Aquifer Depletion 1
There are many water resource problems affecting the world today and we Humans must take action to resolve them. This is because the world cannot exist without water. Every living thing depends on water and would not survive without it. Of all the water resource problems, one of the most important to solve would be the depletion of aquifer supplies.
An aquifer is the body of sand that is able to store or produce large amounts of water. They can be anywhere from a few feet deep to a few hundred feet deep. From a bird’s eye view an aquifer can spread as far as a few hundred miles. There are two kinds of aquifers, confined and unconfined. A confined aquifer is surrounded by what is called an aquitard, rock formations that do not allow fluid to leak through. An unconfined aquifer is one that is hydraulically open or connected to the surface.
Aquifer depletions are a rising issue for today 's economy. It is spreading and is causing problems all over the world. Aquifer depletion is when people use lakes, rivers, and ground water for a water source at such a quick pace that they have no time to naturally replenish. Most do not notice a well going dry until it is too late. The reason for this depletion is because the demand for water supply has tripled over the last 25 years. Droughts certainly do not help the problem.
Some of the negative effects of depletion are dry wells, salt water intrusion, poor water quality, and rising costs of pumping. Dry wells are caused from being drawn from too much without allowing the well to naturally replenish. Low water tables also factor in with dry wells. Salt water intrusion is caused from having a well too close to where there is salt water. This can in turn affect the quality of the water. Poor quality water is also affected by the ground pollution of waste, pesticides, and farming. The cost of pumping water will go up if the resources are close to drying up or if some already have. Therefore, the cost of water will rise as well.
An aquifer is the body of sand that is able to store or produce large amounts of water. They can be anywhere from a few feet deep to a few hundred feet deep. From a bird’s eye view an aquifer can spread as far as a few hundred miles. There are two kinds of aquifers, confined and unconfined. A confined aquifer is surrounded by what is called an aquitard, rock formations that do not allow fluid to leak through. An unconfined aquifer is one that is hydraulically open or connected to the surface.
Aquifer depletions are a rising issue for today 's economy. It is spreading and is causing problems all over the world. Aquifer depletion is when people use lakes, rivers, and ground water for a water source at such a quick pace that they have no time to naturally replenish. Most do not notice a well going dry until it is too late. The reason for this depletion is because the demand for water supply has tripled over the last 25 years. Droughts certainly do not help the problem.
Some of the negative effects of depletion are dry wells, salt water intrusion, poor water quality, and rising costs of pumping. Dry wells are caused from being drawn from too much without allowing the well to naturally replenish. Low water tables also factor in with dry wells. Salt water intrusion is caused from having a well too close to where there is salt water. This can in turn affect the quality of the water. Poor quality water is also affected by the ground pollution of waste, pesticides, and farming. The cost of pumping water will go up if the resources are close to drying up or if some already have. Therefore, the cost of water will rise as well.
References: Brown, Lester R. (2002). Water Deficits Growing In Many Countries: Water Shortages May Cause Food Shortages. Retrieved November 1, 2008. Brown, Lester R. (2007). Aquifer Depletion-Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved November 1, 2008.