water supply

noun

: a source, means, or process of supplying water (as for a community) usually including reservoirs, tunnels, and pipelines

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web According to the Department of Energy, an average of 24 atmospheric rivers hit the West Coast each winter between 1979 and 2019, providing some 50% of the region's water supply. Stefanie Waldek, House Beautiful, 23 Mar. 2023 Urban and industrial growth and agriculture are compounding existing shortages, with agriculture alone using up 70% of the world’s water supply, Connor said. Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 22 Mar. 2023 Taking advantage of the bounty, scientists at the Desert Research Institute in Reno are taking snow samples from across the mountain range to probe how microplastics get into snowflakes and, ultimately, California’s water supply. Nora Mishanec, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2023 Other suburban developments still in the planning stage, including in the state’s most populous Maricopa County, potentially lack reliable sources of water supply. Jamie Gold, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2023 About 40 million people depend on the Colorado River’s water supply, which has diminished during drought over the last 23 years and because of overuse. Evan Bush, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2023 Testing has found no signs of contamination from the derailment in the air or village water supply, state and federal officials have said. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2023 The Sierra snowpack provides about a third of California's water supply. John Antczak, Amy Taxin And Ben Finley, ajc, 2 Mar. 2023 But California’s Sierra snowpack, which provides about a third of the state’s water supply, continued to benefit from the back-to-back dumps of heavy snowfall. Jae C. Hong, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Feb. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'water supply.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of water supply was in 1805

Dictionary Entries Near water supply

Cite this Entry

“Water supply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20supply. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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