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Spotlight- Penn State Extension: Your Watershed And Your Drinking Water
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Most people don't make the connection between what is happening around them and their drinking water.
Did you know……
More than 3 million Pennsylvania residents rely on drilled wells, hand-dug wells, cisterns and even roadside springs for drinking water?
Water pollutants in water that can affect health often show no signs (taste, color, odor)?
Private water systems should be tested annually for total coliform bacteria?
Independent water testing by a certified laboratory can help homeowners avoid purchasing unnecessary water treatment equipment?
Your Drinking Water
Your drinking water begins as rain or snow and ends at the tap in your home. An average of 40 inches of rain falls annually in Pennsylvania. Of this, roughly seven inches becomes surface runoff. Thirteen inches percolate down to the groundwater, which slowly returns to the surface and emerges as stream or spring flow.
The other 20 inches are used by plants and is returned to the air as water vapor. Groundwater provides water for wells. Reservoirs, lakes, rivers and wells can all be water sources for public water supply systems.
Many homeowners that have private water systems such as wells, cisterns or springs are unaware of the need to test their own water.
All contaminant limits are set at the national level by the Environmental Protection Agency, but enforcement is at the state level. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection is responsible for monitoring and enforcement for public water systems.
Those residents with private water systems, however, are their own water authorities and need to test regularly and maintain records of all system maintenance and testing.
Contamination of a water supply can come from the surface or the ground water. Some of the activities that can result in contamination of surface and groundwater are: oil and gas extraction, mining, agriculture, roads, housing development, industry / landfills, and improper use of pesticides and fertilizers or improper disposal of pharmaceuticals.
Penn State Cooperative Extension conducts water education for well owners and recommends that private wells be tested every 12-14 months for bacteriological safety, and every third year, add pH, total dissolved solids and one analysis that reflects land use in your area.
It is also recommended that any homeowner considering a water treatment system for their home have their water tested by a certified, independent laboratory before purchasing any equipment to be sure they are treating the real problem.
Water quality and quantity all depend heavily on activity within the watershed. Proper agricultural practices, storm water management, maintenance of on-lot septic systems, preservation of forested land and stream protection through the establishment of forested riparian buffers are among the most useful actions to preserve and improve water quality and quantity.
If you have a well that is no longer in use, it should be properly decommissioned to avoid contamination of the groundwater.
To learn more, please visit: The Penn State Water Resources website - Drinking Water section, The Master Well Owner Network website and visit the Penn State Extension Discovery Watersheds webpage.
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4/4/2011 |
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