What Lies Beneath: The Facts About Oklahoma

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What Lies Beneath The Facts About Oklahomas
Groundwater

• Tim Propst, Grant James, Mitch Fram
• Oklahoma Cooperative Extension

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Water, Water Everywhere
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Where in the World is all the Water?
Oceans 97.24
Glaciers 2.14
Ground Water 0.61
Fresh-Water Lakes 0.009
Inland Seas 0.008
Soil Moisture 0.005
Atmosphere 0.001
Rivers 0.0001
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Hows that again?
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Where Does Groundwater Come From?

• Groundwater comes from rain, snow, sleet, and
  hail that soaks into the ground

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Groundwater Aquifers

• An area that holds water that can be pumped up
  with a well is called an aquifer.
• Wells pump ground-water from the aquifer, and
  then pipes deliver the water for usage.

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Oklahoma Groundwater

• 23 major groundwater basins - 320 million
  acre-feet of water in storage
• The Ogallala, or High Plains, Aquifer in western
  Oklahoma contains 86.6 million acre-feet of
  supply -- enough to cover the entire state two
  feet deep!

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Ground Water Pollution

• Pesticides
• Fertilizers
• Heavy metals
• Pathogens

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Ground Water Pollution Sources

• Landfills/dumps
• Runoff
• Industrial sites
• Septic tanks/sewage plants
• Animal feedlots/ slaughterhouses

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Ground Water Protection

• Use less stuff, including water!
• Dont use illegal dumps!
• Recycle whenever possible
• Join others for Adopt-A-Highway or other
  volunteer cleanup efforts
• Use OklahomASyst to assess wellhead/groundwater
  risks on your property

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References

• United States Geological Survey (Water Science
  for Schools)
• Oklahoma Water Resource Board
• Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental
  Kids Club)
• Link to Learn Professional Development Web Site