial water draws amounted to close to five percent of water usage. Water usage for industrial purposes factors in water used to meant fabrics, cooling, washing, processing plus water used for production of chemical materials, food plus other products resulting from paper. Water used for industrial purposes has reduced by a factor of twenty four percent from 1985 and in the year 2000 was very low from the time it began reporting in 1950 CITATION Cha11 l 1033 (Fishman).

Subsidiary usage of water

Total draws for personal supplied home usage, agriculture, animals and naturals resources mining stood for close to three percent of all the water draws for 2000. Individual supplied home draws factor in water that is use for home usage that is not sourced from public supply. Close to forty three million persons in the U.S.A. individual supply their home water requirements, normally from wells. Animals water use factor in drinking, feedlots plus other farming requirements for animals like pigs, poultry, horses, cattle and sheep. Water is also used for fishing purposes such as fish farms, shellfish firms and fish hatcheries. Water used in mining natural resources includes water that is used for minerals extraction such as coal solids, liquids, ores, gases like natural gas and crude petrol. There is also water used for the general mining processes which is mostly saline water as at 2000.

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Fishman, Charles. The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water. April 2011. 7 April 2013 <http://www.fastcompany.com/1748537/big-thirst-secret-revolution-us-water-use>.

Thompson, Stephen A. Water use, management, and planning in the United States. San Diego: Academic, 1999.