Monday, December 23, 2013

Groundwater pollution

Since the dawn of civilization, man has been depleting and contaminating earths resources. Each step towards development has also led to multiple steps towards polluting earths major resources. In our aim for capitalizing selfish goals, we have been successful on numerous occasions for polluting groundwater resources.

              Water is the most essential resource of this world. To completely understand the phenomenon of groundwater pollution it is necessary to understand how groundwater is formed and how is it important to us. Groundwater exists in the earths surface through spaces in pores and in cracks of rocks. It can be considered as a pool of water which exists due to the natural water cycle. This kind of water is most scenarios get created due to rain or snow. This water moves below the soil and moves within its stipulated zone.

               Groundwater is a very essential resource for mankind and especially for a very large nation. This form of water in the United States of America is used for drinking, factory usage and also becomes integral part in agriculture as it is used for irrigation. Its usage in multi-dimensions makes it utmost crucial for the groundwater to be away from contamination and from any kind of pollutants.

               Groundwater on its own is very crucial to us and as Ruth Patrick, Emily Ford, John Quarles, Veronica I. Pye assess the risks posed to humans and the environment vary according to the volume and toxicity of the containments, and the degree of exposure to them (15).  Pollution in the groundwater reserve can take place because of multiple reasons. But in factual terms pollutions takes place when wastes are allowed to make changes in the water quality to such a decree that its usage with all the living environments gets affected.

Importance of Groundwater
                  Groundwater is of significant value to us. Its viability makes it of utmost importance for us. It is estimated that groundwater constitutes about twenty percent of the fresh water reserve of the world. But there is a very large contingency of it beneath us in comparison to the ice blocks on the North and South Poles.  Groundwater is an excellent buffer option. This natural characteristic of it makes it very dear to farmers especially at the time of drought. In Asia, huge populations are dependent on groundwater and any element of change in it brings in mammoth amount of difficulties in their lives. Groundwater can only get replenished by natural phenomenon of rainfall or snowfall.

Pollution Elements 
When the pollution takes place at high levels the quality of water is not only affected but also the accessibility of water gets influenced making it incorrigible for humans and animals alike. There are many kinds of pollutants that make the state worse. Pesticides and similar chemicals inhabiting hydrocarbons change and affect the purity of the groundwater. Acids also make the groundwater get contaminated. These acids are normally of low and high level of pH. Harmful toxic elements like arsenic, nitrate, cyanide, lead and even mercury pollute the groundwater making it impossible for drinking perspective. A groundwater reserve are normally not spared by a simple contaminant, but rather gets affected by multiple polluting chemical elements. Carbon Tetracholride and benzene along with styrene make the purity of the ground water transform into vicious poisonous compound. Sodium and potassium, along with iron usually affect the reserve changing the color of the water. The worst affect however comes from the contamination from multiple radioactive substances.

Point source pollution and nonpoint source pollution of groundwater
Pollution of groundwater can be bifurcated in two terms, primarily into point source contamination and nonpoint source contamination. Point source pollution means contamination from a single source. These polluting sources can be a polluting industry, gas leaks, and landfills and even over use of fertilizers and pesticides. In this scenario, the groundwater gets affected by single origin contaminating elements and is restricted to that particular milieu.

                In general terms non point source pollution is more harmful than point source pollution. The reason behind is the adversity it creates by affecting larger areas of groundwater reserves. If we drop oils and paints in drains, then also it can create non point source pollution of groundwater. This is not a rare calamity and its basic problem lies in negating the source. The pollution is widespread and makes it vulnerable to the general public. Chemical constituents in pesticides can chance occurrence and can cause non pint source pollution than point source pollution.

Solving the groundwater pollution problem
           Cleaning up the groundwater is a very difficult and meticulous process. The cleanup adds more time compared to the prevention of the event. The procedure becomes more tedious when there is addition of precipitation to chemical sources being buried in the soil. To assess the complexity of the pollution it becomes mandatory to evaluate the risk involved to the human world along with the animal and plant habitat. On the basis of this assessment the technical way to apprehend the situation is chalked out and systemized procedures are implemented. Remedying the situation is highly dependent on the selection of analysis. Suzanne Lesage  Richard E. Jackson grasp the predicament and agree to the point that the selection of analytes in a hazardous waste investigation can be very difficult (6). Landfills are one of the worst groundwater polluting places. This is the kind of location where any and everything of the worst active nature is dumped for decades. Norwest 58th Street Landfill of Florida is a prime example of how groundwater gets contaminated for decades. But this superfund site is also exemplifies how such problems can be curbed. It took multi-five year plans to get the decontamination done and today the site is free from most of its problems. In most scenarios it is observed that more than the immediate remedy it is the maintenance of the contaminated site that burns the hole in the state reserves. If an industry has instrumentally polluted the groundwater reserve, it has to bear expenses of the research to do the necessary cleanup.

                 In usual scenarios the pollutants are contained from the its origin source and are removed from the aquifers beneath the soil. The aquifer is further detoxified and adequate water resurrection treatment is given at the source of the reserve. Techniques right from oxidizing, air sparging to the use microbes, all procedures are carefully utilized for getting the cleanup process on a right path.

          Groundwater is of extreme importance to mankind. The time before technology existed, man depended on the groundwater for its purity. We should take effective care by educating communities and industries to understand the futuristic effects of groundwater pollution and to allow systemized procedures for waste disposals.

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