In 2008, The U.S. National Academy of Engineering identified the limited availability of water as one of the grand challenges for engineering in the \(21\textrm{st}\) century. Here, it is shown that three main conventional fuels (natural gas, nuclear, and coal) generated in 2020 approximately 79% of total U.S. electricity, but demanded nearly 96% of the total blue water withdrawal (i.e., fresh surface and groundwater) for electricity generation. The vast majority of that water was required for coolingCooling. By contrast, the combined main renewableRenewable energies (windWind, hydro and solar) used about 1% of the total power plants’ blue water withdrawal, but generated 18% of electricity in the United States—more water is employed for electricity generation than for agriculture. Relying so heavily on conventional fuels is the reason behind the power sector being the top water user in the country. For example, power plants withdrawn 183 billion m \(^3\) (48.3 trillion gallons) in 2015, accounting for 41% of total U.S. water withdrawal, and 72% of that withdrawal was freshwater. The irrigation sector was the second largest water user that year, representing 37% of total U.S. water withdrawal. Results show that expanding the use ofRenewable energy renewableRenewable energyEnergy sources, such as windWind and solar photovoltaicPhotovoltaic (PV), at the expense of conventional fuels is a necessary step to reduce drastically the water amounts demanded for electricity generation and, consequently, to preserve the increasingly stressed water resourcesResources