Water Withdrawals and Use in Illinois, 2010

Abstract

In Illinois, water is used for domestic purposes (such as drinking and bathing), transportation, power generation, industrial (manufacturing) purposes, commercial (non-manufacturing) purposes, golf course irrigation, agricultural irrigation, recreation, fire protection, and conservation (such as wildlife habitat maintenance). Much of this water is potable water that is treated and conveyed from its source by public water systems. Water is obtained from sources that are either underground (i.e., from aquifers) or on the surface. Groundwater is pumped from aquifers through wells, and surface water is withdrawn through intakes in rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. The historical and current priority of the Illinois Water Inventory Program (IWIP) at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) since 1979 has been to develop and maintain a database of water withdrawals by community water supply systems (CWS) and self-supplied industrial-commercial facilities through an annual census. The long-term goals of IWIP include accounting for all major uses of water in Illinois, either through an expanded census or by estimation. This fact sheet provides an overview of water withdrawals by community water supply systems and self-supplied industrial-commercial facilities in Illinois during 2010 based on IWIP data.