PubTalk 9/2011 — Tracking the Nation's Groundwater Reserves

--issues facing current and future water supplies

by William Alley, USGS Office of Groundwater

• Ground water is among the Nation's most important natural resources, providing half of our drinking water as well as being essential to agriculture and industry, and the health of ecosystems throughout the country
• During the past 50 years, groundwater depletion has spread from isolated pockets to large areas in many countries throughout the world
• What are the issues involved, how much groundwater do we have left, and are we running out?
• Scientists are discovering more about where our Nation's groundwater resources are most stressed, and where they are most available for future