Drinking Water and Source Water Research
Featured Study: Occurrence of Po-210 and Pb-210 in Groundwater
Using recently developed and sensitive laboratory methods, the USGS has documented where the radionuclides lead-210 and polonium-210 occur in principal aquifers of the U.S. used for drinking-water supply, reports a new study.
Learn MoreFeatured Study: Fluoride in Groundwater Used for Drinking
Fluoride occurs commonly in groundwater used for drinking, but typically at concentrations less than the drinking-water standard for human health, reports a new study, and in many cases below the optimal concentration to prevent tooth decay.
Learn MoreScience Center Objects
Reliable drinking water is vital for the health and safety of all Americans. The USGS works with drinking water facilities and municipal suppliers to monitor and assess the quality of the water used as a source for our nation's drinking water needs.
BACKGROUND
One of the central missions of the USGS is to monitor the natural resources we rely on every day, and one of the most important natural resources monitored is water. As humans, we need water to live, especially clean water. But where does the water we rely on come from? How long can we use it to meet our drinking water needs?
DRINKING WATER IN THE UNITED STATES
Nearly 270 million people rely on public water supply every year1. That means over 85 percent of the United States population depends on municipal water suppliers to provide clean water to their homes and businesses. The source of that water typically is surface water from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs, or groundwater, which is treated before delivery to consumers. The remaining U.S. population relies on private groundwater wells to meet their household needs. The USGS cooperates with drinking water facilities and municipal suppliers to confirm that the source water they use meets its intended purposes, whether those purposes are domestic, commercial, or industrial. The USGS does not regulate or directly monitor water treatment operations, nor does it enforce water-quality standards. But the USGS works with drinking water facilities and municipal suppliers to assess the quality and quantity of the source water they use, whether it comes from a lake, river, reservoir, or groundwater.
RELATED USGS RESEARCH
- Water quality of public supply wells
- Factors affecting the vulnerability of public supply wells to contamination
- Water quality of domestic (private) wells
- Health-based screening levels (HBSLs) for drinking water
- Arsenic and drinking water
- Estimating toxin concentrations from harmful algal blooms in Ohio recreational and source waters
- Harmful algal blooms and drinking water in Oregon
- Groundwater viruses in Minnesota drinking water wells
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Public Supply Wells
Are you among the more than 100 million people in the U.S. who relies on a public-supply well for your drinking water? Although the quality of finished drinking water from public water systems is regulated by the EPA, long-term protection and management of the raw groundwater tapped by public-supply wells requires an understanding of the occurrence of contaminants in this invisible, vital...
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Year Published: 1997The U.S. Geological Survey Drinking Water Initiative
Safe drinking-water supplies are critical to maintaining and preserving public health. Although the Nation's drinking water is generally safe, natural and introduced contaminants in water supplies throughout the country have adversely affected human health. This new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiative will provide information on the...
View CitationThe U.S. Geological Survey Drinking Water Initiative; 1997; FS; 047-97; Geological Survey (U.S.)
Contaminants present in many parts of the Glacial aquifer system
Are you one of 30 million Americans whose drinking-water supply relies on groundwater from the glacial aquifer system? A new USGS study assesses the quality of untreated groundwater from this critical water resource, which underlies parts of 25 northern U.S. states.
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Date published: March 24, 2009Media Advisory: Quality and Safety of Private Drinking Water Wells
The quality and safety of some private drinking water wells across the country is an issue of concern, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study.
About 43 million people-or 15 percent of the Nation's population-rely on private wells for drinking water.
USGS scientists sampled 2,100 wells in 48 states from 30 of the Nation's 62 major aquifers. -
Date published: December 3, 2008
Media Advisory: Man-Made Chemicals Found in Drinking Water at Low Levels
Editor's note: The studies were conducted in Indiana, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado.
Low levels of certain man-made chemicals remain in public water supplies after being treated in selected community water facilities.
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Date published: March 4, 2008New Web Site Helps Wisconsin Plan for Safe Drinking Water
Wisconsin relies heavily on its groundwater—97 percent of communities in the state and nearly 1 million additional residents with private wells use groundwater for their daily needs.
Attribution: Region 3: Great Lakes -
Date published: September 5, 2007
Land-Use, Human Activity Impact Aquifers and Drinking Water Supplies
As populations increase around areas with public water-supply wells in the northern Tampa Bay region there are corresponding increases in contamination. According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), human activities are impacting ground-water resources.
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Date published: June 28, 1999
Many Contaminants Found In Nation’s Streams, But Few Drinking-Water Standards Exceeded, USGS Report Shows
In a look at water-quality conditions of 20 of the country’s largest and most important river basins, the U.S. Geological Survey announced today (June 28, 1999) that streams in areas with significant agricultural or urban development almost always contain complex mixtures of nutrients and pesticides.