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Groundwater Contamination (1984) / Chapter Skim
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1. The Extent of Groundwater Contamination in the United States
Pages 23-34

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From page 23...
... The tangible effects of groundwater contamination usually come to light long after the incident causing the contamination has occurred. This long lag time is a major problem.
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From page 24...
... assessed the various sources of groundwater contamination. Contaminant sources from wastedisposal practices include individual sewage-disposal systems; land disposal of solid wastes; collection, treatment, and disposal of municipal wastewater; industrial and other wastewater impoundments; land spreading of sludge; brine disposal associated with the petroleum industry; disposal of mine wastes; deep-well disposal of liquid wastes; disposal of animal feedlot waste; and disposal of high- and low-level radioactive wastes resulting from a variety of activities.
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From page 25...
... However, this does not mean that existing sources will not continue to produce contamination. Little information is readily available concerning the size of the population affected by well closings due to groundwater contamination.
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From page 26...
... Such problems would involve an increase in nitrate concentrations from fertilizer use, an increase in pesticide content, and leaching of salts. The slow rate of recharge of many of the aquifers in this area, coupled with extensive groundwater withTABLE 1.1 Sources of Groundwater Pollution throughout the United States and Their Prevalence in Each Regiona Source Northeast Northwest Southeast Southcentral Southwest Natural Pollution Mineralization from soluble aquifers Water from fault zones, volcanic origin Evapotranspiration of native vegetation Aquifer interchange Groundwater Development Connate water withdrawal Overpumping/land subsidence Underground storage/artificial recharge 4 Water wells Saltwater encroachment Agricultural Activities Dryland farming Animal wastes, feedlots Crop residues, dead animals Pesticide residues Irrigation return flow Fertilization 1 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 16 2 1 4 3 2 2 2 3 3 4 1 4 4 1 2 Mining Activities 2 2 3 2 Waste Disposal Septic tanks/cesspools 1 1 2 2 1 Land disposal, municipal and 3 2 2 industrial wastes Landfills 1 3 1 Surface impoundments 2 1 3 Radioactive waste disposal 3 Injection wells 2 4 2 Disposal of oil-f~eld brines 1 1 Miscellaneous Accidental spills 2 3 1 3 2 Urban runoff 3 Highway de-icing salts 1 4 4 Seepage from polluted surface waters 3 4 3 Buried pipelines and storage tanks 1 Abandoned oil and test wells 1 Petroleum exploration and development 3 4 aNortheast includes NY, NJ, PA, MD, DE, and New England; southeast: AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC; northwest: CO, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY; southwest: AZ, CA, NV, UT; southeentral: AR, LA, NM, OK, TX.
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From page 27...
... The discovery of groundwater contamination is not an end in itself, and there are many remedial actions, direct and indirect, that can be taken to alleviate or reduce the problem, even though these are often costly. Direct remedial actions include actual cleanup of a contaminated site by soil removal, pumping and treating contaminated water, or artificially recharging a contaminated aquifer; preventing further spreading of contamination by building artificial barriers; and eliminating sources of contamination by removing the contaminants or closing dumping sites.
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From page 28...
... Overall groundwater quality is considered good and beneficial for all uses (California Department of Water Resources, 1975~. There is no readily accessible complete inventory of case histories of groundwater contamination available in California, but some information on general and persistent contamination problems in the state will be summarized.
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From page 29...
... Illinois has a good record for applying remedial actions, as 66 percent of the incidents have received some sort of action. There are no documented cases of groundwater contamination from waste-injection wells, but they are potential hazardous sources of contamination (Ford et al., 1981~.
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From page 30...
... Total groundwater usage in 1975 was 200 mad. There are 89 known cases of groundwater contamination (South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, 1980, 1981~.
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From page 31...
... Industrial wastes are also common and high-priority contaminants in most regions of the country. In the Northeast, both surveys show industrial waste disposal as the biggest source of groundwater contamination.
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From page 32...
... California State Water Resources Control Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards (1980)
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From page 33...
... . Groundwater Contamination in the United States, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia.
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Key Terms

  • groundwater contamination
  • water resources
  • animal wastes
  • industrial wastes
  • drinking water

  • water quality
  • water contamination
  • water supply
  • water pollution
  • der leeden

  • environmental control
  • van der
  • water supplies
  • saltwater intrusion
  • surface impoundments

  • groundwater quality
  • return flow
  • organic chemicals
  • resources council
  • california department

  • remedial actions
  • surface impoundment
  • impoundment assessment
  • petroleum products
  • nebraska department

  • agricultural activities
  • available groundwater
  • groundwater pollution
  • contamination incidents
  • human wastes


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