On March 6, the Water Environment Federation (Alexandria, Va.), the Northeast-Midwest Institute (Washington, D.C.), and the National Ground Water Association (Westerville, Ohio) hosted a briefing before U.S. Congress on new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) findings about the quality of groundwater in the U.S.
During the last two decades, USGS scientists assessed water quality in more than 6600 U.S. wells. Many of the contaminants measured for this assessment — trace elements, pesticides, nutrients, and volatile organic compounds — are not regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act and pose a risk to public health and aquatic life. Contaminant occurrence data — along with detailed information on geology, hydrology, geochemistry, and chemical and water use — can be used to explain how and why aquifer vulnerability to contamination varies across the country.
At the briefing, USGS described the occurrence of contaminants in groundwater, how natural features and human activities can affect groundwater quality, and how models are being used to predict contaminant concentrations in unmonitored areas to inform water-resource management decisions.
Learn more about the USGS and U.S. Department of Interior report, Water Quality in Principal Aquifers of the United States, 1991–2010, in the article “Nature and humans contribute to groundwater contamination” which will appear in the June issue of WE&T.
April 17, 2015
Laws & Regs, WEF Resources & Efforts