There is significant disparity in water use among Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Jordan, particularly in per capita domestic water use. Average per capita use of water in the domestic sector is 98 m³/yr in Israel, 34 m³/yr in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and 56 m³/yr in Jordan. These per capita figures reflect water put into urban distribution networks; as much as half this water may be lost due to leaky pipes in some systems. Moves toward economic parity will tend to increase water consumption; one planning scenario projects future per capita domestic use of water at 90 m³/yr in Israel and 70 m³/yr in Jordan and the West Bank and Gaza Strip (CES Consulting Engineers and GTZ, 1996, p. 3-11).

Ground water accounts for 57 percent of total water used and 62 percent of water withdrawn. Current total ground-water withdrawals of 1,811 MCM/yr are in excess of the estimated 1,359 to 1,400 MCM/yr of renewable ground-water resources. The "overpumping" of between 411 and 452 MCM/yr consists of 95 MCM/yr of fresh fossil water (25 MCM/yr in Israel and 70 MCM/yr in Jordan), 81 MCM/yr of brackish fossil water in Israel (CES Consulting Engineers and GTZ, 1996), with the remainder, about 250 MCM/yr, taken from storage, most of it from aquifers in Jordan. The total overpumping in Jordan may be as much as 307 MCM/yr of renewable water.

In contrast to ground water, there is a surplus of between 100 and 329 MCM/yr of surface water. This surplus largely represents uncaptured stormwater runoff in the wadis tributary to the Jordan Rift Valley. According to various studies, more than 200 MCM/yr of stormwater runoff may currently be captured by retention structures throughout the study area (BRL-ANTEA, 1995; and Water Authority of Jordan 1996, open files).