Do you know how your groundwater is doing today?
If you don’t, you can trust that dozens of national and international organizations are monitoring water on your behalf, even while you sleep. From the United Nations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) to the International Water Resources Association (IWRA); the Ground Water Foundation to the Ground Water Protection Council – and many others – legions of people you’ll likely never meet are closely involved with tracking the volumes, quality, distribution and movement of water.
In the U.S. alone, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) collects data from roughly 1.5 million surface and underground water sites from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. More than 850,000 records are for wells, springs, test holes, tunnels, drains, and excavations that comprise – you guessed it: ground waters.
You can go to the USGS site, click a few options and view the data in real-time readouts acquired at 15 to 60-minute intervals and transmitted to the National Water Information System (NWIS) database every 1 to 4 hours. Or you can view daily, monthly and yearly statistics broken down by state, hydrologic region, graphs, tables, charts and other representations.
The information may seem fascinating, even a bit confusing, at first. Then the importance of the information begins to seep in: Groundwater is what half the U.S. population drink and use in their homes. And while 75 percent of metropolitan areas and numerous factories use groundwater, the greatest use is for agriculture, for watering crops… for growing your food.
You’re Invited
There’s a big party taking place on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, all across the U.S. Though it’s right on the heels of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and in the wake of the recent tragedies befallen to those who experienced flooding and other disasters left by hurricanes, tornadoes and storms, the NGWA invites you to join in honoring the life-giving, necessary, practical and precious aspects of water.
Ground waters derive from rain and snow that falls across mountains and plains; slipping into valleys, rivers and lakes; dripping through layer upon layer of soil, sand, gravel and rock aquifers, where it collects until discharged by pump or by pressure.
Every time we drink a glass of water, we are taking in groundwater.
We want our waters clean, pure and free of anything that would bring us harm. Which is precisely why you’re invited to celebrate and help protect your nation’s groundwater. Start on September 13th and do the logical thing all through the year until we celebrate again. The surface waters of the oceans, lakes, ponds and streams are connected to groundwater everywhere, so be mindful of what goes down your drains.
How to Participate
Protect Your Groundwater Day will happen, come rain or come shine. Dance, splash, wave a banner, float your boat. Connect with the aforementioned water organizations on social sites, find area events, and let others know about groundwater concerns.
Check your wells and septic systems if you’re on rural lands. Contact your nearest hazardous waste removal and recycling stations to get rid of batteries, paints, and chemicals including pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. We don’t want these things ending up in the groundwater.
Revise your gardening and farming methods to include earth-safe, natural and organic products that won’t leech into the ground and harm the water and food supply. Let the EPA know about any obvious pollutants in your area. Watch for fracking (aka fracing or hydraulic fracturing) concerns where gas and other toxins can get into the waters – raise your voice when you learn of this happening where you live. Keep an eye on water reports in your vicinity and, of course, conserve your water supply.
The floods will dry up. The droughts will end. A spring will bubble forth. But it’s up to us to help keep the ground waters pure and plenty for years to come. Then when someone asks you, “Do you know how your groundwater is doing today?” you can reply, “Why yes, actually. Yes. I do.”
