When rain falls, some of the water ends up in lakes and rivers, some of it is used by plants, some of it evaporates back into the atmosphere, and some seeps through the ground into aquifers – large, natural underground water storage areas. We call the water stored in aquifers “groundwater.” It is an important natural resource and more than 50 percent of the United States depends on groundwater supplies for drinking and household water usage.
Viewer Tip: Polluants that sit on the Earth’s surface can seep through the soil into groundwater aquifers when it rains. Septic and sewage systems waste sites and applied fertilizers and pesticides can all contaminate groundwater and cause problems for humans who extract this water for drinking. Keep in mind that anything you put on your lawn, or essentially anything that ends up on the ground, can eventually reach groundwater supplies. If you have a septic system, it is important to make sure house gutters, sump pump drains, and other outdoor drainage systems for rainwater do not drain onto the soil absorption area. If the soil around your tank becomes soggy or flooded, it can be less effective at treating wastewater, putting groundwater quality at risk.
Learn more about the relationships between weather and watersheds in the COMET-NEEF course, Watersheds: Connecting Weather to the Environment, available at www.meted.ucar.edu/bmet_training.php (free registration required). This course counts for professional development credit under the AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Program.
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
(Sources: EPA. Aquatic Biodiversity: Groundwater. Available at: epa.gov/bioindicators/aquatic/ground-r.html; Wellowner.org: Septic Systems – What You Need to Know (online information center about groundwater and wells)
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