|
 The Groundwater Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Lincoln, Nebraska, works to educate people and inspire action to ensure sustainable, clean groundwater for future generations and has been working in Fairbury as part of the “Let’s Keep It Clean” program.
As you may know, groundwater is water found underground in cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. These underground stores of water are called aquifers. Groundwater is critically important to daily living. Of all the Earth’s water that is usable by humans, 98 percent is groundwater and over half of the population relies on groundwater for drinking water, including nearly all of the country’s rural residents.
Most people don’t realize the impact they can have on groundwater. Anything poured or spilled onto the ground’s surface can end up in the groundwater supply, even years later, and contaminated groundwater can ruin human and animal health, while overuse can lead to shortages in the water supply.
 Pollutants that contaminate groundwater may be some of the same pollutants that contaminate surface water (indeed, surface and groundwater are connected). Pesticides, fertilizers, road salt, used motor oil, untreated waste from septic tanks and toxic chemicals from underground storage tanks can all seep into groundwater. Improperly disposed of pharmaceuticals or beauty products can end up in the water supply.
Drinking or coming into contact with contaminated groundwater can devastate human health, causing diseases such as hepatitis and dysentery, nervous system disorders, liver or kidney failure or even certain types of cancer.
Every individual has a responsibility to protect groundwater, because every individual is impacted daily by the quality and quantity available. Individuals can do several things to help maintain a clean water supply, including:
- Have private drinking water wells tested.
- Inspect and maintain septic systems.
- Never flush unneeded or expired medications down the toilet or drain.
- If no other disposal options exist, such as a take-back program at a local pharmacy, alter medications in some way and place them in the trash. Alteration means adding or doing something to make medications unpalatable, undesirable, or unusable.
- Use personal care products sparingly… water supplies can be contaminated by direct human contact.
- Take used motor oil to a recycling center.
- Ride a bike or walk instead of taking the bus or driving.
- Limit the amount of fertilizer used on plants.
- Encourage local green spaces to seek designation as a Groundwater Guardian Green Site.
- Start a Groundwater Guardian team in your community.
To learn more about what is happening in your community and how you can be a part of the effort to protect your groundwater supply, visit www.groundwater.org/pe/GGAN/communities.html. Some of you may have visited The Groundwater Foundation booth at the Jefferson County Fair or heard The Groundwater Foundation’s message at the city council meeting. Full toolkits have been distributed to your elementary school, your government leader, a key business person and a concerned citizen for even more engagement in Fairbury.
Our work in Fairbury is sponsored by the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. For more information contact Brian Reetz, The Groundwater Foundation, breetz@groundwater.org, 402-434-2740 Ext. 111.
|
Helpful Links
Job Listings 
Real Estate 
Local
Local Healthcare
