GROUND WATER PRIMER - Introduction

	Instructions on Use
	Program Overview
	Purpose of Program
	FAQs (frequently asked questions) About Ground Water

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INSTRUCTIONS ON USE

This program was written using Hyper-Text Mark-Up Language (HTML). HTML allows selected words or images in one document to be "linked" with related information in either the same document or a separate document. To reach the related information, click on the link of interest. In this program, text links that you have not yet explored are underlined and displayed in blue. Text links to places that you have already been are underlined and displayed in purple.

Some images contain one link, others contain many links. mouse You can tell if an image contains links because your cursor will change from an arrow to a hand. If there is only a single link, as is typical of navigational icons that return you to the previous screen or to the top of the current file, the image is displayed with a red (blue) border. Imagemaps, i.e. images that have several "hot spots" or links defined within their boundaries, are indicated as such by the text directions preceding the image and are activated by clicking the mouse on the portion of the map of interest. For example, on the EPA Regional Contact Map, a person could learn the mailing address of USEPA Region 5 by clicking on state of Illinois.

Explore as much or as little of the program as is of interest to you. You can quickly reach the sections of interest by using the menus provided. The title box on your browser indicates the name of the section you are currently viewing. The "Location" (in Netscape) or path listing also provides a visual clue as to your position in the program.

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Ground water is an important resource in the United States. It replenishes our streams, rivers, habitat. Ground water is also an important and bountiful source of fresh water for irrigation, industry, and communities. 75% of our cities depend on ground water for part or all of their drinking water supplies. For 50% of all Americans (including 95% of the rural population), ground water is the primary source of drinking water. Despite this dependence, ground water is not well understood by the majority of people.

ground water diagram This computer program presents the following:

The basic concepts of the hydrologic cycle, hydrogeology and supply and demand as they pertain to ground water.
The contaminants that can affect water quality along with the risks these contaminants pose.
Activites that an individual or community can do to help protect and conserve ground water.
Programs that are now in place at the federal, state, and local levels to help protect ground water.

The information in this program can be broken into two major categories: ground water quantity and ground water quality issues. Quantity issues includes such things as: "where does ground water come from?", "how does ground water travel?", "what is ground water used for?", and "how can we preserve ground water supplies?"

Water quality issues considered are: "where do water contaminants come from?", "what treatment devices should be used for specific contaminants?", and "how can we modify our actions to preserve and improve ground water quality?".

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PURPOSE STATEMENT

This program is written for community leaders, public water system suppliers and the general public that has an interest in protecting both their water supply and ground water in general.

hydrant Community leaders will find special interest in the sections about communities in the What You Can Do section and the listing of the programs already in place in the Federal, State and Local Ground Water Protection Programs section.

The listing of all of the USEPA regulated contaminants and monitoring requirements in the Ground Water Quality - Contamination Menu section may be helpful to public water system suppliers.

The general public can easily understand the concepts introduced in this program, become educated about factors that can affect their own water supply, and then apply this knowledge in actions to protect and conserve one of the most important natural resources.

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