Water Observances

National Groundwater Awareness Week

Overview

Logo for National Groundwater Awareness Week National Ground Water Awareness Week is an annual observance sponsored by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA). This week brings attention to the importance of ground water as a valuable resource. The observance also stresses the need for yearly water testing and well maintenance to prevent waterborne illness.

Ground water is water that is located below the surface of the earth in spaces between rock and soil. Seventy-eight percent of public water systems in the United States use ground water as their primary source, supplying drinking water to 30% of community water system users, or almost 90 million Americans (1). An additional 15 million U.S. households get their water from private ground water wells (2).

Most of the time, ground water sources in the United States are safe to use and not a cause for worry. However, ground water sources can become contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemicals that can lead to sickness and disease.

From 1971 to 2006, 54% of reported drinking water outbreaks were due to the use of untreated ground water (31%) or ground water treatment deficiencies (23%) (3). The presence of contaminants in our drinking water can lead to health problems, including gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders (4).

Visit the links below to learn more about ground water and National Ground Water Awareness Week.

Official Website

http://www.ngwa.org/public/awarenessweek/index.aspx (NGWA)

Dates of Celebration and Additional Resources

2010

March 7-13, 2010

2009

March 8-14, 2009

2008

March 9-15, 2008

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Factoids: drinking water and ground water statistics for 2008. Available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/data/getdata.html. Updated January, 2009.
U.S. Census Bureau. Current Housing Reports, Series H150/07, American Housing Survey for the United States: 2007, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC: 20401, Printed in 2008. Available at http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/h150-07.pdf [PDF - 6.82 mb].
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Waterborne-Disease Outbreak Surveillance System, unpublished data 2010.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Drinking Water Contaminants. Available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html. Updated September, 2009.