Where Do You Get Your Water?

You turn on the tap and there it is—water. At least that is the case in most of the United States. But do you know where your water comes from? As essential as water is in everyone’s life, many are not aware that much of their water comes from the ground.

March 8-14 is 2015 National Groundwater Awareness Week in the United States. The purpose of this observance is to stress how important ground water is to the health of all people and the environment.¹

What Is Groundwater?

Ground water is water that is located below the surface of the earth in spaces between rock and soil. Ground water supplies water to wells and springs and is a substantial source of water used in the United States. Thirty percent of all available freshwater comes from ground water,² which supplies a significant amount of water to community water systems and private wells.³

Unfortunately, ground water sources can become contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemicals that can lead to sickness and disease.

EPA regulations protect public drinking water systems, but they do not apply to privately owned wells. Therefore, owners of private wells are responsible for ensuring that their water is safe from contaminants. To learn more about safe well water, see Testing Wells.

Tracking Groundwater in Maine

In Maine, more than half of all homes rely on private wells for drinking water. Many wells have levels of arsenic, uranium, or other chemicals that can cause serious health effects such as cancer or low birth weight. These contaminants can only be detected through laboratory testing. Private well owners are responsible for testing their own water and correcting any problems.

Now, for the first time, the Maine Tracking Program website is displaying town-level measures for six potentially hazardous substances. Users can view data from more than 11,000 well water tests and see the percentage of homes that have tested their wells.

In addition, the site can also be used to create reports. One example is a report providing information on the percentage of wells in a specific area with contaminant levels that exceed Maine’s health-based maximum exposure guidelines. While everyone who gets drinking water from a private well should regularly test the water, these data highlight areas where residents may be at higher risk for exposure to harmful chemicals.

A tracking program partner, the Healthy Community Coalition, uses the tracking data to identify areas where they will target well water safety interventions. They organize events in high-risk, rural areas of Maine and send a mobile health unit to the locations to educate residents about well water safety and give out free well water test kits. Jennifer McCormack, Executive Director of the Coalition says, “The Maine Tracking Network is the only source for private well water data for the town-level. It’s a great resource to help us focus our outreach to the towns that need it the most.”

Two other community partners recently received contracts to carry out well water safety initiatives. They are also using the tracking data to identify and select high-risk communities where they will work to increase rates of testing through community events and local media.

NCEH Groundwater Services and Resources

NCEH’s Health Studies Branch actively provides scientific expertise to keep unregulated sources of groundwater, as well as public water supplies, safe when communities seek our help. Visit our website to learn more about how we are Promoting Clean Water for Health in communities in the US and internationally.

The Environmental Health Services website provides a list of practical and educational resources for local and state environmental health practitioners. You can access the list at Groundwater: Resources for EH Practitioners.