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Groundwater flows through soil and rocks, with its speed depending on subsoil materials and water amount. It is used for drinking, irrigation, and ecosystems, but pollution from waste affects it. Monitoring is important for proper management, as groundwater is a finite resource. It accounts for 25% of US water use and is relied upon by 2 billion people worldwide. Proper management is a major concern in global water policy.
Groundwater flow is the movement of water that travels and seeps through soil and underground rocks. Stored in geological cavities and pores of the earth’s crust, confined groundwater is subjected to great pressure. Its top is lower than the material it is confined to. Unconfined groundwater is the term for an aquifer with an exposed water surface.
Water flows across an earth’s surface, then penetrates soil and rock. Once it goes underground, the water is still moving. The speed of groundwater flow depends on the subsoil materials and the amount of water. From the earth’s surface, water moves towards the groundwater table. Hydrologists can predict and measure flow, level and gradient. Problems occur when water passes through an unsaturated area and picks up substances, some of which are toxic.
Toxicity is dangerous because groundwater is used for public drinking water. The resource also irrigates agricultural land, is used to develop urban areas and supplies drinking water to rural populations through well systems. Some ecosystems, such as aquatic systems in arid regions and coastal margins, rely on groundwater for survival. Pollution from uncontrolled industrial and municipal waste begins to affect groundwater.
Like surface water, groundwater flow moves downward in whichever direction the aquifer slopes. Its flow rate is much slower than that of surface waters. River water generally flows thousands of times faster. Groundwater can take more than 10 years to travel a mile, so depletion and pollution issues aren’t resolved quickly.
Monitoring groundwater levels and flow is expensive, but monitoring is collecting important data. The collected data is used to improve well construction, determine the direction of groundwater flow, and better understand groundwater and storage. Properly managing this natural resource can ensure it remains safe and abundant.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), approximately 25% of all water used in the United States comes from groundwater, mostly freshwater aquifers. The rest comes from surface waters. The International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), a non-governmental organization, claims that approximately 2 billion people worldwide depend on this form of water. In times of drought, groundwater can ease the strain on economic activity.
Groundwater cannot be replenished indefinitely. Research suggests that proper worldwide management is a major concern in global water policy. Until the problems with archived research information are resolved, however, nations will have a hard time gathering evidence to support a comprehensive plan.
