Overusing well water depletes resources, too
This adds to the Sept. 9 editorial, "Well users can waste water, too." It is a bad idea because it affects the inflow to our municipal water supplies.
In Guilford County, about half of the yearly flow in our streams and then into our reservoirs is from groundwater (U.S. Geological Survey, 1997). The rest is from storm runoff. Groundwater seeps into our streams and emerges as base flow (the water in a stream between storms).
When wells are used to irrigate lawns, this lowers the water table, thus decreasing the base flow. And, it continues to decrease the base flow after the drought ends until the groundwater can build up again.
For those residents in the Greensboro municipal water supply watershed, it has a direct immediate impact, decreasing the water entering Lakes Brandt and Townsend. For those in the Buffalo Creek watershed, it impacts the downstream users in Cary and others who draw their water from Jordan Lake. In any event, watering lawns from wells adversely affects all downstream water users.
Richard L. Phillips
Gibsonville
The writer is a registered professional engineer and adjunct professor in biological engineering, N.C. A&T State University.
Comments (4)
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Where is our "paraprofessional" engineer, Hugh? He told us the exact opposite on a previous letter. Of course, he relies on Popular Mechanics for his political news, so I guess they don't have a column on groundwater etc. :)
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Posted on September 16, 2007 2:45 PM
Hugh here. Yeah, I blew it on that earlier post. At least I'll admit it, unlike our bitterly partisan frothing at the mouth leftist troll, LC, aka DD.
As usual LC makes misleading statements. The PM article was about the Coast Guard's rescue of Katrina survivors. It was the greatest aerial rescue mission in the history of the US. But LC won't acknowledge that because it conflicts with the leftist spin of everything he posts.
Posted on September 16, 2007 8:18 PM
I wonder how much city water services adversely affects well owners?
Never have heard any concern about what their everyday wastefulness does to the water table. Yet, suddenly when the city runs low (through poor planning, overdevelopment, etc), well users are supposed to fall right in line?
People who have wells are more likely to conserve water out of concern for their own wells than they are for the city at large.
That's just human nature.
Course, the golf courses look greener than ever, don't they?
Posted on September 17, 2007 2:26 PM
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Hugh,
You are just a victim!
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Posted on September 17, 2007 5:28 PM