Future U.S. Water Consumption: The Role of Energy Production<sup>1</sup>

Elcock, D.

doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.2009.00413.x

Cited by 47 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…First, consider corn-based ethanol. Consumptive water use in corn ethanol processing has been dropping (Elcock 2010;Schnoor and others 2008). Expressed as the ratio of gallons of water to gallon of fuel produced, consumptive water use dropped from 3.5-6.0 gallons only a few years ago (King and Webber 2008) King and Webber (2008) reported that the ratio of water withdrawal to consumptive use is about 4.5.…”

Section: Water Use In Liquid Fuel Processing (φ Fp )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability of U.S. water supply to shortage: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

Foti¹,

Ramı́rez²,

Brown³

2012

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Abstract:Comparison of projected future water demand and supply across the conterminous United States indicates that, due to improving efficiency in water use, expected increases in population and economic activity do not by themselves pose a serious threat of large-scale water shortages. However, climate change can increase water demand and decrease water supply to the extent that, barring major adaptation efforts, substantial future water shortages are likely, especially in the larger Southwest. Because further global temperature increases are probably unavoidable, adaptation will be essential in the areas of greatest increase in projected probability of shortage. Keywords SummaryThe likelihood of future water shortages depends on how water supply compares with demands for water use. Comparison of supply and demand within a probabilistic framework yields an estimate of the probability of shortage and thus a measure of the vulnerability of the water supply system. This comparison was performed for current conditions and for several possible future conditions reflecting alternative socio-economic scenarios and climatic projections. Examining alternative futures provides a measure of the extent to which serious future risks of water shortage must be anticipated.Water supply was quantified by first estimating freshwater input as precipitation minus evapotranspiration for each point in a grid covering the study area. These water inputs were then allocated to major river basins and made available to meet basic in-stream flow requirements, satisfy off-stream demands including those from downstream basins or those reached by trans-basin diversions, and add to reservoir storage. Off-stream demands were estimated as threshold quantities of desired water use based on extending past trends in water use under the assumption that water supply would be no more constraining to future water withdrawals than in the recent past. Modeling water supply and demand in this way does not provide a forecast of future shortage levels. Rather, it provides a projection of the degree to which water shortages would occur in the absence of adaptation measures to either increase supply or decrease demand.On a per capita basis, aggregate water withdrawal in the United States has been dropping since at least 1985. This reduction has occurred largely because of changes in the irrigation, thermoelectric, and industrial water use sectors. In the West, agricultural acreage has been decreasing and water withdrawal efficiency has been improving. Water withdrawal per kilowatt hour produced at thermoelectric plants has been steadily dropping as production has moved to more water-efficient plant types. And industrial water use has been dropping as industrial capacity has moved overseas and water recycling has become more common at remaining plants.Despite the reductions in per-capita water withdrawal, total U.S. withdrawal rose from 1985 to 2000, largely in response to population growth of roughly 2.7 million persons per year. However, the most recent ...

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Section: Water Use In Liquid Fuel Processing (φ Fp )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability of U.S. water supply to shortage: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

Foti¹,

Ramı́rez²,

Brown³

2012

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“…For example, it is estimated that a typical corn-ethanol plant (capacity of 100 mg/year; 378 ml/year) uses as much water as a community of 5000 people [17]. However, much more significant is the additional water required for crop irrigation, which exacerbates the general concerns about water availability in many regions [18]. A recent NRC report concluded that as of 2008, biofuels were a marginal additional stress on water supplies at the regional to local scale, but that significant acceleration of biofuels production could cause much greater water quantity problems, depending on where the crops are grown [7].…”

Section: Current Water Requirements For Corn Ethanolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential water requirements of increased ethanol fuel in the USA

2017

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Background: To mitigate climate impacts associated with energy consumption, renewable fuel policies have been established in the USA that encourage production and use of corn ethanol. Current fuel usage of corn ethanol is approximately 15 billion gallons/year (57 billion liters/year), with nearly all of this in the form of E10 (10% blend in gasoline). There is now interest in increasing fuel ethanol usage to achieve nationwide levels of E20 or greater. Due to lack of capacity and poor economics, cellulosic ethanol cannot contribute significantly to increased fuel ethanol production in the near term. Thus, rapid growth of fuel ethanol usage implies expansion of corn ethanol beyond current levels. The objective of this study was to assess the potential water requirements of expanding corn ethanol to provide for nationwide E20 fuel by 2025.

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“…Some new renewable energy developments, such as central solar thermal systems and expanded production of biofuels, may also have high water demands. Yet plans for energy developments in the southwestern United States have not fully taken such water requirements into account, raising new questions about competition for limited water resources (10). Such tensions are an indication of physical water constraints and the realization that the water demands from new development or growth will only be satisfied by reallocating water from existing users.…”

Section: Water Management Strategies: Old and Newmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roadmap for sustainable water resources in southwestern North America

Gleick¹

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

156

102

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The management of water resources in arid and semiarid areas has long been a challenge, from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern southwestern United States. As our understanding of the hydrological and climatological cycles has improved, and our ability to manipulate the hydrologic cycle has increased, so too have the challenges associated with managing a limited natural resource for a growing population. Modern civilization has made remarkable progress in water management in the past few centuries. Burgeoning cities now survive in desert regions, relying on a mix of simple and complex technologies and management systems to bring adequate water and remove wastewater. These systems have permitted agricultural production and urban concentrations to expand in regions previously thought to have inadequate moisture. However, evidence is also mounting that our current management and use of water is unsustainable. Physical, economic, and ecological limits constrain the development of new supplies and additional water withdrawals, even in regions not previously thought vulnerable to water constraints. New kinds of limits are forcing water managers and policy makers to rethink previous assumptions about population, technology, regional planning, and forms of development. In addition, new threats, especially the challenges posed by climatic changes, are now apparent. Sustainably managing and using water in arid and semiarid regions such as the southwestern United States will require new thinking about water in an interdisciplinary and integrated way. The good news is that a wide range of options suggest a roadmap for sustainable water management and use in the coming decades.climate change | soft path | freshwater | sustainability | water management

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Future U.S. Water Consumption: The Role of Energy Production¹

Cited by 47 publications

References 6 publications

Vulnerability of U.S. water supply to shortage: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

Vulnerability of U.S. water supply to shortage: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

Potential water requirements of increased ethanol fuel in the USA

Roadmap for sustainable water resources in southwestern North America

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Future U.S. Water Consumption: The Role of Energy Production1

Cited by 47 publications

References 6 publications

Vulnerability of U.S. water supply to shortage: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

Vulnerability of U.S. water supply to shortage: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

Potential water requirements of increased ethanol fuel in the USA

Roadmap for sustainable water resources in southwestern North America

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Resources

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Future U.S. Water Consumption: The Role of Energy Production¹