A Decade of Wisconsin Water Withdrawals
Water Quantity in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Water Use
Water Use Overview
Wisconsin is water-rich. The state has more than 84,000 river miles, 15,000 lakes, 1,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 1.2 quadrillion gallons of groundwater.
The sustainable use of Wisconsin’s water resources is critical for our health, environment and economy. In Wisconsin, we rely on both surface water and groundwater for uses including drinking water supplies, cooling water for power plants, irrigating crops and turf, raising livestock, and supplying industrial and commercial facilities
Water Use Withdrawals
Wisconsin passed legislation to implement the Great Lakes Compact in 2008 and included in this legislation are requirements for registering and reporting surface water and groundwater withdrawals that have the capacity to withdraw 100,000 gallons per day. To withdraw means to take water from surface water or groundwater.
Surface water is any water above the ground and includes rivers, streams, ponds and lakes. Groundwater is water that fills up pores and cracks in the soils and rocks beneath the Earth’s surface. Wisconsin uses withdrawal data along with monitoring levels in our lakes, rivers and aquifers to ensure a sustainable water supply for human consumption, healthy ecosystems and economic growth; to support sound resource management decisions; and to protect our sustainable water resources.
Water Use Sectors And Withdrawal Reporting
The DNR tracks water use from registered water withdrawals by sector (i.e. who is using the water and for what purpose), source type (surface water or groundwater) and location.
Wisconsin’s largest water use sectors are power production, municipal public water supply, paper manufacturing, agricultural irrigation, cranberry production, industrial, non-metallic mining, golf-course irrigation, dairy farming, aquaculture, commercial and non-municipal public. Other water uses include food processing, chemical manufacturing, dewatering, construction, non-dairy farming and more.
In Wisconsin, withdrawal types and amounts vary depending on location. Lake Michigan provides drinking water for the municipal water supply sector as well as significant amounts of cooling water for electric power generation.
Groundwater withdrawals throughout the state commonly serve as a source water for agricultural irrigation and drinking water for municipalities. Withdrawals are smallest in northern Wisconsin, where local geology limits groundwater availability, land use is more forest-based, populations are lower and agriculture is less prevalent.
Water, Water Everywhere
On average, Wisconsin residents and businesses withdraw about 1.9 trillion gallons of water annually. This volume is roughly:
- Enough water to cover the state of Wisconsin in 1.6 inches of water.
- About as much water as passes by La Crosse in the Mississippi River in 3.5 months.
- Over 300,000 gallons per Wisconsin resident, per year. That’s equivalent to about 1.3 million large fountain drinks per person, per year.
Surface Water Withdrawals
Wisconsin Surface Water Withdrawals
Wisconsin surface water is withdrawn from rivers, streams, ponds and lakes, including Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. The water use sectors responsible for the highest volume of withdrawals include power production, paper production, municipal water supply and cranberry production.
Power plants, specifically thermo-electric power plants, need large amounts of cooling water and are located along Lake Michigan and the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. On average, power plants withdraw approximately 1.4 trillion gallons of water per year.
Wisconsin Surface Water Withdrawals
Over 40 paper mills in Wisconsin use approximately 6% of the total overall surface water for pulp and paper-making processes. Over the last decade, on average, this water use sector used 93 billion gallons of water per year.
More than 50% of Wisconsin’s population, or approximately 1.6 million residents, live near the Great Lakes. Municipalities along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior use water directly from the lakes for public water supply.
Cranberry producers withdraw water for frost protection in winter and to flood crops before harvesting. Wisconsin produces more than 60% of the U.S. cranberry crop.
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Groundwater Withdrawals
Wisconsin Groundwater Withdrawals
Public and private wells withdraw groundwater directly from Wisconsin's subsurface aquifer formations.
Wells are safe, dependable sources of water if sited wisely and built correctly.
Wisconsin’s History Of Groundwater Pumping
Wisconsin began regulating the construction of high capacity wells in 1945 and maintains an inventory of high capacity wells dating back to the early 20th century. In the late 1950s, widespread use of groundwater wells for irrigation began when a severe drought coincided with the arrival of new irrigation and well-drilling technology.
The largest spikes in high-capacity well construction coincide with droughts in 1976-1977 and 2012.
Municipal well construction has declined in the last decade. This is due to more water-efficient appliances and fixtures, and technologies that reduce municipal customer demand.
Groundwater Well Capacities
A high-capacity well is a well that has the capacity to withdraw more than 100,000 gallons per day, or several wells on a property that have the capacity to withdraw more than 100,000 gallons per day. A low-capacity well withdraws less than 100,000 gallons per day.
The capacity of wells varies by water use sector. Municipal water supply wells and agricultural irrigation wells often have the capacity to withdraw over 1 million gallons per day. Industrial and dairy wells typically have the capacity to withdraw over 100,000 gallons per day.
Owners of low-capacity private wells are not required to register wells or report water use. These wells, which are mostly residential wells, use an estimated total of 50 to 75 billion gallons per year statewide. Owners of high-capacity wells report an average withdrawal of 210 billion gallons of water per year.
Groundwater Statistics
Municipalities, which supply more than two-thirds of Wisconsin residents with drinking water, withdraw the largest amount of groundwater.
Agricultural irrigation is the second-largest use of groundwater and is used to support a variety of crops. For example, Wisconsin has over 65,000 acres of potatoes, many of which require irrigation to supplement rainfall.
Industrial water withdrawals are used for dewatering, construction, non-metallic mining and food production.
Aquaculture facilities withdraw groundwater to raise fish for food, bait or stocking water bodies of the state.
Dairy farmers withdraw water to use as drinking water for livestock, cooling animals and other processes.
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Wisconsin Seasonal Water Withdrawal Trends
The DNR uses reporting data to determine sustainability of our water supply and answer the following questions: How much water are we using? Where are we using the water? What are we using the water for? How much water do we have?
The DNR collects monthly water withdrawals from users across the state. The DNR analyzes the data annually and compiles the data for several audiences including water use sectors, the Council of Great Lakes Governors, researchers, educators, DNR staff and the general public.
Withdrawals from the different water use sectors vary throughout the year. Monthly trends in water use throughout any given year are often related to precipitation patterns. For example, if precipitation occurs within the growing season, irrigated agriculture requires less water.
Wisconsin Seasonal Water Withdrawal Trends
The chart to the left shows monthly water withdrawals from surface and groundwater by water use sector.
Water withdrawn for municipal water supply purposes increases in summer months due to outdoor activities such as watering lawns. Throughout the year, municipal water supplies residential, industrial and commercial customers.
Agricultural water users irrigate during the growing season (May – October), with peak use often in July and August. On average, 30% of high-capacity wells in Wisconsin are used for agricultural irrigation. Surface water withdrawals, such as private ponds, are also used to irrigate crops. Withdrawals for aquaculture and livestock require consistent volume of water year-round.
Want To Learn More?
Additional resources and more information about water use and wells in Wisconsin can be found at the following links:
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