Groundwater Pumping on Long Island, New York – Water Quality

Groundwater Pumping on Long Island, New York – Water Quality: The figure above illustrates how groundwater contamination from surface sources can affect water-quality at a pumping well. The top left image shows the distribution of public-supply wells on Long Island, NY; the bottom left image the land-cover distribution for Long Island in 2006, and the top and bottom right images indicate how water gets captured at a pumping well. All water pumped from the Long Island aquifer system originated as water at land surface; therefore, any adverse land-use activity in the vicinity of a pumping well can affect the water quality in the well.  Groundwater models are used to calculate the area that contributes recharge to pumping wells. (Figure for illustrative purposed only, data subject to change.)