Worldwide, industry accounts for about 24 percent of all water use, but this is an average amount. Industrial water use can be as much as 70 percent in some highly industrialized European countries or as low as 5 percent in less industrialized countries, such as Bolivia. Most of industrial water is used as a cooling agent for power plants, but unlike agricultural water use, the majority of the water is non-consumptive. Industrial plants usually draw water out of a river or ocean, use it for cooling their equipment, and then return the water to its origins. If care is taken to avoid contamination, the water is not degraded or polluted, and it can be used again for other purpose
