groundwater and fracking (trinidad and virgina u.s.a case study)

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GROUNDWATER BY: KELSEY P. VICTORIA M. AND BRENECIA D .

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GROUNDWATER

BY: KELSEY P. VICTORIA M. AND BRENECIA D.

WHAT IS GROUND WATER?

• It Is A Chemical Substance That Is Composed Of Two (2) Hydrogen Atoms And

One (1) Oxygen Atom.

• It Is Stored In Microscopic Pores/Spaces, Known As Capillary Water, In Rocks

And Soil Beneath The Surface Of The Earth

• Groundwater Originates From Precipitation, Melting Snow And Ice

WHERE IS GROUNDWATER FOUND?

• It Is Found Almost Everywhere; Beneath Hills, Mountains, Plains, And Deserts All

Over The World

• It Occurs When Water Infiltrates The Soil

• Percolation Enables The Water To Constantly Move Through Pores In The Soil

• The Water Table, The Boundary Between Saturated And Unsaturated Soil, Is The

1st Level Of Groundwater Storage

• At the 2nd Level Of Groundwater, The Aquifer Is Usually Fully Saturated By The

Surface Water

• Both Levels Of The Aquifer, Confined And Unconfined Layers Are Fully Saturated

** The Amount Of Ground Water In The Soil Depends On The Size Of The Soil

Particles

** The Water Table May Vary In Height

WHY IS GROUNDWATER IMPORTANT?

• Nearly 70% Of The World’s Freshwater Is Made Up Of Groundwater, Lakes,

Streams And Rivers Are Made Up Of 0.2% Of Water And 30% Or Less Is Bounded

Up In Snow, Ice On Mountains In Polar Regions.

• Almost All The Water That Is Used For Agriculture , Industry And Drinking Water

Is Or Has Been Groundwater At Some Point In The Water Cycle.

WHY IS GROUNDWATER IMPORTANT?

• Groundwater Supports Rivers, Grasslands And Deserts, During The Drier Months

When There Is Little Rainfall.

• The Quality Of Groundwater Is Very Good And It Usually Requires Much Less

Treatment Than River Water To Be Safe For Drinking Purposes. This Is Because

Of The Soil And Rocks Through Which The Groundwater Flows Helps To Remove

Pollutants.

• It Has Been Considered A Dependable Source Of Uncontaminated Water

WHERE DOES THE WATER IN THE AQUIFER COME FROM ?

• Some Sources Of Groundwater Are :

1. Precipitation

2. Surface Water (Rivers, Ponds Etc.)

3. Stemflow

4. Springs

HOW CAN GROUNDWATER BE EXTRACTED?

• Wells

• Mechanical/Manual Water Pumps

• Natural Capillary Action

HOW IS GROUNDWATER USED IN OUR LIVES?

Because The Quality Of Ground Water Is Cleaner Than Bodies Of Water On The

Surface It May Be Used In The Following Ways;

• 1.Environmentally Eg: Aquatic Life /Wetlands /Lakes /Streams /Wildlife

• 2.Residentially Eg: Drinking /Watering Plants /Laundry

• 3.Industrial Eg: Agriculture /Paper Industry /Food Processing

• 4.Business Eg: Restaurants /Hotels / Resorts

USAGE OF GROUNDWATER BY THE POPULATION OF TRINIDAD

USAGE OF GROUNDWATER BY THE POPULATION OF TRINIDAD CONTINUED…

POLLUTION OF GROUNDWATER IN TRINIDAD

• Groundwater Contamination Occurs When Man-made Products Get Into The

Groundwater System And Cause It To Become Unsafe And Unfit For Use

POTENTIAL SOURCES OF GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

• Groundwater May Be Polluted Due To Its Possible Connection In The Water

Continuum With Surface Water.

1. Storage Tanks: The Groundwater May Be Impaired By Some Or All The Pollutants In

The Surface Water As Long As They Are Discharged Or Leached Directly Into Areas

Or Close To Where They Can Infiltrate An Aquifer.

POLLUTION OF GROUNDWATER IN TRINIDAD

2. LANDFILLS: Leaching From Open Dumps And Sanitary Landfills Is One Of The Main

Threats To Groundwater Quality Such As At Beetham And Guanapo (The Northern

Gravels), Forres Park And Studley Park ( The Local Water Table).

3. SEPTIC SYSTEMS : Onsite Wastewater Disposal Systems Used By Homes, Offices Or

Other Buildings That Are Not Connected To A City Sewer System. Septic Systems

Are Designed To Slowly Drain Away Human Waste Underground

4. CHEMICALS AND ROAD SALTS: The widespread use of chemicals and road salts is

another source of potential groundwater contamination. Chemicals include

products used on lawns and farm fields to kill weeds and insects and to fertilize

plants, and other products used in homes and businesses

POLLUTION OF GROUNDWATER

MAN’S IMPACT ON GROUNDWATER

Negative Impacts Positive Impacts

1. May lead to liquefaction if overused

1. Provides clean water to remote areas

2. Industrial pollution 2. Provides room for more to be stored

3. Leaching by littering 3. Farmers have a cheap water supply

4. Water pollution by fracking

LIQUEFACTION EXAMPLES

WHAT IS FRACKING?

• Fracking Is The Process Of Drilling Into The Earth, And A High-pressure Mixture

Of Water, Sand And Chemicals Are Pumped Into Wells. This Allows The Gas To

Flow Out To The Head Of The Well, The Extensive Use Of Fracking In The US,

Where It Has Revolutionised The Energy Industry, Has Prompted Many

Environmental Environmental Concerns.

1. That Fracking Uses Huge Amounts Of Water That Must Be Transported To The

Fracking Site, At Significant Environmental Cost.

2. The Second Is The Worry That Potentially Carcinogenic Chemicals Used May Escape

And Contaminate Groundwater Around The Fracking Site.

3. There Are Also Worries That The Fracking Process Can Cause Small Earth Tremors.

GROUNDWATER UTILIZATION IN VIRGINIA, USA

• 38 Out Of The 95 Countries In Virginia Are Completely Dependent On Ground Water

According To The Us Census (1990)

• 80% Of The Water Supplied To The Population In Virginia Comes From Groundwater

• 95% Of Virginia’s Rural Areas Are Wholly Dependent On Their Own Wells For Clean

Water

• Many Towns And City Dwellers Drink Groundwater As The Vast Majority Of Public

Water Supply Systems (2300 Out Of 2500) Use Groundwater

• Many Farmers In This Community Also Utilize Groundwater (approx. 50 billion

gallons) For Their Animals And Irrigating Crops Because The Amount Of Rainfall Is

Not Sufficient

• Commercial And Industrial Businesses Also Use Water For Their Processes And

Operations Eg Franklin And West Point (Paper Processing Company)

• It Is Also Used For The Production Of Electric Power Food Beverages And Material

WATER WELL DRILLING IN KIMBALL, WEST VIRGINIA

WEST VIRGINIA 2,500 CHEMICAL SPILL