Premium
Controlled Degradation and/or Protection Zones — Nonsense a
Author(s) -
Bouwer Herman
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1979.tb03294.x
Subject(s) - environmental science , water quality , groundwater , effluent , aquifer , sewage , irrigation , water resource management , environmental engineering , water resources , raw water , agriculture , water pollution , groundwater recharge , waste management , engineering , environmental chemistry , geography , chemistry , ecology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , biology
Man's activities are an ever‐increasing threat to ground‐water quality. New EPA policies encourage cities to discharge sewage effluent on land. Irrigated agriculture is incompatible with high‐quality ground water where deep percolation water is not removed by drainage. Present drinking‐water quality standards cannot be used to determine the suitability of water for potable use if such water is waste‐water‐derived. Where sewage effluent is applied to land, persistent trace organics occur in underlying ground water. Some of these organics may be carcinogenic or otherwise toxic, and much additional research is needed. Controlled degradation of ground water still is degradation. High‐quality ground‐water resources either are to be protected, or aquifers eventually must be abandoned as sources of high‐quality drinking water. In the long term, there is no in‐between. The choice will be dictated by economic and environmental considerations. For example, the most economical use of aquifers below irrigated valleys ultimately may be to serve as facilities for treatment, storage, and conveyance of municipal waste water from surrounding communities, so that this water can be used again for unrestricted irrigation. While such uses of aquifers may be far off, they should be anticipated now to allow proper planning.