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New Estimate Finds Less Fresh Groundwater in U.S. Than Previously Assumed

photo: drilling rig and drilling for water

Photo: Well drillers for Hydro Resources drill a well near Sublette, Kansas. Photo © Brian Lehmann / Circle of Blue By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

Drilling deeper not a long-term strategy, authors say.

When a severe drought enveloped California a few years ago and rivers shriveled, farmers in the Central Valley punched wells deeper underground, seeking to tap water reserves that were untouched by aridity on the surface.

In … [more…]

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US groundwater in peril: potable water supply less than thought

photo: a private, potable groundwater well in New Mexico, USA

Photo: A groundwater well near Estancia, New Mexico. Credit: Debra Perrone

The U.S. groundwater supply is smaller than originally thought, according to a new research study that includes a University of Arizona hydrologist.

The study provides important insights into the depths of underground fresh and brackish water in some of the most prominent sedimentary basins across the U.S.

The research by scientists from the University of Saskatchewan, the UA and … [more…]

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New York governor signs law mandating lead testing in schools

(Photo: Peter Carr/The Journal News)

ALBANY — Schools in New York will have to test drinking water for lead contamination.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation into law Tuesday that will require the state’s nearly 700 districts to conduct the testing, and he separately ordered the state Health Department to require districts to test the water by Oct. 31.

For elementary schools, the deadline is by the end of September.

The … [more…]

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Paper presents changes in Ogallala Aquifer groundwater quality

In a new paper published by the Texas Water Journal (TWJ), a group of researchers for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), found that the quality of water being extracted from the Ogallala Aquifer changes in complex and unpredictable ways.

photo: pumping groundwater from the Oglalla Aquifer. Paper presents changes in Ogallala Aquifer groundwater quality

“In some cases, water quality declined and in others water quality improved,” the researchers wrote in the paper’s abstract. Drs. Timothy S. Goebel, John E. Stout … [more…]

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What we know about PFAS contamination in Parchment drinking water

map. What we know about PFAS contamination in Parchment drinking water

PARCHMENT, MI — Residents using Parchment’s municipal water supply were told on July 26 to immediately stop drinking the water after high levels of PFAS were discovered in the municipal water source. Public health experts link exposure to the chemicals with increased risk for cancer, liver damage and other serious ailments.

Here’s what we know about PFAS discovered in Parchment’s municipal water supply. A test conducted by the Michigan Department … [more…]