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Sustainable Water

Extending The Life Cycle Of Water

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Flooding and Wells Don’t Mix

Across the country, water is an issue perpetually on the mind of the public.  Often, we have concerns about the lack of it, but lately increased rainfall has dominated the news especially in the mid-west where the region is confronting catastrophic flooding.  According to Ed Clark, director of NOAA’s National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, “More than 200 million people are at risk for flooding in their communities.”[1]  As communities struggle to recover from the personal and financial impacts of the flooding, there is also a looming health emergency that results from well contamination.  Over a million private water wells across 300 counties in 10 states have groundwater that is vulnerable to contamination, both bacterial and industrial, as reported by The National Ground Water Association.  Those states are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

As waters rise and move across the landscape, a multitude of contaminants can move with them, such as bacteria from “flooded waste water treatment plants, septic tank systems, or animal waste from farms. Pesticide residues, oil and gasoline can also be mixed into the waters.”[2]  Kevin Masarik, a groundwater outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Watershed Science and Education, says bacteria like E.coli or parasites that come from human and animal waste can cause health issues for people, especially infants, the elderly and the “immunocompromised.”

The advice to all is to err on the side of caution.  Private wells are not regulated the same way public water systems are and testing is recommended if any level of breech is suspected.  Nebraska is offering free testing to owners of private wells in collaboration with the EPA.

The flooding experienced this year in the Midwest thus far is due to a combination of rapid snow melt, continued snowfall and increased precipitation; however, Mary C. Erickson, deputy director of National Weather Service, cautioned that flooding will continue and become worse and more prevalent.  Spring is predicted to bring at least moderate flooding to as many as 25 states, “with at least two-thirds of the continental United States expected to see an ‘elevated’ flood risk and above-average precipitation.”[3]

 

 

[1] Romero, Dennis. “Federal Forecasters Warn Flooding Will Get Worse in Spring Months.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 21 Mar. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/flooding-s-been-tormenting-midwest-will-only-get-worse-spring-n986116.

 

[2] “Midwest Flooding Threatens the Water Safety in 1 Million Wells.” WTVR.com, 29 Mar. 2019, wtvr.com/2019/03/29/midwest-flooding-update/.

 

[3] Romero, Dennis. “Federal Forecasters Warn Flooding Will Get Worse in Spring Months.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 21 Mar. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/flooding-s-been-tormenting-midwest-will-only-get-worse-spring-n986116.

Photo Credit:  Shutterstock

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