In the midst of the worst drought in 50 years, water efficiency in energy production is a growing concern, according to a new study.

While most energy polls focus on citizens' views on low-carbon power, this poll, commissioned by the Civil Society Institute, shifted its attention to water.

The concern over the water footprint, rather than the carbon footprint of power plants can shift the hierarchy of which energy sources will be most sustainable in a changing climate. Nuclear power, for example, emits virtually no carbon, but needs vast amounts of water for its cooling tanks. Natural gas-fired power plants emit nearly half the amount of carbon dioxide produced by coal-fired plants, but shale gas extraction requires water through the process of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."

"It's not just about carbon emissions when it comes to deciding our energy future," said Heather White, general counsel for the Environmental Working Group, at the release of the study. "Water is key."

ORC International surveyed more than 1,000 residents from 10 states -- Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and South Carolina -- late last month, as the drought was rapidly tightening its grip over the United States.

The poll concluded that, unsurprisingly, 75 percent of respondents believe the country should shift to energy sources that require less water, like wind and solar.

"Three-quarters of Americans think that with all current concerns, Americans need to focus on alternative energy consumption," said Graham Hueber, the pollster of the report and a senior researcher at ORC international.

Varying water needs for energy sources

The most recent Drought Monitor, released yesterday, shows that the drought continues to relent in the center of the country. While all of the surveyed states are prone to drought, not all were touched by exceptional drought -- the most severe designation on the Drought Monitor -- this year.

Texas, which suffered a devastating drought last year, has seen more consistent rains this year, with only small patches in exceptional drought. Of the polled states, Georgia and Missouri have been especially hard hit by exceptional dryness.

Known in the environmental world as the energy-water nexus, the need for water to make electricity and fuel is a growing dilemma.

It takes 48 gallons of water to produce 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of nuclear power; 35 gallons of water to make 1 kWh of coal-fired power; 35 gallons of water to make 1 kWh in natural gas and oil power plants; and 11 gallons of water to make 1kWh in combined-cycle natural gas plants. These make up 91 percent of the nation's energy production, according to May Wu, an environmental system analyst at Argonne National Laboratory.

Despite these high numbers, said Wu, some water-intensive energy generating units are exactly where they should be: in places with abundant water, where wind or solar resources may not work.

"I would think you would need a multiple-fuel approach," she said, and not a rejection of some energy sources over others. "You cannot rely on one particular technology that won't have a way to adjust."

Two-thirds see climate change happening

The poll revealed that thinking on climate change was tied to personal experience. Two-thirds of the respondents said they think climate change is "real" or "appears to be happening," with 6 percent saying it is "definitely not happening." Within the group of believers, 73 percent were influenced by recent extreme weather events like drought, wildfires and high-wind storms.

The survey results, said White, show that "Washington is out of step with Americans living outside the Beltway."

The survey is one of a suite of recent polls on energy priorities. Oil and gas industry group the American Petroleum Institute released its own public opinion survey earlier this week, finding that 71 percent of Americans favor increased access to American oil and gas reserves with 90 percent in agreement that it could lead to more American jobs. About 65 percent of those polled believed that energy taxes could hurt the economy.

The Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication released a poll last March, also indicating a strong popular support for renewable energy.

The focus on water intensity, especially in drought-ridden states, could be problematic, said Edward Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Communication. According to the center's research findings, most Americans are in favor of stopping oil, gas and coal subsidies and continuing support for clean energy.

Most members of the public, however, have no idea about the relationship between water and energy.

"That's a technical detail that most members of the public have no awareness of," he said.