WHAT IS WATER USE?
Water-use activities, as defined in this project, pertain to human activities that utilize and transfer ground and surface waters (see Water Use Cycle Figure). Water-use activities begin when water is diverted or withdrawn from surface water or groundwater resources and conveyed to the place of use. The withdrawal may be (1) by the user or (2) by a community water system, in which case the water is conveyed to the user through a distribution system. Water use by a user or group of users in a geographic area (areal aggregate of users) refers to water that is used for a specific purpose, such as for drinking or bathing (domestic activities), watering plants (irrigation), or industrial processing. Water becomes wastewater during use. Wastewater is typically conveyed to either a wastewater-treatment facility for treatment and discharge to a stream or the ground or is returned directly to the ground through septic systems (collectively called return flow). Consumptive use is water that evap
