Overcoming Long-Term Challenges in Groundwater Sustainability

Concerns around groundwater management are on the rise for a variety of reasons. Groundwater is the source of drinking water for about half the total population in the United States, and long-term groundwater sustainability is in jeopardy. The future supply and availability of groundwater sources will depend on our implementation of sustainable solutions. Navigating these issues will require a challenging balance of priorities, including the location and allocation of capital as well as access to and vetting of appropriate expertise.

Whether controlling contaminants from entering groundwater sources, preventing saltwater intrusion, replenishing water in streams and lakes, or confronting our lowering water table, regions across the United States are struggling with how to provide clean water to communities for domestic supply and irrigation without harming or overstressing groundwater sources. In the Atlantic Coastal Plain in particular, water is being pumped from groundwater supplies for domestic use, but being discharged into saltwater bodies. Thus, groundwater bodies have decreased and saltwater intrusion continues to move inland. Every region and community has a unique set of needs for managing groundwater and faces constantly changing conditions―environmental as well as financial and political. Communities need tools that help them develop a customizable approach to gaining expertise and financial support based on their unique circumstances.

At times groundwater problems can seem insurmountable, but there are tools, expertise, and funding opportunities for water challenges available. Funding is currently being allocated for research on how water conservation, contamination, aquifer recharge, reuse strategies, and water supply management affect groundwater. The ability to pay for and develop needed solutions and research can take many forms, but solutions are accessible, and getting the right products and expertise for communities’ unique conditions is key.