Groundwater

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Groundwater
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Importance of Groundwater

• Groundwater is water contained in the open
  spaces, or pores, of soil and rock.
• There is about 30 times more groundwater than all
  the surface freshwater on Earth.
• People depend on groundwater and other sources of
  fresh water daily for
• drinking, cooking, cleaning, etc.

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Water Beneath Earths Surface Cont.

• The ability of rock and soil to transmit water
  and other fluids is called permeability.
• Permeable rock has many well connected pores or
  cracks that groundwater can flow through.
• Groundwater cannot pass through impermeable rock.

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Water Beneath Earths Surface Cont.

• An aquifer is a layer of permeable rock through
  which water flows freely.
• Aquifers act as storage areas or reservoirs for
  groundwater.
• Aquifers and surface water occur in watersheds,
  which are large regions drained by a particular
  river system.

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Surface Water

• Surface water is all water found at the surface
  such as lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, etc
• Many bodies of water at the surface are either
  supplied by a nearby groundwater source, or they
  drain into a nearby groundwater source.

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Watershed

• A watershed is the area of land where all of the
  water that is under it or drains off of it goes
  into the same place.

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Human Impact

• Much of what humans do every day can have an
  impact on the groundwater in the surrounding
  areas?
• Take a moment and discuss with your shoulder
  partner how you think this might happen. Are the
  effects positive or negative?

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Runoff of Fertilizers

• Runoff of fertilizers used in commercial farming
  and even for private use can cause algal blooms
  to appear in otherwise fresh groundwater.

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Improper Chemical Disposal

• Most people do not know how to properly dispose
  of items that are hazardous to the groundwater
  supply. Things such as oil, batteries, paint,
  and grease can pollute groundwater if not
  disposed of correctly.

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Roadway Runoff

• What gets left behind on the roads anyway?
• After a rain storm, all of the grease, oil,
  rubber, gasoline, and trash has the potential to
  become part of the runoff that makes its way into
  the nearby groundwater.

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Industrial Pollution

• Industrial Pollution is one of the leading causes
  of groundwater pollution from illegal dumping, to
  runoff.