ABSTRACT
The use of nuclear reactions for energy and other purposes is probably the foremost technical event likely to affect the future use of resources. Because of its potentially revolutionary influence upon the economy and technology of the country, some review of its likely effects upon water requirements is essential. In this connection, the two principal aspects of peaceful uses of nuclear energy materials lie in generation of electric power and in waste disposal. However, the application of nuclear technology to electric power generation cannot be discussed intelligibly without concurrent discussion of other means of thermoelectric power production. Accordingly the two cases chosen to illustrate the effects of developing technology on water requirements are thermal methods of generating electricity, and the relation of nuclear energy to water demand, including waste-movement and waste-disposal requirements.
