Left38354000right38290500Ground water Tyler Duffy Essays - Water

left38354000right38290500Ground water Tyler Duffy center21018500 Water table: The surface below which the ground is saturated with water Zone of aeration: The region between the earth's surface and the water table. The main components of this region are the soil and rocks. The zone of aeration is also known as the unsaturated area, pore spaces contain some water but mostly air. Zone of saturation: The area in an aquifer, below the water table, in which relatively all pores and fractures are saturated with water. All pore spaces completely filled with water Capillary fringe: The subsurface layer in which groundwater seeps up from a water table by capillary action to fill pores. Region above the water table in which water rises against gravity as a result of surface tension. Water budget Recharge: The refilling of soil water supply at times when plants need little moisture Surplus: Condition of having rainfall greater than the need for moisture when the soil is already saturated Usage: The condition where the plants draw water from the soil at times when the need for moisture is greater than the rainfall Deficit: A condition in which stored soil water is gone and the need for moisture is greater than the rainfall 368683511582400Pollution Materials from the land's surface can move through the soil and end up in the groundwater. For example, pesticides and fertilizers can find their way into groundwater supplies over time. Road salt, toxic substances from mining sites, and used motor oil also may seep into groundwater. In addition, it is possible for untreated waste from septic tanks and toxic chemicals from underground storage tanks and leaky landfills to contaminate groundwater. Drinking contaminated groundwater can have serious health effects. Diseases such as hepatitis and dysentery may be caused by contamination from septic tank waste. Poisoning may be caused by toxins that have leached into well water supplies. Wildlife can also be harmed by contaminated groundwater. SOURCES OF GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION Storage Tanks May contain gasoline, oil, chemicals, or other types of liquids and they can either be above or below ground. Over time the tanks can corrode, crack and develop leaks. Septic Systems Septic systems are designed to slowly drain away human waste underground at a slow, harmless rate. An improperly designed, located, constructed, or maintained septic system can leak bacteria, viruses, household chemicals, and other contaminants into the groundwater. Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Hazardous waste sites can lead to groundwater contamination if there are barrels or other containers laying around that are full of hazardous materials. If there is a leak, these contaminants can eventually make their way down through the soil and into the groundwater. Landfills Landfills are supposed to have a protective bottom layer to prevent contaminants from getting into the water. However, if there is no layer or it is cracked, contaminants from the landfill make their way down into the groundwater. Chemicals and Road Salts Chemicals include products used on lawns and farm fields to kill weeds and insects and to fertilize plants, and other products used in homes and businesses. When it rains, these chemicals can seep into the ground and eventually into the water. Road salts are used in the wintertime. When the ice melts, the salt gets washed off the roads and eventually ends up in the water. Atmospheric Contaminants Since groundwater is part of the hydrologic cycle, contaminants in other parts of the cycle, such as the atmosphere or bodies of surface water, can eventually be transferred into our groundwater supplies. Minerals in groundwater The most common dissolved mineral substances are sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, and sulfate. Drainage from salt springs and sewage, oil fields, and other industrial wastes may add large amounts of chloride to streams and groundwater reservoirs. Small quantities of chloride have little effect on the use of water. Minerals dissolve into the groundwater from ground water running along lower soil levels or bed rock, it dissolves minerals. Artesian Formations 285963327510800Sometimes an aquifer dips underground between impermeable rock layers. A sandwich of permeable and impermeable rocks is formed. This arrangement is called anartesianformation. The upper impermeable layer of anartesian formation, usually shale, is called the cap rock. Gravity moves the water downward in the dipping aquifer. The water is pushed along by the weight of all the water above and behind it. Great quantities of water may enter the aquifers