WELCOME to the Tennessee water-use information web site. This site is
sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, Tennessee District (USGS) and
the Tennessee Division of Water Supply, Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation (TDEC). This web site offers water-use
data for 1995 that can be downloaded as tables, choropleth maps,
graphs, and spreadsheet files for the counties and watersheds (8-digit
hydrologic units) in Tennessee. A good place to begin your search of
our web site is by viewing our Topics button under User Assistance.
The U.S Geological Survey estimates water use by State and
water-resources region for the United States, Puerto Rico, and the
U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. National estimates
have been compiled by the USGS through the water-use program every 5
years since 1950 (MacKichen, 1951, 1957; MacKichen and Kammerer, 1961;
Murray, 1968; Murray and Reeves, 1972, 1977; Solley and others, 1983,
1988, 1993, and 1998). The historical data can be used to develop and
evaluate trends in water use and to plan for more effective uses of
the Nation's water resources in the future. A link to the national
water-use web site is provided at the bottom of this page.
Tennessee Water-Use Information Program
Tennessee is water rich with abundant surface- and ground-water
resources. How these resources are developed and managed in the face
of changing demands determines the actual availability and quality of
water in the State. Typically, demand for water increases gradually
with time. If the storage and distribution facilities that provide
this developed water supply do not keep pace with the increasing
demand, the reliability of the supply declines-that is, supplies
become more vulnerable to rapid population or economic growth or to
drought. This vulnerability can be diminished by building
surface-water reservoirs, drilling wells, improving water-supply
forecasting, improving overall management of existing facilities, or
instituting water-conservation measures.
This web page describes the nature and extent of the demand on the
water resources in Tennessee in 1995. The water-use data and
information that can be accessed through this web page are part of an
information framework that can be used for making water-use management
decisions that affect water availability in Tennessee. Further, the
data increase our understanding of the affect of human activity on the
hydrologic cycle. For a more complete water-resources picture, links
to USGS streamflow, ground-water, and water-quality data for Tennessee
are provided at the bottom of the web page.
The U.S. Geological Survey and the Tennessee Department of Environment
and Conservation (TDEC), Division of Water Supply jointly fund the
Tennessee Water-Use Information Program. Data are collected on where
water is used, how much water is used, how it is used, and how much is
returned to the natural system. The water-use data tables for 1995
presented at the web site are organized to provide data on total use
as well as individual category of use and source of supply. The tables
also provide data on consumptive use and other related facets of water
use. The data can be retrieved by county or watershed (designated by
8-digit numbers).
Although there are many instream uses of water, hydroelectric-power
generation is the only use for which water data are
collected. Categories of offstream use are:
| Public Supply | Irrigation | Mining |
| Domestic | Livestock | Thermoelectric |
| Commercial | Industrial | Wastewater Treatment |
Water-use data on this web site are from the files of the Tennessee
Water-Use Information Program. Data were collected by the following
agencies: Tennessee Valley Authority (thermoelectric and
hydroelectric); Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation,
Division of Water Supply, (public supply, industry, and commercial);
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of
Water Pollution (wastewater discharges); U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (irrigation);
Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Statistical Service,
and The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service
(livestock and aquaculture).
Mission statement for the Tennessee
Division of Water Supply
The mission of the Tennessee Division of Water Supply is to enhance
the quality of life of the citizens of Tennessee by ensuring the
safety and quality of our drinking water and the safety of non-federal
dams through training, technical assistance, and the enforcement of
laws and regulations, and to protect our environment through
source-water protection programs, ground-water activities, and
licensing.
The State of Tennessee collects or analyzes data on water use, water
quality, treatment and distribution needs, and resource availability
with the aim of making better resource-management decisions for the
foreseeable future. Links to the water-related Divisions in TDEC are
provided at the bottom of the web page.
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Background