Freshwater Use by U.S. Power Plants

The report finds that U.S. power plants withdraw massive volumes of freshwater, with coal and nuclear plants being the most water-intensive. This demand contributes to water-supply stress in hundreds of watersheds and is exacerbated by droughts and heat waves. The authors highlight significant gaps and inaccuracies in EIA reporting and advocate for 'water-smart' energy choices, such as dry cooling and low-water renewables, to ensure energy reliability and water security.

• In 2008, water-cooled thermoelectric power plants in the U.S. withdrew between 60 billion and 170 billion gallons of freshwater daily and consumed between 2.8 billion and 5.9 billion gallons. The coal fleet was the primary driver, accounting for 67 percent of withdrawals and 65 percent of consumption.
• Water use intensity varies by technology and region. Nuclear plants are the most water-intensive, withdrawing nearly eight times more freshwater per unit of electricity than natural gas plants and 11 percent more than coal plants. Regionally, withdrawal intensity in states like Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Missouri was 41 to 55 times higher than in Utah, Nevada, and California due to a lack of recirculating or dry cooling technologies.
• Power plant water use contributes to significant environmental and supply stress. In 2008, power plants contributed to water-supply stress in one-fifth of the 400 watersheds already experiencing such stress. Additionally, over 350 plants had peak summer return flow temperatures exceeding 90°F, which can harm aquatic wildlife.
• There are substantial gaps and inaccuracies in the 2008 federal data reported to the EIA. Non-reporting plants accounted for 28 to 30 percent of freshwater withdrawals and 24 to 31 percent of consumption, including all water use by nuclear power plants. Discrepancies in reported use were found in 22 states for withdrawals and 38 states for consumption.
• Extreme weather events have already forced power plants to reduce output or seek alternative water sources. Examples include the 2011 Texas drought, the 2007 Southeast drought affecting North Carolina and Alabama, and a 2006 Midwest heat wave that forced a Minnesota nuclear plant to cut generation by more than half.

APA

Averyt, K., Fisher, J., Huber-Lee, A., Lewis, A., Macknick, J., Madden, N., Rogers, J., & Tellinghuisen, S. (2011). Freshwater Use by U.S. Power Plants. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/08/ew3-freshwater-use-by-us-power-plants-exec-sum.pdf

Chicago

Averyt, Kristen, Jeremy Fisher, Annette Huber-Lee, Aurana Lewis, Jordan Macknick, Nadia Madden, John Rogers, and Stacy Tellinghuisen. Freshwater Use by U.S. Power Plants. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2011. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/08/ew3-freshwater-use-by-us-power-plants-exec-sum.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{averyt2011freshwater, author = {Averyt, Kristen and Fisher, Jeremy and Huber-Lee, Annette and Lewis, Aurana and Macknick, Jordan and Madden, Nadia and Rogers, John and Tellinghuisen, Stacy}, title = {{Freshwater Use by U.S. Power Plants}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2011}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/08/ew3-freshwater-use-by-us-power-plants-exec-sum.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }