Fresh water is one of our most important natural resources because it's needed for survival and there is no substitute for it. Unlike energy, which has many alternative forms there are no alternatives for water. Most of our earth is covered by water, but only a tiny amount is available for fresh water. The amount of accessible fresh water varies from country to country and region to region. The United States has abundant amount of water, but many regions have shortages and this is where groundwater comes in. Groundwater is very important to these parts of the world; it is used for farming and drinking in these areas. Groundwater helps these area's tremendously and has to be used in normal quantities as they are liable to run out which causes many problems such as sinkholes, human displacement, and for soil to be totally drained of water useless for agricultural purposes. Even though tapping aquifers is a very practical idea it has some set backs as it can have disastrous effects if polluted or over used. Groundwater originates as water or melting snow that seeps into the soil and finds it's way down through cracks and spaces in rock until it is stopped by a impermeable layer of rock, where it forms as groundwater. The porous layer
s of underground rock in which the groundwater is stored are called aquifers. These aquifers can either be confined or unconfined. The aquifers that are replaced by surface water directly above them are called unconfined. Confined aquifers are water deposits that are stuck between two layers of impermeable rock; this is sometimes called artesian wells. The water in artesian well is under extreme pressure and is often the most popular choice for wells as you can estimate the amount of water in them and be very accurate. There are many advantages to using groundwater for house water and farming in many parts of the world. In a desert there are very few waterways and this makes living here near impossible. With underground water supplies you can access water which does not take up surface water which takes up valuable farming land. In small countries this is particularly important as the more area for farming the better. When surface water such as rivers and lakes are used for house and drinking water many lakes water levels are lowered to dangerously low levels which could kill many types of animal species in these areas. The water has an abundance of minerals in it which are lost when the water level goes down which can not be leached into the soil from lakes and rivers. When living in large metropolis areas such as Tucson, Miami, Phoenix, and Memphis where there are not many lakes located in the middle of the large cities and thus they have to get there water from somewhere else. Without groundwater many cities in this area would not exist, as there is no fresh water sources nearby causing them to have to drill for water. The use of groundwater also helps nature as it helps in the prevention of flooding. When area's need water they look to surface water and if there is none they use groundwater. If there is not much water in an area they will damn the water source and it will flood the land killing many animals and there homes. By using groundwater they save animals homes and get good drinking water. Groundwater also has its problems. There may be more problems than advantages as so much can happen if groundwater is used excessively. When a
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