Groundwater Quality Research Active
Groundwater—Our Invisible, Vital Resource
What’s in Our Groundwater?—Current Conditions and Changes
Learn about groundwater quality in Principal Aquifers across the Nation and how it's changed over time
Predicting Groundwater Quality in Unmonitored Areas
See where a contaminant is likely to occur and at what concentration
Is Groundwater Quality Getting Better or Worse?
Use the web-based tool to see how groundwater quality across the Nation has changed over the decades
Every day, millions of gallons of groundwater are pumped to supply drinking water for about 140 million people, almost one-half of the Nation’s population. Learn about the quality and availability of groundwater for drinking, where and why groundwater quality is degraded, and where groundwater quality is changing.
Featured: 3-D Models of As and Mn in the Glacial Aquifer System
New 3-D models from the USGS National Water Quality Program predict where high concentrations of arsenic and manganese likely occur in the glacial aquifer system, groundwater supply for 30 million. Redox conditions and pH are controlling factors.
Groundwater is our invisible, vital resource. The USGS National Water Quality Program (NWQP) is focusing on studies of principal aquifers, regionally extensive aquifers that are critical sources of groundwater used for public supply. The studies have two main thrusts:
- Current conditions and changes through time. These assessments characterize groundwater quality in principal aquifers, comparing concentrations of inorganic constituents, such as arsenic and nitrate, and organic constituents, such as pesticides and volatile organic compounds, to benchmarks established for the protection of human health. Tracking changes in groundwater quality through time and investigating the reasons for these changes is crucial for informing management decisions to protect and sustain our valuable groundwater resources. See how concentrations of metals, nutrients, pesticides, and organic contaminants in groundwater are changing during decadal periods across the Nation, and view real-time fluctuations in groundwater quality.
- Predicting groundwater quality. Statistical models and 3-D characterizations predict where a contaminant is likely to occur in groundwater, at what depth, and at what concentration. These forecasts anticipate water quality in areas where groundwater has not been sampled.
From 1991 to 2010, about 6,600 wells were sampled by the NWQP to document where contaminants occur and to develop an understanding of the natural and human factors that affect the occurrence of contaminants in the Nation’s groundwater. Learn about groundwater quality in the Nation’s principal aquifers, 1991–2010.
Explore USGS science on topics related to groundwater quality:
National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project
Contaminants in groundwater
Arsenic and Drinking Water
Chloride, Salinity, and Dissolved Solids
Emerging Contaminants
Metals and Other Trace Elements
Nutrients and Eutrophication
Pesticides and Water Quality
Radionuclides
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Hydraulic Fracturing
Drinking and source-water quality
Corrosivity
Domestic (private) supply wells
Public-supply wells
Drinking-water taste and odor
Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants
Processes affecting groundwater quality
Groundwater Age
Oxidation/Reduction (Redox)
How do we do it? Access USGS publications and manuals on National Water-Quality Project sampling methods.
Looking for information on surface-water quality as well? Explore these links:
Surface-Water Quality and Ecology
Groundwater/Surface-Water Interaction
Access our most recent groundwater-quality data.
Below, you’ll find the latest in peer-reviewed journal articles and USGS reports on groundwater water-quality issues.
Tritium as an indicator of modern, mixed, and premodern groundwater age
Elevated manganese concentrations in United States groundwater, role of land surface–soil–aquifer connections
Secondary hydrogeologic regions of the conterminous United States
Radium mobility and the age of groundwater in public-drinking-water supplies from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, north-central USA
Groundwater quality in the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, midwestern United States
Groundwater quality in the glacial aquifer system, United States
Groundwater quality in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers, eastern United States
Groundwater quality in the Rio Grande aquifer system, southwestern United States
Domestic well locations and populations served in the contiguous U.S.: 1990
Groundwater-quality data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2014 and select quality-control data from May 2012 through December 2014
Holistic assessment of occurrence and fate of metolachlor within environmental compartments of agricultural watersheds
Fraction of young water as an indicator of aquifer vulnerability along two regional flow paths in the Mississippi embayment aquifer system, southeastern USA
Predicting redox-sensitive contaminant concentrations in groundwater using random forest classification
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.
- Overview
Every day, millions of gallons of groundwater are pumped to supply drinking water for about 140 million people, almost one-half of the Nation’s population. Learn about the quality and availability of groundwater for drinking, where and why groundwater quality is degraded, and where groundwater quality is changing.
Featured: 3-D Models of As and Mn in the Glacial Aquifer SystemNew 3-D models from the USGS National Water Quality Program predict where high concentrations of arsenic and manganese likely occur in the glacial aquifer system, groundwater supply for 30 million. Redox conditions and pH are controlling factors.
Groundwater is our invisible, vital resource. The USGS National Water Quality Program (NWQP) is focusing on studies of principal aquifers, regionally extensive aquifers that are critical sources of groundwater used for public supply. The studies have two main thrusts:
- Current conditions and changes through time. These assessments characterize groundwater quality in principal aquifers, comparing concentrations of inorganic constituents, such as arsenic and nitrate, and organic constituents, such as pesticides and volatile organic compounds, to benchmarks established for the protection of human health. Tracking changes in groundwater quality through time and investigating the reasons for these changes is crucial for informing management decisions to protect and sustain our valuable groundwater resources. See how concentrations of metals, nutrients, pesticides, and organic contaminants in groundwater are changing during decadal periods across the Nation, and view real-time fluctuations in groundwater quality.
- Predicting groundwater quality. Statistical models and 3-D characterizations predict where a contaminant is likely to occur in groundwater, at what depth, and at what concentration. These forecasts anticipate water quality in areas where groundwater has not been sampled.
From 1991 to 2010, about 6,600 wells were sampled by the NWQP to document where contaminants occur and to develop an understanding of the natural and human factors that affect the occurrence of contaminants in the Nation’s groundwater. Learn about groundwater quality in the Nation’s principal aquifers, 1991–2010.
Explore USGS science on topics related to groundwater quality:
National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project
Contaminants in groundwater
Arsenic and Drinking Water
Chloride, Salinity, and Dissolved Solids
Emerging Contaminants
Metals and Other Trace Elements
Nutrients and Eutrophication
Pesticides and Water Quality
Radionuclides
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Hydraulic FracturingDrinking and source-water quality
Corrosivity
Domestic (private) supply wells
Public-supply wells
Drinking-water taste and odor
Water-Quality Benchmarks for ContaminantsProcesses affecting groundwater quality
Groundwater Age
Oxidation/Reduction (Redox)How do we do it? Access USGS publications and manuals on National Water-Quality Project sampling methods.
Looking for information on surface-water quality as well? Explore these links:
Surface-Water Quality and Ecology
Groundwater/Surface-Water Interaction
- Science
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- Data
Access our most recent groundwater-quality data.
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- Publications
Below, you’ll find the latest in peer-reviewed journal articles and USGS reports on groundwater water-quality issues.
Tritium as an indicator of modern, mixed, and premodern groundwater age
Categorical classification of groundwater age is often used for the assessment and understanding of groundwater resources. This report presents a tritium-based age classification system for the conterminous United States based on tritium (3H) thresholds that vary in space and time: modern (recharged in 1953 or later), if the measured value is larger than an upper threshold; premodern (recharged prAuthorsBruce D. Lindsey, Bryant C. Jurgens, Kenneth BelitzFilter Total Items: 45Elevated manganese concentrations in United States groundwater, role of land surface–soil–aquifer connections
Chemical data from 43 334 wells were used to examine the role of land surface–soil–aquifer connections in producing elevated manganese concentrations (>300 μg/L) in United States (U.S.) groundwater. Elevated concentrations of manganese and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in groundwater are associated with shallow, anoxic water tables and soils enriched in organic carbon, suggesting soil-derived DOCAuthorsPeter B. McMahon, Kenneth Belitz, James E. Reddy, Tyler D. JohnsonSecondary hydrogeologic regions of the conterminous United States
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) previously identified and mapped 62 Principal Aquifers (PAs) in the U.S., with 57 located in the conterminous states. Areas outside of PAs, which account for about 40% of the conterminous U.S., were collectively identified as “other rocks.” This paper, for the first time, subdivides this large area into internally-consistent features, defined here as Secondary HAuthorsKenneth Belitz, Elise Watson, Tyler D. Johnson, Jennifer B. SharpeRadium mobility and the age of groundwater in public-drinking-water supplies from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, north-central USA
High radium (Ra) concentrations in potable portions of the Cambrian-Ordovician (C-O) aquifer system were investigated using water-quality data and environmental tracers (3H, 3Hetrit, SF6, 14C and 4Herad) of groundwater age from 80 public-supply wells (PSWs). Groundwater ages were estimated by calibration of tracers to lumped parameter models and ranged from modern (<50 yr) in upgradient, regionallAuthorsPaul E. Stackelberg, Zoltan Szabo, Bryant C. JurgensGroundwater quality in the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, midwestern United States
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system constitutes one of the important areas being evaluated.AuthorsPaul E. StackelbergGroundwater quality in the glacial aquifer system, United States
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The glacial aquifer system constitutes one of the important areas being evaluated.AuthorsPaul E. StackelbergGroundwater quality in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers, eastern United States
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers constitute one of the important areas beinAuthorsBruce D. LindseyGroundwater quality in the Rio Grande aquifer system, southwestern United States
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The Rio Grande aquifer system constitutes one of the important areas being evaluated.AuthorsMaryLynn Musgrove, Laura M. BexfieldDomestic well locations and populations served in the contiguous U.S.: 1990
We estimate the location and population served by domestic wells in the contiguous United States in two ways: (1) the “Block Group Method” or BGM, uses data from the 1990 census, and (2) the “Road-Enhanced Method” or REM, refines the locations by using a buffer expansion and shrinkage technique along roadways to define areas where domestic wells exist. The fundamental assumption is that houses (anAuthorsTyler Johnson, Kenneth BelitzGroundwater-quality data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2014 and select quality-control data from May 2012 through December 2014
Groundwater-quality data were collected from 559 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from January through December 2014. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which are used to assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study neAuthorsTerri Arnold, Laura M. Bexfield, MaryLynn Musgrove, Bruce D. Lindsey, Paul E. Stackelberg, Jeannie R. B. Barlow, Leslie A. DeSimone, Justin T. Kulongoski, James A. Kingsbury, Joseph D. Ayotte, Brandon J. Fleming, Kenneth BelitzHolistic assessment of occurrence and fate of metolachlor within environmental compartments of agricultural watersheds
Background: Metolachlor [(RS)-2-Chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methyl-phenyl)-N-(1-methoxypropan-2-yl)acetamide] and two degradates (metolachlor ethane-sulfonic acid and metolachlor oxanilic acid) are commonly observed in surface and groundwater. The behavior and fate of these compounds were examined over a 12-year period in seven agricultural watersheds in the United States. They were quantified in air, raiAuthorsClaire E. Rose, Richard H. Coupe, Paul D. Capel, Richard M. WebbFraction of young water as an indicator of aquifer vulnerability along two regional flow paths in the Mississippi embayment aquifer system, southeastern USA
Wells along two regional flow paths were sampled to characterize changes in water quality and the vulnerability to contamination of the Memphis aquifer across a range of hydrologic and land-use conditions in the southeastern United States. The flow paths begin in the aquifer outcrop area and end at public supply wells in the confined parts of the aquifer at Memphis, Tennessee. Age-date tracer (e.gAuthorsJames A. Kingsbury, Jeannie R. B. Barlow, Bryant C. Jurgens, Peter B. McMahon, John K. CarmichaelPredicting redox-sensitive contaminant concentrations in groundwater using random forest classification
Machine learning techniques were applied to a large (n > 10,000) compliance monitoring database to predict the occurrence of several redox-active constituents in groundwater across a large watershed. Specifically, random forest classification was used to determine the probabilities of detecting elevated concentrations of nitrate, iron, and arsenic in the Fox, Wolf, Peshtigo, and surrounding watersAuthorsAnthony J. Tesoriero, Jo Ann M. Gronberg, Paul F. Juckem, Matthew P. Miller, Brian P. Austin - Web Tools
- News
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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