Groundwater Use in Alabama,

2010

2015 Alabama Groundwater Conference

Michael BradleyUSGS

Lower Mississippi – Gulf Water Science Center

Acknowledgements

• ADECA-OWR

Tom Littlepage

Michael Harper

• USGS

Amy Gill

Water Use Compilation

• ADECA-OWR Alabama Water Use Reporting

Program

• USGS – Water Use Information Program• USGS – Water Use Information Program

USGS Programs Related to Water Use

• Cooperative Water Program

– Cost share program with state, county, local agency

• National Water Quality Assessment Program

– Provide an understanding of water-quality conditions – Provide an understanding of water-quality conditions

and changes. Natural and human impact..

• National Water Use Information Program

– Five year national compilation

– Fund research on use of satellite data

USGS National Water Use

• 5-year compilation

• Rely on State and other

agencies for dataagencies for data

• Reports begin in 1950

• County-level data

available to download

starting for 1985

2010 Compilation

• Total withdrawals 355 BGD;

13% decline (-54 BGD) since

2005

• Lowest total withdrawals

since before 1970.

GROSS PER CAPITA USE 1950-2010

250

300

350

2000

2500

Per Capita Use Population

Wa

ter

Use

in

gp

d

in M

illi

on

s

0

50

100

150

200

0

500

1000

1500

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

To

tal

Pe

rC

ap

ita

Wa

ter

Use

in

Po

pu

lati

on

,in

Mil

lio

ns

Total Water Use 2010

Alabama

Total Withdrawals – 9,957 million gallons/day

Groundwater 487 Mgal/day

Surface Water 9,470 Mgal/day

Power production 8,250 Mgal/day

All other 1,220 Mgal/day

PS - 280IRR - 85

Groundwater Withdrawals – 487 Mgal/day

DO - 38

IND - 27

AQ - 32

MI – 13

LV – 12

300

400

500

600

Total Groundwater Withdrawals

0

100

200

300

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Total GW

WithdrawalsMillion Gallons per Day

Less than 1

1 - 5

5 - 105 - 10

10 - 20

More than 20

200

250

300

Groundwater Withdrawals for Public Supply

0

50

100

150

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Million Gallons per Day

Less than 1

1 - 5

5 - 10

Public Supply GW

Withdrawals

5 - 10

10 - 20

More than 20

50

60

70

80

90

Groundwater Withdrawals for Irrigation

0

10

20

30

40

50

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Million Gallons per Day

Less than 0.5

0.5 - 1

Irrigation GW

Withdrawals

1 - 5

5 - 10

10 - 20

More than 20

1 - 5

Groundwater use for Irrigation

Alabama 85

Arkansas 7,380Arkansas 7,380

Kentucky 2

Louisiana 670

Mississippi 1,960

Tennessee 44

Arlington

21

22

Arlington observation well

23

24

M J J A S O N D J F M

Water-level decline due to

irrigation at sod farm

Million Gallons per Day

Less than 0.1

0.1 – 0.25

Domestic Self-Supplied

Withdrawals

0.25 – 0.5

0.5 - 1

10 - 20

More than 2.0

0.25 – 0.5

Less than 2,000

2,000 – 5,000

5,000 – 10,000

Domestic Self-Supplied

Population

5,000 – 10,000

10,000 – 20,000

More than 20,000

Top Counties – GW withdrawals

Total Public Supply Domestic

Baldwin (62) Madison (29) Mobile (2.6)

Mobile (35) Baldwin (23) Baldwin (1.7)

Madison (34) Calhoun (21) Houston (1.4)Madison (34) Calhoun (21) Houston (1.4)

Houston (26) Houston (17) DeKalb (1.3)

Calhoun (22) Mobile (16) Talledaga (1.2)

Top Counties – GW withdrawals

Irrigation Industry Self Supply

Baldwin (37) Autauga (9.9)

Mobile (8.9) Mobile (7.0)

Houston (8.0) Washington (6.2)Houston (8.0) Washington (6.2)

Madison(5.7) Barbour (1.6)

Autauga (2.9) Escambia (1.5)

Summary

• Groundwater use part of State and national

water use compilations.

• In 2010 groundwater provided 470 Mgal/d

280 Mgal/d for public supply280 Mgal/d for public supply

85 Mgal/d for irrigation

38 Mgal/d for rural domestic supply

27 Mgal/d for self-supplied industry

Summary

• 1990 – 2010, groundwater withdrawals

increased from 403 to 487 Mgal/d

• Increasing demand • Increasing demand

• Increasing competition

• Increasing need to define use and resource

Questions ??Questions ??

Michael BradleyMichael Bradley

mbradley@usgs.govmbradley@usgs.gov

615615--837837--4703 4703

TVA – Tennessee Valley

• Estimated use of water in the Tennessee River

watershed in 2000 and projections of water use to

2030 Susan S. Hutson, M. Carolyn Koroa, C. Michael

Murphree 2003, Water-Resources Investigations

Report 2003-4302Report 2003-4302

• Water Use in the Tennessee Valley for 2005 and

Projected Use in 2030, Charles Bohac and Michael

McCall, 2008, Tennessee Valley Authority

• Water Use Use in the Tennessee Valley for 2010 and

Projected Use in 2035, Charles Bohac and Amanda

Bowen, 2012, Tennessee Valley Authority

Gill, A.C., Harper, M.J., and Littlepage, T.M., 2013, Water

use, availability, and net demand in the Tennessee River

watershed within Alabama, 2005: U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5067, 42 p.

Alabama - USGS

• Estimated use of water in Alabama in 2005

Susan S. Hutson, Thomas M. Littlepage,

Michael J. Harper, James O. Tinney 2009,

Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5163Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5163

• Alabama Water Use, 2005 Susan S. Hutson,

Thomas M. Littlepage, Michael J. Harper,

James O. Tinney 2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3081

• ALABAMA

• Baker, R.M., and Mooty, W.S., 1985, Use of water in Alabama, 1985: Geological Survey of Alabama Information Series 59D, 51 p.

• Baker, R.M., and Mooty, W.S., 1993, Use of water in Alabama, 1990: Geological Survey of Alabama Information Series 59E, 51 p.

• Gill, A.C., Harper, M.J., and Littlepage, T.M., 2013, Water use, availability, and net demand in the Tennessee River watershed within Alabama, 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5067, 42 p.

• Hutson, S.S., Littlepage, T.M., Harper, M.J., and Tinney, J.O., 2009a, Alabama water use, 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009–3081, 6 p.

• Hutson, S.S., Littlepage, T.M., Harper, M.J., and Tinney, J.O., 2009b, Estimated use of water in Alabama in 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5163, 210 p.

• Kidd, R.E., and Lambeth, D.S., 1995, Hydrogeology and ground-water quality in the Black Belt area of west-central Alabama, and estimated water use for aquaculture, 1990: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4074, 52 p. Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4074, 52 p.

• Marella, R.L., and Fanning, J.L., 2011, Water withdrawals, wastewater discharge, and water consumption in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, 2005, and water-use trends, 1970–2005: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2011–5130, 34 p.

• Marella, R.L., Fanning, J.L., and Mooty, W.S., 1993, Estimated use of water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin during 1990 with State summaries from 1970 to 1990: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4084, 45 p.

• Mooty, W.S., 1990a, Alabama water supply and use in National Water Summary 1987-Hydrologic events and water supply and use: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2350, p. 141-148.

• Mooty, W.S., 1990b, Water withdrawals in the Black Warrior-Tombigbee basin in Alabama, 1985-87: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 90-4112, 52 p.

• Mooty, W.S. and Richardson, Joanne, 1998, Water use in Alabama, 1995: U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigations Report 98-4154, 92 p.

• Peirce, L. B., 1972, Use of water in Alabama, 1970, with projections to 2020: Geological Survey of Alabama Information Series 42, 77 p.

Questions ??Questions ??