Threats to Groundwater
Potential Threats to
Our Groundwater
Groundwater
Contamination
Over 50% of the United
States population depends on groundwater for drinking water.
Groundwater is also one of our most important
sources of water for irrigation. Unfortunately, groundwater is susceptible to
pollutants.
Groundwater
contamination occurs when man-made products such as gasoline, oil, road salts
and chemicals get into the groundwater and cause it to become unsafe and unfitfor human use.
Materials
from the land's surface can move through the soil and end up in thegroundwater.
For
example, pesticides and fertilizers can find their way into groundwater
supplies over time.
Road salt,
toxic substances from mining sites, and used motor oil also may seep into
groundwater.
In
addition, it is possible for untreated waste from septic tanks and toxic
chemicals from underground storage tanks and leaky landfills to contaminate
groundwater.
Dangers Of Contaminated
Groundwater
Drinking
contaminated groundwater can have serious health effects.
Diseases
such as hepatitis and dysentery may be caused by contamination from septic tank
waste.
Poisoning
may be caused by toxins that have leached into well water supplies.
Wildlife
can also be harmed by contaminated groundwater.
Other
long term effects such as certain types of cancer may also result from exposure
to polluted water.
Potential Sources of Groundwater Contamination
* Storage Tanks
May
contain gasoline, oil, chemicals, or other types of liquids and they can either
be above or below ground.
There are
estimated to be over 10 million storage tanks buried in the United States and
over time the tanks can corrode, crack and develop leaks.
If the
contaminants leak out and get into the groundwater, serious contamination can
occur.
* Septic Systems
Onsite
wastewater disposal systems used by homes, offices or other buildings that are
not connected to a city sewer system.
Septic
systems are designed to slowly drain away human waste underground at a slow,
harmless rate.
An
improperly designed, located, constructed, or maintained septic system can leak
bacteria, viruses, household chemicals, and other contaminants into the
groundwater causing serious problems.
*Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste
In the
U.S. today, there are thought to be over 20,000 known abandoned and
uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and the numbers grow every year.
Hazardous
waste sites can lead to groundwater contamination if there are barrels or other
containers laying around that are full of hazardous materials.
If there
is a leak, these contaminants can eventually make their way down through the
soil and into the groundwater.
* Landfills
Landfills
are the places that our garbage is taken to be buried.
Landfills
are supposed to have a protective bottom layer to prevent contaminants from
getting into the water.
However,
if there is no layer or it is cracked, contaminants from the landfill (car
battery acid, paint, household cleaners, etc.) can make their way down into the
groundwater.
* Chemicals and Road Salts
The
widespread use of chemicals and road salts is another source of potential
groundwater contamination.
Chemicals
include products used on lawns and farm fields to kill weeds and insects and to
fertilize plants, and other products used in homes and businesses.
When it
rains, these chemicals can seep into the ground and eventually into the water.
Road salts
are used in the wintertime to put melt ice on roads to keep cars from sliding
around. When the ice melts, the salt gets washed off the roads and eventually
ends up in the water.
* Atmospheric Contaminants
Since
groundwater is part of the hydrologic cycle, contaminants in other parts of the
cycle, such as the atmosphere or bodies of surface water, can eventually be
transferred into our groundwater supplies.
http://www.groundwater.org/get-informed/groundwater/contamination.html
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