| Water Source | Description |
| Blue Water Sources: Fresh surface and groundwater such as the water in freshwater lakes, rivers and aquifers | |
|
Surface Water |
Water that is naturally occurring on the Earth’s surface including ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, icebergs, ponds, lakes, rivers / streams, wetlands, bogs, etc. Surface water has a low concentration of dissolved solids, is of an acceptable quality, and/or requires minimal treatment to be used for domestic, municipal, or agricultural applications. |
| Groundwater | Water in soil beneath the soil surface, usually under conditions where the pressure in the water is greater than the atmospheric pressure, and the underground areas are substantially filled with the water. Non-renewable groundwater is generally located at deeper depths and cannot be replenished easily or is replenished over very long periods of time. They are sometimes referred to as “fossil” groundwater sources. |
|
Municipal Blue Water |
Water provided by a municipality or other public provider that is generated by blue water. |
| Municipal Water (Origin Unknown) | Water provided by a municipality or other public provider with unknown origins, such as blue or gray water. |
|
Brackish Surface Water/Seawater |
Water in which the concentration of salts is relatively high (over 10,000 mg/l). For comparison, seawater has a typical concentration of salts above 35,000 mg/l. Brackish water is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as seawater, and certain human activities can produce brackish water. It may result from mixing seawater with freshwater, such as in estuaries. Most terrestrial plant species cannot grow in brackish water. |
| Condensate from External Steam Source | Water that is generated from the condensate of steam sources that are not located at the facility. |
| Rainwater | Water in the form of precipitation, such as rain or snow, and harvested within the facility either from the roof or other surfaces and stored for use. |
| Gray Water Sources: Gray water is water that has been polluted by human activity such as industrial or domestic sources. | |
| Municipal Grey Water | Water provided by a municipality or other public provider that is generated by gray water. |
| Recycled Water | Wastewater that has been treated using physical, chemical, and/or any additional treatment processes to meet a quality which allows the water to be used again in a process. For example, wastewater passed through a membrane filtration process and reintroduced to the industrial operation is considered recycled water. This does not include water cycled in cooling towers and non-contact heat exchange operations. |
| Reuse Water | Wastewater discharged from one process that is used directly in another process without treatment. This does not include water cycled in cooling towers and non-contact heat exchange operations. |
| Treated Wastewater from External Source | Wastewater that has been discharged and treated by another manufacturing facility using physical, chemical, and/or any additional treatment processes to meet a quality which allows the water to be reused in a process. |
| Untreated Wastewater from External Sources (treated internally) | Wastewater that has been discharged by another manufacturing facility and treated at facilities using physical, chemical, and/or any additional treatment processes to meet a quality which allows the water to be reused in a process. |