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 unfit for human use.
Materials from the land's surface can move through the soil and end up in the groundwater. 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.
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