The Resource
Groundwater
is water that has fallen on the earth's surface in the form of precipitation
and has found its way into the soils, gravels, and bedrock fractures and faults
underground. In turn, a geological
formation of permeable rock, gravel or sand containing or conducting an
economically viable amount of groundwater is called an aquifer. Groundwater is found nearly everywhere, but
it can only be retrieved in significant, consistent quantities when it
accumulates in aquifers and is "tapped" in appropriate places.
Groundwater
is plentiful. In fact, there is nearly
20 times more water in the ground than in all surface water sources (lakes,
streams, and rivers) combined, accounting for over 95 percent of all the
unfrozen fresh water in the world.
Aquifers may lie near the earth's surface in sand and gravel beds, or
can be located deeper within bedrock faults and fractures.
Because
groundwater has proven difficult to find in many regions, it comprises only 19
percent of the fresh water currently used by the world's population. The key to finding this vast and often
untapped resource is the accurate and reliable exploration program developed
and used by HydroSource Associates, Inc.
The Benefits
In
general, groundwater is significantly less costly to develop than surface
water. It is less susceptible to contamination than surface water, and quite
often requires little or no treatment to be used as drinking water.
Groundwater
systems are generally simpler to operate than surface water systems, and cost
less to install, operate and maintain. Operating costs are usually less
impacted by inflation, and new groundwater supplies can be developed in less
time than surface water sources because there are fewer environmental issues
and regulatory delays. Groundwater systems can be installed in increments
coinciding with user demands, thereby avoiding the expense of over-capacity,
and ensuring client control over the system development schedule and costs. Potential
groundwater sources can be identified, proven and protected now, and placed on
line at a predictable price as the need arises.
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Click here to see the cost comparison of surface
water treatment systems vs. groundwater development. |
Click
here to
see the comparison of microbiological constituents in groundwater and surface
water. |
The Applications
Groundwater can be used either as a primary or a
supplemental water supply source for industrial, commercial, municipal,
institutional, residential, agricultural, mining, and energy users. Groundwater
systems can be designed as a low cost means to meet peak flow demand. Non-potable
sources can be used in a variety of non-contact industrial processes, many
agricultural settings, and in energy systems.
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