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Title: Mapping water availability, cost and projected consumptive use in the Eastern United States with comparisons to the West

Abstract

The availability of freshwater supplies to meet future demand is a growing concern. Water availability metrics are needed to inform future water development decisions. Furthermore, with the help of water managers, water availability was mapped for over 1300 watersheds throughout the 31-contiguous states in the eastern U.S. complimenting a prior study of the west. The compiled set of water availability data is unique in that it considers multiple sources of water (fresh surface and groundwater, wastewater and brackish groundwater); accommodates institutional controls placed on water use; is accompanied by cost estimates to access, treat and convey each unique source of water, and; is compared to projected future growth in consumptive water use to 2030. Although few administrative limits have been set on water availability in the east, water managers have identified 315 fresh surface water and 398 fresh groundwater basins (with 151 overlapping basins) as Areas of Concern (AOCs) where water supply challenges exist due to drought related concerns, environmental flows, groundwater overdraft, or salt water intrusion. This highlights a difference in management where AOCs are identified in the east which simply require additional permitting, while in the west strict administrative limits are established. Although the east is generally consideredmore » "water rich" roughly a quarter of the basins were identified as AOCs; however, this is still in strong contrast to the west where 78% of the surface water basins are operating at or near their administrative limit. There was little effort noted on the part of eastern or western water managers to quantify non-fresh water resources.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Earth System Analysis
  2. Portland State Univ., Portland, OR (United States)
  3. Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (United States)
  4. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1411877
Report Number(s):
SAND-2017-12929J
Journal ID: ISSN 1748-9326; 659241
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Environmental Research Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 13; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1748-9326
Publisher:
IOP Publishing
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY

Citation Formats

Tidwell, Vincent, Moreland, Barbara D., Shaneyfelt, Calvin, and Kobos, Peter H. Mapping water availability, cost and projected consumptive use in the Eastern United States with comparisons to the West. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aa9907.
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Tidwell, Vincent, Moreland, Barbara D., Shaneyfelt, Calvin, & Kobos, Peter H. Mapping water availability, cost and projected consumptive use in the Eastern United States with comparisons to the West. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa9907
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Tidwell, Vincent, Moreland, Barbara D., Shaneyfelt, Calvin, and Kobos, Peter H. Wed . "Mapping water availability, cost and projected consumptive use in the Eastern United States with comparisons to the West". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa9907. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1411877.
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@article{osti_1411877,
title = {Mapping water availability, cost and projected consumptive use in the Eastern United States with comparisons to the West},
author = {Tidwell, Vincent and Moreland, Barbara D. and Shaneyfelt, Calvin and Kobos, Peter H.},
abstractNote = {The availability of freshwater supplies to meet future demand is a growing concern. Water availability metrics are needed to inform future water development decisions. Furthermore, with the help of water managers, water availability was mapped for over 1300 watersheds throughout the 31-contiguous states in the eastern U.S. complimenting a prior study of the west. The compiled set of water availability data is unique in that it considers multiple sources of water (fresh surface and groundwater, wastewater and brackish groundwater); accommodates institutional controls placed on water use; is accompanied by cost estimates to access, treat and convey each unique source of water, and; is compared to projected future growth in consumptive water use to 2030. Although few administrative limits have been set on water availability in the east, water managers have identified 315 fresh surface water and 398 fresh groundwater basins (with 151 overlapping basins) as Areas of Concern (AOCs) where water supply challenges exist due to drought related concerns, environmental flows, groundwater overdraft, or salt water intrusion. This highlights a difference in management where AOCs are identified in the east which simply require additional permitting, while in the west strict administrative limits are established. Although the east is generally considered "water rich" roughly a quarter of the basins were identified as AOCs; however, this is still in strong contrast to the west where 78% of the surface water basins are operating at or near their administrative limit. There was little effort noted on the part of eastern or western water managers to quantify non-fresh water resources.},
doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/aa9907},
journal = {Environmental Research Letters},
number = 1,
volume = 13,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Nov 08 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Wed Nov 08 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa9907
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Works referenced in this record:

Macro-scale water scarcity requires micro-scale approaches
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Relative Regional Vulnerability of Water Resources to Climate Change
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  • Tidwell, Vincent C.; Moreland, Barbara D.; Zemlick, Katie M.
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Potential Impacts of Electric Power Production Utilizing Natural Gas, Renewables and Carbon Capture and Sequestration on U.S. Freshwater Resources
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  • Tidwell, Vincent C.; Malczynski, Leonard A.; Kobos, Peter H.
  • Environmental Science & Technology
  • DOI: 10.1021/es3052284
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Implications of water constraints on electricity capacity expansion in the United States
    journal, February 2019

    Non-stationary hydropower generation projections constrained by environmental and electricity grid operations over the western United States
    journal, July 2018

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