Freshwater Use In Delaware, 1995
By Judith C. Wheeler
Excerpt From Introduction
This fact sheet describes the results of a study of water use in the State of Delaware that was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), as part of the National Water-Use Information Program of the USGS. The Program is based on Federal and State cooperative agreements to collect, store, and disseminate water-use information nationally and locally.
As the demand for freshwater increases, the stress placed on the surface-water and Groundwater resources of Delaware increases. Effective water-resources management depends in part on current and accurate water-use data. Such data are valuable for evaluating the effects of withdrawals on the State's water resources, identifying current water-use patterns, and estimating future water demands. Together, DNREC and USGS collect, compile, estimate, and store site-specific and aggregated water-use data that are useful for State water-resources management.
Delaware water-use data have been published in reports such as the "Water 2020" series (Water Resources Agency for New Castle County, 1990) and USGS publications by Phelan (1987 and 1990). Delaware water-use data are also included in USGS national water-use compilations, which have been published every five years since 1950. State data for 1995 are in USGS Circular 1200, "Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1995" (Solley, Pierce, and Perlman, 1998).
