Ground Water Contaminants: What to Know
- Published:
- Updated: December 14, 2024
Summary
Groundwater contamination poses significant risks to human health and the environment. Various contaminants, including chemicals, microbes, and radioactive substances, can infiltrate groundwater from sources like industrial spills, agricultural runoff, and leaking storage tanks. Preventive measures involve proper waste disposal, maintenance of septic systems, and land-use policies to minimize contamination risks.
Groundwater is an essential fresh water source in most societies the world over, and it accounts for more than 40 per cent of the drinking water for the US population. But groundwater too can contain substances that are harmful to human and natural health. This contamination can be from subsurface storage tanks that leach, agricultural ponds that seep, or landfills that erode.
Types of Contaminants Found in Ground Water
Chemical Contaminants: Chemical contaminants are the most common type of groundwater contaminants and they can be produced by many sources such as agricultural and industrial use, leaking underground storage tanks, and inefficient septic systems. Some chemicals that can be harmful to groundwater are nitrates, pesticides, solvents and heavy metals like lead and arsenic.
Microbial contaminants: Microbes that can cause illness are microbial contaminants present in water. They can be from failing septic tanks, animal dung and sewer leaks. The most ubiquitous contaminants that can be found in groundwater are E. coli, salmonella and cryptosporidium.
Radiological Contaminants: Radiological contaminants are radioactive elements which can enter the groundwater. These can be from nuclear power stations, coal mines and even natural accumulations of radioactive minerals. Radium and uranium are two of the most common radiological contaminants in groundwater.
How is Groundwater Contamination Prevented and Treated?
Avoiding contamination of the groundwater is the best way to ensure the quality of the drinking water. Several of the things you can do to avoid a contamination of groundwater include disposal of toxic waste, regular checking of underground storage tanks, and design and maintenance of septic tanks. Other measures that communities can take include land-use policies that minimise the risk of groundwater contamination, such as restricting pesticide and other chemical use in farming.
Disinfecting a groundwater well is a complicated task where the contaminants are extracted and the water restored to safe levels. Among the processes for reclaiming polluted groundwater, physical, chemical, and biological treatment are some of them. Filtration, sedimentation, ion exchange and chemical oxidation, reduction and neutralization are some physical treatments; others are chemical treatments. For biological treatments, contaminants are digested and excreted from the water by microorganisms.
Converted groundwater can sometimes be treated at source with treatment equipment onsite at the source of the contamination. – Treatment systems can be placed at storage tanks underground, for instance, to flush contaminants from the tanks before they enter the groundwater. Otherwise, treated groundwater might have to be pumped out of the ground and stored in a treatment plant before it’s usable.
Note: It will also depend on the type and severity of contamination and site conditions to decide which treatment is the most effective in treating contaminated groundwater. An environmental consultant can advise you on how to proceed with remediation of groundwater contamination.
Consequences of Not Treating Groundwater Contamination
Without treatment, groundwater can still be toxic to humans and the environment. Groundwater that has been polluted can also diffuse into other bodies of water, like rivers and streams. Further, the soil and groundwater can also be contaminated by the tainted groundwater and contamination of crops and other plants.
Sometimes soiled groundwater can also shut down wells and cut off access to water. This can be especially disastrous to communities that are using groundwater for drinking, which will need to make do with cheaper or inferior water.
What are the Health Effects of Groundwater Contamination?
Chemical Contaminants
Chemical contaminants in groundwater can be problematic in a variety of ways including gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory disease and stunted growth in children. High levels of nitrates in tap water, for instance, may lead to methemoglobinemia – the reduction of the amount of oxygen present in the blood. These can have all sorts of health impacts, too, such as neurological damage, reproductive issues and cancer.
Microbial Contaminants
Microbial toxins in groundwater can result in all sorts of health disorders, from digestive tract disease and skin infection to respiratory infection. By way of illustration, E.coli found in water causes severe diarrhoea, stomach cramps and dehydration. The same symptoms are present in salmonella as well as fever and vomiting.
Radiological Contaminants
Radiological contaminants in groundwater can lead to all sorts of health effects ranging from cancer to genetic disease and developmental issues. To give just one example, exposure to high concentrations of radium in drinking water is associated with an increased risk of bone cancer; uranium is associated with kidney injury.
Groundwater Contamination and Climate Change
Groundwater pollution can also be influenced by climate change, because shifting rainfall and temperature can affect groundwater flow and quality. Also vulnerable to contamination from agricultural runoff can be exacerbated by climate change: increased rainfall patterns can also increase chemical and pollutants’ runoff to groundwater. Furthermore, coastal flooding and sea-level rise can poison groundwater by directing saltwater into freshwater aquifers.
Importance of Monitoring Groundwater Quality
Groundwater quality should be monitored to protect our drinking water, and to help keep the groundwater from being polluted. Groundwater monitoring will also alert you to contaminants in groundwater and monitor a water quality change. Also, groundwater monitoring can be used to identify patterns in groundwater pollution so that the community can prevent it from occurring again.
Infrequent groundwater monitoring, too, can make sure that treatment plants are operational and contaminated groundwater is being treated properly. Moreover, monitoring will reveal where the contamination of groundwater is coming from and provide locals with the tools to mitigate it.
Role of the Community in Protecting Groundwater
There’s more than one way to conserve groundwater, and the communities are the key to their drinking water. Local governments can act to prevent contamination of groundwater through best-practice waste disposal, septic system care and pesticide use. Communities can also lobby for tougher rules and regulations to save groundwater and treat polluted groundwater.
Communities could also educate themselves about groundwater and contaminant dangers, and coordinate with municipal government and environmental groups to keep an eye on groundwater and make sure their water was safe to drink. In helping to protect groundwater, communities can help ensure that this resource remains within reach of the next generation.
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