According to the USGS, ~1% of total annual freshwater withdrawals in the U.S. is for livestock and poultry production on the farm. (This is a percentage of all withdrawals excluding thermonuclear.)[1]
The agency reports that in 2015, livestock water withdrawals were estimated at 2 billion gallons of water per day (Bgal/d), with 62% of total withdrawals coming from groundwater.[2]
The overall estimate of 1% of withdrawals is broadly consistent with other analyses. One experienced research team notes that, “About 99% of the WF [water footprint] of livestock production is related to the feed they consume. Direct water use in the animal farms (drinking and service water) accounts for only 1.3% of the WF.”[3] Another report estimates that “livestock watering” is responsible for about 2% of national water consumption.[4] Cattle, and especially dairy cows, drink large amounts of water.[5]
Dieter, C.A. et al., (2018) Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2015, U.S. Geological Survey, p. 32. [“Livestock withdrawals were… about 1 percent of total freshwater withdrawals for all categories, excluding thermoelectric power.” Calculation: All freshwater = 2 Bgal/d / (281-95.1) = ~1%. USGS clarifies, however, that these are estimates as “Few State agencies require livestock operations to report water withdrawals.” The USGS defines livestock to include dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep and lambs, goats, hogs, horses, and poultry.]
Dieter, C.A. et al., (2018) p. 32.
Mekonnen, M. M., et al., (2019). Water productivity in meat and milk production in the US from 1960 to 2016. Environment International, 132, 105084–105084, p. 8. [Note that this report uses different water use parameters and is focused on consumption, not withdrawal. Still, the points are broadly similar.]
Richter, B. D., et al., (2020). Water scarcity and fish imperilment driven by beef production. Nature Sustainability, 3(4), 319–328, table 1, p. 321.
Lovelace, John K. (2009) Method for estimating water withdrawals for livestock in the United States, 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5041. [For drinking water use by animal type, see Table 1, p. 3]
Slaughter and processing plants use large amounts of water relative to the communities in which they are based.[1] However, we are not aware of reports that compare those amounts to overall national usage. Total amounts are likely to be a very small percentage of all industrial usage. The USDA (FSIS) acknowledges that “there is limited information on the exact water use at each of the different processing steps, and for the different food animal establishments in the USA.”[2]
According to one report, the meat processing industry accounts for ~24% of the total freshwater consumption of the food and beverage industry.[3]
Meat and poultry slaughterhouses use water to wash carcasses and rinse meat, remove hair or feathers, chill meat, and clean, sanitize, and cool processing equipment and facilities. In a study of a large beef packing plant, the primary water uses were on the kill floor (29%) followed by plant cleaning (24%).[4]
Li, S., et al., (2018). Assessment of water and energy use at process level in the U.S. beef packing industry: Case study in a typical U.S. large‐size plant. Journal of food process engineering (Vol. 41, Issue 8). John Wiley & Sons, Inc., p. 4. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.12919 [“However, the water use in beef packing plants is still a significant share of water consumption in its community and the resulting wastewater poses massive threats on its surrounding water bodies.”]
USDA FSIS (2021) The Use of Water in Animal Production, Slaughter, and Processing, 2018-2020 National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, p. 9.
Bustillo-Lecompte, C. F., & Mehrvar, M. (2015). Slaughterhouse wastewater characteristics, treatment, and management in the meat processing industry: A review on trends and advances. Journal of Environmental Management, 161, 287–302, p. 287 and Table 1, p. 288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.07.008
Li, S., et al., (2018), p. 8.
Both the following chart and a second one from a USDA report aggregate multiple sources that have estimated water usage per animal slaughtered and/or processed.[1,2]
Timothy Bowser (2021) Slaughterhouse Water Use and Wastewater Characteristics, Oklahoma State Univ. Extension, Table 1. https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/slaughterhouse-water-use-and-wastewater-characteristics-fapc-240.html
USDA FSIS (2021) The Use of Water in Animal Production, Slaughter, and Processing, 2018-2020, Table 1, p. 1758.
More than 95% of slaughterhouses generate wastewater that goes to public treatment plants.[1] Although the relatively large water usage can be a concern, especially in smaller communities, it is the contamination of the wastewater that is a more serious and potentially costly problem affecting local communities and regional surface waters.[2,3]
The EPA found that the meat and poultry processing industry has a significant impact on nutrient pollution, discharging “the highest phosphorus levels and second highest nitrogen levels of all industrial categories.”[4] The agency also found that 73% of the receiving public treatment plants had permit violations for pollutants found in slaughter and processing wastewater.[5] As a result, the EPA has concluded that revision of the effluent guidelines for direct dischargers and new pretreatment standards for indirect dischargers is warranted. Revised rules would include “more stringent effluent limitations” on total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and updated limitations for other pollutants.[6]
U.S. EPA (January 23, 2024) Clean Water Act Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point Source, 89 Fed. Reg. 4474, 4481, Table V-1.
USDA FSIS (2021) The Use of Water in Animal Production, Slaughter, and Processing, 2018-2020, p.1764. [“Water used in establishments processing animal protein contains high amounts of organic matter, pathogenic and nonpathogenic microorganisms, and residual chemicals from cleaning and sanitizing activities.”]
Bustillo-Lecompte, C.F., et al., (2014) Cost-effectiveness analysis of TOC removal from slaughterhouse wastewater using combined anaerobic–aerobic and UV/H2O2 processes, Journal of Environmental Management, Vol 134, 145-152.
Clean Water Act Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point Source, at 4480.
Clean Water Act Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point Source, at 4480.
Clean Water Act Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point Source, at 4475.