Groundwater Pollution and Drinking Water Scarcity :: Freshwater Essays

Ground water! What is it? Well it's basically self-explanatory and is any water that is held under ground. That is only a very simple definition of it though and well in fact ground water is very critical to every ones life locally and worldwide. Most of the water that you drink comes from ground water and not from lakes and rivers even though those are considered as a part of ground water components. Ground water has many components that it can be divided into and this paper will explain what ground water is, that negatives and positives of it, where is it and how it gets there. I will also explain how it affects people locally and worldwide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Like I said ground water is any water under the ground. Water is in almost everything on this earth and approximately 70% of this earth is covered with water on it's surface. Ground water locations can take on may forms such as in caves to lakes. Sure it is very easy to understand the significance of water from rivers lakes streams and oceans. But how much do you know about all of the water that exists below the surface of our earth. I'm sure that you think that groundwater is kind of like an underground river or lake. If you do your somewhat right but that not just quit it. Only in caves or near lava flow does the underground rivers and lakes occur. Instead ground water is usually held within pours of soil or rock material. An good example to show how the water is held is to fill a sponge with water that is kind of the way that ground water is held in these underground materials.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Groundwater is very beneficial to human life for several reasons. First, humans withdraw at about 40% of the public water supply on earth for everyday uses. Of that 40% that is withdrawn for everyday use 22% of it is fresh water that is sanitary enough to drink. One of those uses is very helpful for farmers and their irrigation systems to make crops, to help mankind be fed each and every day. In fact 34% of ground water is used to help irrigation on farms so farmers can grow their crops. Where do you think that water comes from your local home faucet? Well odds are it's from ground water because 53% of the American population's drinking water comes from groundwater.