New Food & Water Watch Report Calls For Improved National Data Collection on Groundwater Resources
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Kate Fried, Food & Water Watch: (202) 683-2500
New Food & Water Watch Report Calls For Improved National Data Collection on Groundwater Resources
Washington, D.C.–Food & Water Watch, a national consumer advocacy group, today released a report urging the federal government to ramp up its efforts to collect data on groundwater quantity and quality throughout the United States. The report, entitled Unmeasured Danger: America’s Hidden Groundwater Crisis, highlights the inadequacies of collecting data on groundwater at the local level and makes the case for why the federal government should oversee and dedicate funds for research on this vital, yet diminishing resource.
“At the heart of the matter is the fact that nobody knows exactly how much groundwater we have,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “Laws governing the amount of water that can be pumped from the ground vary from state-to-state, as do data collection practices regarding the quantity and quality of existing groundwater supplies. While the United States Geological Survey collects regional groundwater data, at the current funding levels, it would take 20 to 30 years to complete this research and by that time, most of that information would be obsolete.”
While groundwater accounts for 40 percent of our drinking and agricultural water supply, it is rapidly diminishing in the U.S., where 28 trillion gallons of water are extracted from the ground every year. In many areas, such as Tennessee, Texas, Massachusetts, Arizona, Florida, and California, water is pumped faster than it can be naturally restored, resulting in dwindling water levels in lakes and streams, droughts, and sinkholes that often destabilize highways and buildings. Further, as groundwater levels decrease, techniques to extract existing supplies grow more invasive and energy-intensive.
“Unfortunately, many groundwater problems do not become apparent until something terrible such as a sinkhole or a drought occurs. We cannot wait for such catastrophes to take action on this critical issue. Congress needs to appropriate funds to national groundwater research efforts so we can enact policies on the state and national level to preserve and protect groundwater supplies for future generations,” noted Hauter.
Unmeasured Danger: America’s Hidden Groundwater Crisis is available online here.