Industrial Water Use

The 2020 update of the water demand forecast for the industrial sector was revised in 2022 and is posted at the link below.  These updates were prepared to inform the next updates to the Regional Water Plans.  The 2017 Regional Water Plans that are found on each Region’s page were informed by prior forecasts of industrial water demands.  The prior forecasts are discussed under the Technical Information on each Water Planning Region’s website.  

This updated forecast reflects Georgia’s water needs for the industrial sector through 2060. An industrial sector advisory group, which was convened in June 2020, provided input and review on the methodology and results of the updated forecast. The advisory group was further subdivided into four subsector advisory groups representing food processing, paper and forest products, mining, and manufacturing. Each subsector group developed its own approach to estimating future water needs for these subsectors. Thus, the update of the industrial water demand forecast is based upon input and expert opinions by industry leaders from across the state.

The approach used in 2020 to estimate future industrial water demand differs from the approach previously used, which relied upon employment projections to inform the industrial water demand projections. There has been no update to the prior industrial water demand forecast since the 2011 Regional Water Plans.  Since that time, industrial water use in Georgia has decreased, in part due to more efficient use of water.  Based on those decreases, and the change in the approach for this forecast, the 2020 update and the 2022 revision of the industrial water demand forecast includes significantly lower projections than the prior forecast.