Groundwater and the Chesapeake Bay

There is an immense amount of water in aquifers below the earth's surface. In fact, there is a over a thousand times more water in the ground than is in all the world's rivers and lakes. Groundwater is found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers.




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• Groundwater supplies drinking water for 51% of the total U.S. population and 99% of the rural population.
• Groundwater helps grow our food. 64% of groundwater is used for irrigation to grow crops.
• Groundwater is an important component in many industrial processes.
• Groundwater is a source of recharge for lakes, rivers, and wetlands.

Here are four articles regarding groundwater and the Chesapeake Bay:

• Mapping Groundwater
• Ground Game
• The case of the missing nitrogen
• Detecting Chemical Clues from Septic Systems

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Also see   Groundwater Foundation and USGS  for more inforamtion

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