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Groundwater Awareness Week a good teaching tool: NGWA

March 4, 2015, Westerville, OH – National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 8 to 14, is a useful tool to teach the public to become good stewards of ground water, the National Ground Water Association said in a news release.

March 4, 2015, Westerville, OH – National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 8 to 14, is a useful tool to teach the public to become good stewards of ground water, the National Ground Water Association said in a news release.

Ninety-nine per cent of all available freshwater in the world is ground water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That means all the world’s rivers, lakes, and streams make up only one per cent, the NGWA said.

“Life as we know it would quite simply not be possible without groundwater. It provides drinking water to about 132 million Americans, supplies surface freshwater bodies, waters crops, and supports ecosystems,” said NGWA Public Awareness Director Cliff Treyens in the release.

“The same is true throughout the world. That is why it is so important that every person do something to be a good steward of this vital resource – and there are some very practical things every person can do,” Treyens said.

The NGWA asks the public to consider the following:

• 87 million Americans are on community water systems that use ground water
• 44.5 million Americans supply their own water through water wells
• As much as 90 per cent of the rural population would have no reliable water source if it weren’t for private household water wells
• Irrigation uses an estimated 53.5 billion gallons of ground water a day – supplying water to some of the most productive agricultural lands in the world
• Livestock and aquaculture use an additional 3.5 billion gallons of ground water a day.

The NGWA encourages every person to protect and conserve ground water in the following ways:

• Dispose of hazardous substances at appropriate disposal facilities
• Don’t pour hazardous substances down the drain or toilet, or on the ground
• Properly store hazardous substances in secure containers
• Don’t pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it
• Repair dripping faucets and toilets; one drop per second wastes 2,700 gallons or 10,221 litres per year
• Use water-efficient appliances
• Use native or drought-resistant plants outdoors.
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To learn more, and help educate well owners, visit NGWA.org/AwarenessWeek and click on “Groundwater stewardship — protection and conservation.” Also visit NGWA’s website for household water well owners, WellOwner.org .

Ground Water Awareness Week in Canada is made possible in part through the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC).