The Importance of Ground Water Many people assume that water is an unlimited natural resource. Is this true? Although water appears abundant, recent circumstances indicate that it is seriously vulnerable to pollution and depletion. Throughout this essay we will examine what ground water is, how it is important in the water cycle, how it's contamination can affect us, and what we can do to protect our ground water from contamination. Ground water is the water found in spaces between soil particles and rocks, within cracks of the bedrock. "Ground water constitutes approximately 4% of all water in the hydrologic cycle." (Averett, McKnight, 1986) Some ground water can be found beneath the land surface in most of the United …show more content…
Aquifers and aquifer systems can be grouped into three categories, depending on the degree of consolidation of the rocks and deposits that compose the aquifers. Rocks of Precambrian, Paleozoic, and early Mesozoic ages generally are consolidated; rocks of Cretaceous and Tertiary ages generally are semi consolidated; and deposits of Quaternary age generally are unconsolidated. (Ground Water Atlas of the United States) Most people are more familiar with surface water than ground water. Surface water bodies such as lakes, streams and oceans can be seen all around, but not ground water bodies. One important difference between ground water and surface water bodies is that ground water moves much slower than surface water. Water in a stream may move several feet per minute, but water in an aquifer may move only several feet per month. This is because ground water must overcome more friction, or resistance, to move through small spaces between rocks and soil underground. The exchange of water between surface water bodies and aquifers is important. Rivers usually start as small streams and get larger as they flow downstream. The water they gain is often ground water. Such a stream is called a gaining stream. It is also possible for streams to lose water to the ground at some points. In these cases, aquifers are replenished or recharged by water from the losing stream. A stream that flows near the surface of an aquifer will lose water to the aquifer if the
Surface water commonly is hydraulically connected to ground water, but the interactions are difficult to observe and measure (Winter, 1998). Interaction depends upon understanding the effect of topography, geology and climate of the groundwater
Water contamination is vastly becoming an alarming issue across the world. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution (www.nrdc.org). Clean and plentiful water is the cornerstone of prosperous communities. Yet as we enter the 21st century, swelling demand and changing climate patterns are
water covers more than 70 percent of the planet's surface, making our rivers, lakes, oceans,
T.H. Breen's and Stephen Innes’s book "Myne Owne Ground" does and outstanding job of pointing out the difference in perspectives when it came to living in the south and being black was like. It goes in depth and shows how a black person was competent and was capable to acquire a wealth that was comparable to a wealthy white man, but it is never recognized by the general white population. The authors make an argument that in early colonial Virginia blacks that owned property were able to live semi-normal, if not prosperous, racism free lives. Breen and Innes argue that before the Virginia slave codes were passed, property owning blacks had a chance to be viewed as
When this occurs, water from the wetland buildup can seep into the ground and be stored as ground for aquifers.
fresh water found on planet earth is only a mere one percent (1%) and we have to bear in mind that within that one percent some are found in lakes, rivers, streams and underground aquifers.
Ground water is a very important part of our fresh water supply and yet, it’s depleting at a faster rate than what can be replenished. According to Kally Worm “Groundwater is the second largest reserve of freshwater on earth. It also makes up 40% of the freshwater used in the U.S. alone.” This ground water is usually found in what is called an aquifer. An aquifer is found towards the lower layers of the soil. The problem with these aquifers it that their recharge rate is slow making it non- renewable. These water supplies being non- re We are overusing these water supplies. When ground water is used to a level of where it can’t recover, it affects the ground. Sinkholes can be formed when there is a aquifer that has water being drawn from it, but not letting it get back to par. Other problems can also occur is too much ground water is pumped out near coasts. This creates what’s called salt water intrusion. Salt water intrusion is when the ocean water mixes with the fresh ground water. This increases the salinity of the water making
The minor aquifers are Dockum, the Capitan, the Rustler, the Hickory, the Ellenburger- San Saba, the Lipan and to a small amount Marble Falls (Anaya 2001, 113). The aquifer is mostly unconfined but is semi confined in parts of the Trinity (Anaya 2001, 113). The direction of the groundwater flow is controlled by the areas of discharge, which are displayed by the strong influence of the streams form on the potentiometric surface (Barker and Ardis 1996, 35). The predominant direction of the groundwater flow is northwest to southeast, caused the base slope of the aquifer (Barker and Ardis 1996, 35). This flow is also normal to the potentiometric surface as shown in figure 3, except where the aquifer is anisotropic (Barker and Ardis 1996, 37). Most of the recharge that occurs in the Edward-Trinity aquifer happens from infiltration of precipitation over the outcrops and the sinkholes (Anaya 2001, 113). The average recharge rate over the eastern part of the plateau is 0.12 to 2.24 inches per year whereas over the Trans-Pecos region is 0.3 to 0.4 inches per year (Anaya 2001, 113). In certain areas of the plateau such as Pecos and Reeves counties there is induced recharge being caused from the water level declines due to irrigation pumping (Anaya 2001, 116). Discharge occurs in the southern and eastern portions from cross-formational flow
Water is an important resource and weather agent in our world, and the Great Lakes Region has an intimate relationship with water. The region was shaped by glaciers long ago and continues to be shaped by flowing surface water today. Groundwater is very pure in the area, which allows for plants, animals, and humans to thrive there. Migration into the area can be related to the groundwater found there. Human use of the water results in man-made structures, water flow alteration, and changes in water quality. Water is very influential in the Great Lakes Region.
Associated activities may include installing drainage systems, grading slopes, ditching for storm drainages, and conduits for service utilities. The disturbance of natural patterns of runoff and rainwater infiltration through modified drainage can lead to the concentration of water flow at sites that previously only took direct rainwater infiltration; this can result in rapid forming cover-subsidence sinkholes (Waltham et al, 2005, p. 159). The many impervious surfaces used in modified drainage activities also impedes groundwater recharge, which can consequently lower the water
An aquifer is a permeable rock underground that bears water, this water can be collected through wells for people to use and drink. Within Texas there are 23 different aquifers, but for Central Texas we tend to favor Edwards Aquifer and due to this many problems have arisen for the aquifer and its inhabitants. We will first discuss the history of Edwards Aquifer, the reasons behind the current issue concerning the aquifer including what species are endangered and why, and lastly what solutions are being set forth.
In the scholarly article “Offshore Aquifers” by Renee Martin-Nagle, she discusses the discovery of fresh water sources being found in the ocean. Nagle talks about the water shortage not only are an issue for California, but also the entire world. She talks about how there are two different types of aquifers, recharging and non-recharging aquifers. Recharging aquifers are aquifers are linked with the surface and receive its water reserves from rainwater, streams, rivers, and runoff. They are commonly found close to the surface. They are more susceptible to over-use and pollution. Non-recharging aquifers are usually found deep beneath the surface, and porous rocks, buried beneath a solid layer of sedimentary limestone or dolomite rock. The water found in the non-recharging aquifers arrives there because it gets trapped there when tectonic plates shift, and sea levels where much lower 20,000 years ago when the Siberian land bridge allowed humans to travel from Asia to the Americas.
Water is a critical source that is utilized by most living things on Earth to support it ways of live. The usage of water ranges from basic household needs to agricultural purposes. Water is one of the resources on the Earth that is becoming more and more scarce and the water available for usage is being further contaminated by pollution causing sickness and death.(World Health Organization).Countries are experiencing droughts affecting the water supply needed to maintain irrigation, thermoelectric power, and public supply. The definition of water pollution is the result of when too many toxic materials are present, in which negatively impact the water to be unsafe for its intended purpose, which may be drinking to industrial processes
The voids are spaces between grains of sand, or cracks in dense rock. All water beneath the land surface occurs within such void space sand is referred to as underground or subsurface water. Subsurface water occurs in two different zones. One zone, located immediately beneath the land surface in most areas, contains both water and air in the voids. This zone is referred to as the unsaturated zone. Other names for the unsaturated zone are zone of aeration and vadose zone. The unsaturated zone is almost always underlain by a second zone in which all voids are full of water. This zone is defined as the saturated zone. Water in the saturated zone is referred to as ground water and is the only subsurface water available to supply wells and springs. Water table is often misused as a synonym for ground water. However, the water table is actually the boundary between the unsaturated and saturated zones. It represents the upper surface of the ground water. Technically speaking, it is the level at which the hydraulic pressure is equal to atmospheric pressure. The water level found in unused wells is often the same level as the water table. AQUIFERS An aquifer is a saturated geologic formation that will yield a usable quantity of water to a well or spring. Ground water occurs in aquifers under two conditions: confined and unconfined. A confined aquifer is overlain by a confining bed, such as an impermeable layer of clay
From the time the earth was formed, water have been endlessly circulating. This circulation is known as the hydrologic cycle. Groundwater is part of this continuous