USGS South Carolina Water Use information

The future health and welfare of the Nation's population is dependent upon a continuing supply of uncontaminated fresh water. Increasing withdrawals and increasing demands for instream flows are limiting the water available for future use. More comprehensive water-use data and analysis of water-use information are needed to quantify the stress on existing supplies and to better model and evaluate possible water-supply management options to supplement traditional water-supply approaches.

The USGS compiles water-use data from numerous sources for all parts of the county, and since 1950 has published a series of Circulars on the estimated use of water in the United States at 5-year intervals. These Circulars contain State-level estimates of the amount of public- and self-supplied water used for commercial, domestic, industrial, irrigation, livestock, mining, power generation, and other purposes. The water-use data collected and compiled in South Carolina are an integral part of the nationwide assessment of water supply and demand.

Water-use data tables

Freshwater use, excluding thermoelectric power, in South Carolina, 2005

Water use in South Carolina, excluding thermoelectric power, 2005
(Water-use values are in million gallons per day (Mgal/d)
Population is in thousands)
County	Population	Ground-water use	Surface-water use	Total
Abbeville	26,133	2.01	2.76	4.77
Aiken	150,181	19.82	66.31	86.13
Allendale	10,917	11.14	0.43	11.57
Anderson	175,514	5.31	22.09	27.40
Bamberg	15,880	4.18	1.35	5.53
Barnwell	23,345	3.73	0.39	4.12
Beaufort	137,849	22.72	8.45	31.17
Berkeley	151,673	6.36	25.71	32.07
Calhoun	15,100	3.27	72.57	75.84
Charleston	330,368	13.74	101.03	114.77
Cherokee	53,844	3.17	8.54	11.71
Chester	33,228	1.91	3.85	5.76
Chesterfield	43,435	5.65	3.14	8.79
Clarendon	33,363	4.45	0.25	4.70
Colleton	39,605	9.23	0.63	9.86
Darlington	67,346	11.72	20.05	31.77
Dillon	30,974	5.54	0.00	5.54
Dorchester	112,858	9.60	0.20	9.80
Edgefield	25,528	0.53	5.49	6.02
Fairfield	24,047	1.45	1.67	3.12
Florence	131,097	22.45	21.14	43.59
Georgetown	60,983	11.62	45.00	56.62
Greenville	407,383	3.50	66.79	70.29
Greenwood	67,979	1.74	12.84	14.58
Hampton	21,329	7.69	0.05	7.74
Horry	226,992	17.29	31.63	48.92
Jasper	21,398	22.85	0.00	22.85
Kershaw	56,486	5.54	6.13	11.67
Lancaster	63,113	0.24	28.37	28.61
Laurens	70,293	4.59	5.08	9.67
Lee	20,638	3.61	0.02	3.63
Lexington	235,272	24.98	42.64	67.62
McCormick	10,108	1.28	0.67	1.95
Marion	34,904	4.63	0.06	4.69
Marlboro	28,021	3.63	21.55	25.18
Newberry	37,250	2.65	6.30	8.95
Oconee	69,577	2.06	12.99	15.05
Orangeburg	92,167	14.94	11.37	26.31
Pickens	113,575	7.19	19.10	26.29
Richland	340,078	18.88	90.83	109.71
Saluda	18,895	1.89	1.69	3.58
Spartanburg	266,809	4.97	95.71	100.68
Sumter	105,517	24.21	1.89	26.10
Union	28,539	1.51	4.96	6.47
Williamsburg	35,395	6.21	0.01	6.22
York	190,097	13.94	61.96	75.90
Total	4,255,083	379.62	933.69	1,313.31

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Water Use in South Carolina, 2005

Water-use data tables

Freshwater use, excluding thermoelectric power, in South Carolina, 2005

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