National Groundwater Awareness Week
Groundwater Facts & References
Groundwater provides an estimated*
|
Nationwide |
Texas |
|
· 27% of all freshwater withdrawals |
· 62% of all freshwater withdrawals |
|
· 43% of agricultural use (mostly for irrigation) |
· 76% of agricultural use (mostly for irrigation) |
|
· 21% of the public water supply withdrawals |
· 19% of the public water supply withdrawals |
|
· 98% of drinking water for the rural population |
· >99% of drinking water for the rural population |
*From the United States Geological Survey, the National Ground Water Association, the Texas Water Development Board, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
In addition:
- Ninety-two percent of Texans depend on public drinking water supplies. Nineteen percent of that supply, 1,027 million gallons per day, is from groundwater, serving over 5,428,588 Texans.
- There are 13,818 active public water supply wells in Texas ranging in depth from 18 to 5,407 feet.
- Nine major aquifers and 22 minor aquifers supply 62% of all the water used in the state.
- Also, 1,320,000 Texans rely on groundwater from their own wells for their drinking water and use 137 million gallons per day.
- The quality of Texas’ groundwater is generally good, and after the required disinfection, it meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water standards without additional treatment.
Only 2.5% of the water on the earth is fresh. Of this small amount, 68.9% is glaciers, 30.8% is groundwater, and lakes and rivers make up only 0.3% (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/WeighingWater).
Get your own 2020 National Groundwater Awareness Week Flyer (PDF)!
For more information on groundwater visit:
- Texas Groundwater Protection Committee at https://www.tgpc.texas.gov/ and its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at https://tgpc.texas.gov/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/
- Ground Water Protection Council at http://www.gwpc.org/
- Groundwater Foundation at https://www.groundwater.org/
- NGWA National Groundwater Awareness Week at https://www.ngwa.org/get-involved/groundwater- awareness-week/groundwater-awareness-week-2020
- USGS Groundwater Information by Topic at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science- school/science/groundwater-information-topic?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt- science_center_objects and its Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2015 at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1441
- TWDB 2017 State Water Plan at http://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/swp/2017/index.asp
