USGS Guide: Accessing Water Use Data (1950 to 2020)

Updated USGS guide to finding, downloading, and using national water use data, including county-level withdrawals and consumptive use.

USGS refreshed this guide on September 21, 2026. It points to the National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion, which breaks water use into withdrawals versus consumptive use and surface water versus groundwater. It links ScienceBase data releases for 2020 domestic, industrial, and mining water use plus a unified domestic well database. It also covers the re-released 1985 to 2015 county-level data and the 1950 to 1980 state-level data. For utilities, planners, and watershed groups in PA, OH, and WV, it is the fastest way to pull county-level demand numbers for grant narratives, source water planning, or data center impact questions.