In a rare bit of ecological good-news, a study published by the US Geological Survey found that even though population of the US has increased 30% since 1980, our water consumption decreased by 5%!  That’s not even a per capita number, it’s an overall reduction due to conservation.  Take a look:

I took the liberty of scrubbing the data and uploading it to Many-Eyes for some interactive analysis.  It looks like the stabilization and decrease has been fueled mostly by a flattened thermoelectric sector, and decreased irrigation and industrial uses.

You can select individual uses in the box to the left to see how they’ve changed over time.

via Energy Circle

Can't get enough? Try these related posts:

1. Pyramid of Conservation
2. PlotWatt Labs: Boiling a pot of water, Part II
3. PlotWatt Labs: Boiling a pot of water, Part I
4. Show-Me the Water
5. A Living Tree(map)