What are the 2 major threats to groundwater supplies?

Potential 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.
• Septic Systems.
• Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste.
• Landfills.
• Chemicals and Road Salts.
• Atmospheric Contaminants.

What are the threats of groundwater?

Threats to groundwater quality These include salinity, nitrate pollution, microbiological contamination manufactured contaminants, pesticides, non-aqueous phase liquids, and organic contaminants of emerging concern.

What are 2 ground water problems that are common to some areas?

Sources of Groundwater Contamination

• Waste. Any type of used water is called wastewater.
• Landfills.
• Air Pollution.
• Fuels.
• Septic Systems.
• Chemicals.
• Pesticides.
• Animal Waste.

What are some environmental threats to groundwater to supplies?

Stressors that affect ground water condition include application of pesticides and fertilizers to the land, waste from livestock and other animals, landfills, mining operations, and unintentional releases such as chemical spills or leaks from storage tanks.

Which of the following is a common groundwater contaminant?

However, the most common contaminants are pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture, which seep into the groundwater through irrigation systems.

What are the most common contaminants found in water?

The most common drinking water contaminants are microorganisms, nitrate, and arsenic. Water quality monitoring has improved over the past five years. Bacteria, viruses, and protozoa (such as Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium) are drinking water contaminants that can rapidly cause widespread and serious illnesses.

How is groundwater mining negatively affecting the water supply?

Water running through mine tailings can become polluted. The resulting chemicals in the water are sulfuric acid and dissolved iron. The acid runoff further dissolves heavy metals such as copper, lead, mercury into groundwater or surface water.

What are 5 ways humans pollute groundwater?

There are five major ways groundwater can be contaminated by chemicals, bacteria or saltwater.

• Surface Contamination.
• Subsurface Contamination.
• Landfills and Waste Disposal.
• Atmospheric Contamination.
• Saltwater Contamination.

What causes groundwater?

Ground water is recharged from rain water and snowmelt or from water that leaks through the bottom of some lakes and rivers. Ground water also can be recharged when water-supply systems (pipelines and canals) leak and when crops are irrigated with more water than the plants can use.

What are some of the threats to groundwater?

What are groundwater threats? Hazardous chemicals are often stored in containers on land or in underground storage tanks. Leaks from these containers and tanks can contaminate soil and pollute groundwater. Common pollutants of soil and groundwater include gasoline and diesel fuel from gas stations, as well as solvents, heavy metals and pesticides.

Why is there so much contamination of ground water?

round water contamination is nearly always the result of human activity. In areas where population density is high and human use of the land is intensive, ground water is espe- cially vulnerable.

What are the negative effects of groundwater depletion?

Some of the negative effects of groundwater depletion: drying up of wells reduction of water in streams and lakes deterioration of water quality increased pumping costs land subsidence

How does human activity affect the quality of groundwater?

Industrial discharges, urban activities, agriculture, groundwater pumpage, and disposal of waste all can affect groundwater quality. Contaminants can be human-induced, as from leaking fuel tanks or toxic chemical spills.