Do you know where your water comes from? When I heard that March 9 to 15 is National Groundwater Awareness Week in the United States, it prompted me to learn more about groundwater and why it matters.

Water is a precious resource that most of us take for granted. We turn on the tap and there it is. I admit I’ve never really given much thought to where our water comes from.

I compiled the information in this post from the websites of the Region of Waterloo, the U.S. National Groundwater Association and the Government of Canada.

What is groundwater?

Groundwater is water that soaks into the soil from rain and snow but, unlike surface water, you can’t see it. Groundwater exists almost everywhere underground. It fills the spaces between sand grains (intergranular), in rock crevices (as in igneous rocks), and in solution openings (as in limestone).

Groundwater collects in aquifers—underground areas with layers of materials like sand, gravel, clay and bedrock. An aquifer can produce useful quantities of water when tapped by a well. Aquifers can be small, but some are very large. For example, the Ogallala Aquifer in the United States covers 400,000 square kilometres (250,000 square miles) from Texas to South Dakota. But it’s not the largest in the world. That honour goes to the Great Artesian Basin in Australia. It extends over 1.7 million square kilometres (660,000 square miles).  

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Why is groundwater important?

Groundwater is an important natural resource, representing 95% of the world’s freshwater. On the other hand, surface water—the water you can see in lakes, streams and rivers—accounts for just 3% of the Earth’s freshwater.

Many people around the world depend on groundwater for drinking and washing. Here in Canada, about one-third of us get our water from groundwater, and up to 80% of our rural population depend on it. In Waterloo Region, where I live, 75% to 80% of our water is groundwater, with the rest coming from the Grand River. In the United States, groundwater supports close to half of the population.

Beyond household use, though, groundwater plays a critical role in our food supply through crop irrigation and agriculture production. And during dry seasons, it feeds many of our rivers, streams, and wetlands.

How you can protect groundwater supplies

Like many natural resources, groundwater is at risk due to overuse, pollution, and climate change.  You play an important role in protecting and preserving this vital resource. Here are some ways you can help.

Keep it safe from contaminants

One of the biggest threats to our water supply is the risk of contamination. To reduce this risk, you can:

• Cut back on the use of chemicals in your home and garden. Use chemical-free cleaners as much as possible, and look for natural alternatives to pesticides.
• Dispose of chemicals like pharmaceuticals, motor oil, paint and solvents properly. Don’t just throw them on the ground or wash them down the drain. Your local waste management site is a good resource to learn about proper disposal.
• Immediately report any spill of oil, gasoline or chemicals.
• Limit your use of salt for ice removal in winter.

Use it wisely

The simplest thing you can do to protect our water supply is treat it like the precious resource that it is and use it wisely. Here are a couple of my posts with tips on how to conserve water:

• World Water Day – 10 ways you can use less water
• Lawn watering tips – The great grass debate

Like every natural resource, we need to be good stewards of our water supply to preserve it for future generations. Safe, clean, drinking water is vital to our survival.

Do you know where your community gets its water? What do you do to conserve water? Drop me a comment below and let me know.