From National Ground Water Association
WESTERVILLE,
OHIO — On the heels of Earth Day celebrations, Ground Water
Awareness Week, held May 6-12, provides an opportunity to celebrate
one of Earth’s greatest treasures: the water lying beneath
its surface. Awareness Week is sponsored by the National Ground
Water Association (NGWA).
Ground water
is a low-profile resource that plays a key role in ecosystems,
human life, and economic activity around the world. It also is
an abundant, renewable global resource that, if carefully protected
and managed, can continue in these roles indefinitely.
Ground water
is the water that soaks into the soil from precipitation and moves
downward to fill cracks and other openings in beds of rocks and
sand. It provides a significant portion of the flow of many streams
and replenishes wetlands. In total, ground water adds 492 billion
gallons per day to U.S. surface water bodies. It makes up about
90 percent of the fresh water on earth, not including polar ice
caps. In the U.S., 47 percent of the population depends on ground
water for its drinking water supply, and several large U.S. cities
use it as the chief source of water. In many parts of the world,
it provides the least expensive supply of quality water for human
use.
This resource
plays a key role in farming, too, by providing more than 36 percent
of the water needed for agricultural irrigation taking place in
the U.S., and providing 41 percent of the water used in raising
livestock.
Many people
do not, however, take ground water’s merits into consideration
when making decisions involving their own water supply, such as
choosing a home or taking a stand on local water supply regulations.
In addition to often being the most cost-effective water supply,
ground water provided by private household water wells puts the
control of water quality directly into the hands of the homeowner.
Consumers with their own water wells have the ability to guard
the purity of their own water by protecting it from contaminants,
scheduling regular maintenance checks and having their water tested
annually for any water quality issue of concern.
Water well
contractors can assist homeowners by determining the feasibility
of installing a water well, choosing the best type of well for
conditions, and ultimately completing a water well project. Individuals
or firms installing household water wells are subject to licensing
or registration requirements in 48 states in the U.S. These requirements
are actively supported by the National Ground Water Association,
which also promotes high standards in the ground water professions
through its own education courses and voluntary contractor certification
programs.
Consumers
looking for qualified water well contractors in their area have
a valuable tool in the Contractor Lookup service on the National
Well Owner Web site—www.wellowner.org. The Contractor Lookup
offers a searchable list of NGWA contractor members by state.
The Web site also addresses many common consumer questions by
offering valuable, free information relating to owning a private
water well, including:
* Tips for developing a private water supply
* Information on standard well installation contracts
* A well inspection checklist
* Water quality issues
* Well maintenance recommendations
* Tips for finding qualified contractors
* Facts about ground water.
NGWA is a
not-for-profit membership association that actively encourages
learning more about ground water and private water wells. Its
members include drilling contractors, equipment manufacturers
and suppliers, ground water scientists, engineers, geologists
and environmental professionals.
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