consumptive use

Water that has been evaporated, transpired, incorporated into products, plant tissue, or animal tissue and, therefore, is not available for immediate reuse. Sometimes referred to as water consumption.

Implies withdrawal of water for such purposes as irrigation, power generation and industrial, municipal and domestic water supplies. Destructive use, such as for waste disposal or as a carrier for sewage, is considered consumptive. Nonconsumptive uses (those that do not reduce the supply) are: recreational, bathing, fishing, boating and hunting, navigable waterways and for aquaculture.