National Groundwater Awareness Week is just around the corner and Kinetico of Montana just wants you to remember a few things about your groundwater so you can see the value and impact that it has on our daily lives.
Ground Water Facts
You cant live without ground water. 44% of people rely on groundwater and in rural areas, as much as 96% do. Groundwater also has an effect on streamflow as well, adding 492 billion gallons to the earths surface. 33 trillion gallons are estimated to be below the surface, which is why we should be aware that it is there. The united states uses 79.6 billion gallons per day of fresh groundwater.
Additionally 45,000 people are employed in the groundwater extraction industry. These people also are in charge of making sure our groundwater stays fresh too. Water that is used by industry produces $14,000 of profit on average.
Most of the United State’s ground water consumption comes from irrigation and 53.5 gallons of groundwater are used for irrigation each day. This directly impacts are great abundance of produce that we have today!
Unique Local Bearing and Importance!
Guess what ? All of the cities and towns in Missoula and Ravalli counties use wells for their city water sources as do most of the towns in Western Montana. And, 100% of people in Missoula and Ravalli city or county all depend on groundwater. In Missoula, the Missoula Water Quality District or in Ravalli county the Bitter Root Water Forum or county health department are great organizations to contact.
We Impact our Ground Water
It is important to look at and think about the impact that our ground water has on our everyday lives. Americans are one of the largest users of water per capita. We must protect our groundwater to make sure that we can use it in the future. Humans have a direct effect on the quality of the groundwater. To do this always use certified well drills, and keep any hazardous material away from any well. Additionally don’t dump hazardous materials on the ground either because it will eventually go right to the groundwater below you.
How do I get involved?
If you are apart of the public you can make sure that you know all about your groundwater and to do that you can go here and click on the links to further your education. If you are an educator you can also go here to find out how you can incorporate groundwater awareness into your lesson plans!