Where does most of our water go? Not where you may think!
Okay.. Still trying to process this in my not so awake brain, but I am awake enough to have verified the basic data.
If you pay even a little bit of time reading environmental news, you will realize that there is a general shortage of fresh water. I already knew that for the water we consume, a large portion is used by agriculture (like 80 ish percent), but here is what I did not know until yesterday. If we look at the water we USE, thermoelectric power generation takes up nearly 1/2 !!! Now a small portion of this is from ocean water, but the vast majority is fresh water!!!
The data (from the USGC) is in the link below.
https://water.usgs.gov/watuse/wuto.html
This is just one more log on the fire as to why natural gas power generation is NOT a good stepping stone between where we are now and completely renewable electric generation (fracking and methane are other good reasons).
Where does all this water come from? It starts out as rain or snow and flows into our local lakes, rivers, and streams or into underground aquifers. You can learn more about water in your state, including how it is being protected and where your local drinking water comes from.