(WESTERVILLE, OH — September 5, 2012) With drought gripping our nation, protecting groundwater through conservation, as well as contamination prevention, takes on added importance during this year’s September 11 Protect Your Groundwater Day, an event established several years ago by the National Ground Water Association.
“Using water wisely is important no matter where one lives. Drought simply underscores that groundwater is a finite resource worth protecting,” said NGWA Public Awareness Director Cliff Treyens. Drought is affecting the United States from the Southwest to the Southeast and the Great Plains to the Midwest. Drought has put a strain on many household water wells — sometimes resulting in a reduction or loss of water flow as the water table drops.
Treyens said preventing contamination of groundwater is something every person can do through simple adjustments in their daily habits.
“There are many hazardous substances around households from oil and gas, and paint and paint thinners, to cleaning products and yard products such as fertilizers, pesticides, and weed killers,” he said. “How people store, use, and dispose of these substances can either protect groundwater or harm it.”
Protect Your Groundwater Day is an occasion for every citizen to ACT:
Acknowledge the causes of preventable groundwater contamination
Consider which apply to you
Take action to prevent groundwater contamination
To learn more about groundwater protection, visit Protect Your Groundwater Day. Water well owners can also learn more by visiting NGWA’s Web site created just for them, WellOwner.org.
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NGWA, a nonprofit organization composed of U.S. and international groundwater professionals — contractors, equipment manufacturers, suppliers, scientists, and engineers — is dedicated to advancing groundwater knowledge. NGWA’s vision is to be the leading groundwater association that advocates the responsible development, management, and use of water.
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