lundi 10 février 2014

3 Sources Of Subsurface Water Contamination You Didn't Know About

By Jim Thorpe


Water is something we use every day. Take a moment and think about your daily routine and how much of it requires water. Here is mine:

Unfortunately, contamination is common and happening without much of the public's knowledge. Here are eight common sources of water contamination you probably didn't know about.

First, contamination can still happen when the water is pure as it hits the ground. Rainwater or faucet water can be perfectly fine as it enters the earth. The problems begin once it starts seeping into the ground. Pesticides and other chemicals don't just disappear because they've disappeared from the surface. They leave pieces of themselves in the soil that are soaked up by the water soaking through and taken down into the larger water reservoirs hidden below the surface. Once it's mixed into that water, it can travel and influence the underground water community. Worse still, if that ground water should find its way to a river, it can spread over long distances. The influence can spread for miles, depending on how many chemicals the water brought down through the soil. When the whole area is contaminated, it's hard to bring up fresh water for plant or human use in the future. It will be dirty for a long period of time.

Second, there are a number of point sources of contamination that are building up around the world. A point source is an individual instance of direct contamination to the soil. They can include a damaged and leaking septic or gasoline tank. These tanks are often carrying large amounts of waste or gasoline and can do quite a bit of damage in one area. Another type of point source is a landfill or accidental spill. Left to sit in a pit, the stuff in landfills have a long time to leak their acids and chemicals into the dirt. Even the best preparation can't be stopped forever. On the other end, accidents happen all the time, especially when large companies are transporting, handling, and storing large amounts of chemicals. A simple spill can cause untold amounts of damage. Point sources like these can be dangerous to the environment if they are not properly cared for.

But why would you care? If all you need to do is pay your bill and let the aqua flow, what's the point of knowing where it comes from? As long as it's clean, why should you care? Well, the biggest reason is protection. If you want to keep your water flowing freely, you should probably take an interest in where it is coming from. If your water comes from a subsurface water supply, is your community protecting the area surrounding that water source? When it comes to voting time, are you ignorantly allowing a chemical plant to be built right above your main water supply? Are you unwittingly voting for a subway line that would actually impede your main source of subsurface water flow? Things like this happen all too frequently. Make sure you are protecting your water!

After you know the subsurface water flow and have groundwater mapping squared away, you can then move on to drilling the actual well. This process might take a little longer than you expected when you consider all the steps that you have to go through to complete it. As long as you have a plan in place, you should rest easy knowing that you will get it all done in a timely manner. You need to stick to the plan to ensure that you will finish everything when it needs to be finished. The speed and effectiveness with which you complete your project will determine whether you finish under budget or the project as a whole becomes entirely too bloated.




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