Water Withdrawal and Consumption Trends for Thermoelectric-Power Plants in the Conterminous United States, 2008–2020

Freshwater-using
utility-scale thermoelectric (TE) plant
water-use
estimates were evaluated for annual trends from 2008 to 2020 across
the conterminous United States (CONUS) and within hydrologic regions.
Overall, TE water withdrawal and consumption trends declined across
CONUS by 14,335 and 278 million liters/day, respectively. Decreasing
water withdrawal and consumption trends for TE plants are driven largely
by switching from coal-fired plants to other generation technologies.
TE plant cooling system technology has also changed, with large declining
trends for TE plants using once-through cooling systems and small
increasing consumption trends for TE plants using recirculating tower
cooling systems. Fifteen hydrologic regions have decreasing trends
in withdrawals and consumption. The largest decreases are for coal-fired
plants using once-through freshwater cooling systems in the Great
Lakes and Ohio hydrologic regions. Natural gas combined cycle plants
with recirculating tower cooling systems have increased water consumption
trends across most of the CONUS hydrologic regions. Some TE plants
with recirculating tower or once-through cooling systems withdraw
water volumes that on average are close to or exceed average simulated
streamflows. Most of these situations occur in the central and eastern
U.S., potentially leading to water availability issues among competing
water needs, ecosystem impacts from thermal pollution, and power generation
constraints.