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Ground Water

Ground Water. Ground Water. Water that exists beneath the ground Can be contained in soil or bedrock. (Groundwater, 2010). (Waller, 2010). Groundwater in Connecticut. Groundwater = source of drinking water for about 1 million people in CT (1/3 pop)

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Ground Water

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  1. Ground Water

  2. Ground Water • Water that exists beneath the ground • Can be contained in soil or bedrock (Groundwater, 2010) (Waller, 2010)

  3. Groundwater in Connecticut • Groundwater = source of drinking water for about 1 million people in CT (1/3 pop) • 600 community, 2500 non-community, and 250,000 private wells • Aquifers relatively shallow (300 ft) • DEP estimates ~90% drinkable • Over 5,500 contaminated sites • 50-70 new contaminated wells discovered each year Stratified drift aquifers = most productive (GWPC, 2010)

  4. Soil Water • Unsaturated Zone- area where soil is dry • Saturated Zone- area where soil holds water • Water Table- boundary between UZ and SZ • Porosity- amount of pore space (air) within soil • Infiltration- when water enters soil • Percolation- when gravity moves water within soil • Compaction- reduces porosity and stops infiltration and percolation. Runoff occurs on compacted soils.

  5. Aquifers • Area beneath the ground containing water • May be pumped for human consumption • Confined- impervious layer on top = harder to contaminate & recharge • Unconfined- generally open to contamination and surface water recharge • The deeper/more confined, the cleaner & longer it takes to recharge

  6. (Waller, 2010)

  7. Wells • Well- structure which pumps water from an aquifer • Artesian Well- wells that discharge water above ground because of pressure below the ground • Cone of depression- lowered water table around a well “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” -BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

  8. (Waller, 2010)

  9. Connection to Surface Water • Ground water is recharged by infiltrated surface water • Streams may or may not contribute to or take from ground water (gaining/ losing streams) • Springs occur when aquifers are exposed (USGS, 2010)

  10. Contamination • Groundwater may become contaminated by anything that enters the soil or water • Nonpoint sources- indirect source of contamination i.e. agricultural waste • Point source- source of contamination from direct point on landscape i.e. effluent pipe (Waller, 2010)

  11. Works Cited “Groundwater Hydrology for Well Contractors.” National Ground Water Association. Online Available: http://www.ngwa.org/public/gwbasics/unconformities.aspx Retrieved 4 November 2010. Groundwater Protection Council. “Connecticut Groundwater Conditions” Online available: http://www.gwpc.org/e-library/documents/state_fact_sheets/connecticut.pdf Retreived 5 October 2010. USGS. “The effects of groundwater development on groundwater flow and from surface water bodies.” Online available: http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1186/html/gw_effect.html retrieved 8 November 2010. Waller, Rodger A. “Groundwater and the Rural Homeowner.” US Geological Survey. Online available: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gw_ruralhomeowner/ Retrieved 9 November 2010.

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