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Water Use Poster - Middle School
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OFFSTREAM USE
 | Public Supply
Public-supply use refers to water withdrawn by public and private suppliers and delivered to a variety of consumers for domestic, commercial, and industrial uses and thermoelectric power generation. |
 | Domestic and Commercial
A subcategory of Public Supply is domestic and commercial water use. Domestic water use is for normal household purposes such as drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes, dishes and cars, and watering lawns and gardens. Commercial water use is for schools, hotels, motels, restaurants, office buildings, retail and other commercial facilities, and civilian and military institutions. Domestic and commercial water uses are similar in that both are largely dependent on public water supplies and the resulting wastewater is disposed of largely through communal sewer systems. Moreover, both are concentrated in urban and suburban areas. |
 | Wastewater Treatment
The wastewater resulting from domestic, commercial, and industrial uses is cleaned at wastewater-treatment facilities and returned to a water source. Cleaning and returning water to be reused is an important concept in water use. |
 | Agriculture
In agriculture, water is used for irrigation and livestock. Irrigation includes the water people put on fields, trees, crops, pastures, and golf courses. In raising livestock, water is used for livestock drinking water, dairy operations, and fish farming (aquaculture). |
 | Thermoelectric Power
Thermoelectric power is the production of electricity by steam using fossil fuel, nuclear, or geothermal energy. Water is used primarily for cooling, so very little is consumed. |
 | Industrial and Mining
Industries use water for manufacturing. The largest water-using industries in the United States include those that manufacture steel and other metals, chemicals and chemical products, paper and paper products, and refine petroleum. Before petroleum is refined, it must be mined, and this process also requires water. The mining of minerals also requires water for such steps as milling and washing. |
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