WATER QUALITY IN GEORGIA

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WATER QUALITY IN GEORGIA

• Original Power Point Created by
• Ron Smoak

Modified by the GA Agriculture Education
Curriculum July 2002
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OBJECTIVES

• To help young farmers develop an awareness of the
  importance of protecting groundwater from
  contamination.
• To provide young farmers with basic information
  on Georgias groundwater supply.
• To educate Y.F.s in best management practices in
  preventing pollution to ground water.

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IMPORTANCE OF WATER

• Water is critical to each of our lives
• It is important for our health
• It is important for our economy
• It is important for our way of life

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HOW IMPORTANT IS WATER?

• People can live only 5 to 10 days without water
• Two quarts of water per day are needed to
• Digest food
• Lubricate joints
• Clean eyes
• Remove body wastes
• Cool the body

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OTHER WATER FACTS

• It takes 3 gal. of water to produce 1 gal. of
  milk
• It takes 25 gal. of water to grow an ear of corn
• 47 of Georgias water comes from surface water
• 53 from groundwater
• 97 of rural users use groundwater

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SOURCES OF WATER

• Surface Water
• Comes from lakes, rivers, reservoirs
• Used by 47 of U.S. population
• Mostly used in cities and suburbs

• Ground Water
• Used in rural areas
• Rain, sleet, snow, hail absorbed
• into ground
• Used by 53 of the population

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WATER USE AT HOME

• Toilets 28
• Baths 9
• Showers 21
• Washing machines 22
• Dishwasher 3

• Faucets 12
• Toilet Leakage 5

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WELL WATER

• Used by 97 of rural Americans
• Generally not treated
• Natural filtration system

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IS WATER SAFE?

• Federal Safe Drinking Water Act
• Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL)
• Over a 70 year period, a person would have to
  drink thousands of gallons of tap water every day
  to exceed the MCL

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AGRICULTURAL USE OF GROUNDWATER

• Agriculture is largest consumer of government
  waste through irrigation
• Irrigation consumes 68 of groundwater nationwide
• 1990 - 33 of the groundwater in Georgia was used
  for irrigation
• Georgia ranks medium to low in respect to
  groundwater withdrawal

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PROPERTIES OF GROUNDWATER

• Groundwater moves into the ground from rainfall
• It is absorbed into Recharge Zones
• Swamps
• Sinkholes
• Lakes, ponds, and rivers

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GROUNDWATER MOVEMENT

• Water moves constantly underground toward a point
  of discharge
• River or stream
• Lake
• Well
• Ocean

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AQUIFERS

• Aquifers are not flowing underground rivers.
• Aquifers are porous rock materials through which
  groundwater flows freely
• Sand
• Gravel
• Sandstone
• Limestone solution channels

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GEORGIAS AQUIFER SYSTEM

• Floridan aquifer system
• Claiborne aquifer system
• Clayton aquifer system
• Cretaccous aquifer system

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FLORIDAN AQUIFER SYSTEM

• One of most productive groundwater reservoirs in
  U.S.
• Supplies approximately 50 of groundwater used in
  the state
• Major water source in most of South Georgia
• Primarily limestone and sand
• 40-900 ft. deep 1000 to 5000 gpm
• Recharge zones in much of South Georgia

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PROTECTING SURFACE GROUNDWATER

• Cropping tillage practices to minimize soil
  erosion
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Apply chemicals according to label
• Irrigate to prevent run-off leaching
• Well-head protection
• Nutrient management for crop land

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COMMON SENSE FORGROUNDWATER PROTECTION

• An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
• It is difficult, if not impossible, to clean up
  groundwater
• Prevention is the best method

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What You Can Do to Keep your Water Safe

• Follow instructions with hazardous materials
• Proper disposal of cleaning products, house
  paints, thinners, house and lawn pesticides,
  motor oil, medical wastes, and other contaminants
• Ensure that no lawn and garden products are
  washed into streams or storm drains
• Participate in community hazardous waste disposal
  days
• Educate friends and neighbors on proper disposal
  of household and lawn garden hazardous wastes