Water Use Information for Idaho

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Water-Use Information Program compiles and publishes the Nation's water-use data. The USGS works in cooperation with local, State, and Federal agencies as well as academic and private organizations to collect and report total withdrawals for major categories of use at county, watershed, aquifer, state, and national levels. In five-year increments, beginning in 1950, the USGS has published State totals from all 50 States as well as the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. View reports online.

In 2000, the Program reported ground-water withdrawals from principal aquifers for public-supply, self-supplied industrial and irrigation water uses. This compilation represented the first national compilation of aquifer withdrawals for the three largest consumptive water-use categories. The report is available online.

Data is compiled for each State through efforts by USGS Water Science Center Water Use Specialists following national guidelines. National guidelines for the two most recent compilation efforts are published as U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods Book 4, Chapter E1 (2005 compilation), and Techniques and Methods 4A-4 (2000 compilation), respectively.