GARNETT- A recently released water study from the United States Geologic Service shows Anderson County to be the most frugal county in the region in terms of water use, and Linn County to be the largest user in the eastern half of the state. The annual USGS national water census studies water use patterns, sources of use and replacement of ground water resources across the nation in order to provide data for public policy affecting water use.
That data shows Anderson County to have minimal water use patterns reflecting comparatively low population and lack of irrigation and major industrial water users. The study shows Anderson County as a whole averaged 1.85 million gallons of water use by all sources per day. That compares to 3.45 million per day in Franklin County, 2.39 million in Allen County. But all those users are dwarfed by Linn County, who’s LaCygne generating station turns 610 millions of gallons of water per day to steam to run its turbines and generators. Capture systems at the plant return about 99 percent of the water used to the source lake.
