Civil engineering is a much needed service, particularly when dealing with groundwater. There are a wide range of environmental consulting firms that provide civil engineers with the information they need regarding the quality of the ground water to move forward with a variety of projects including wells and park planning. These firms provide an analysis of water tests results, which test quality and the presence of water pollution.
Recent studies show that one-fourth of all rain water in American eventually becomes groundwater. This water is what flows into the streams, creeks, and lakes, and is then pumped out to be used for drinking water. Obviously, there is an intricate filtering process that happens before the water ends in people?s glasses for drinking. However, with more and more people choosing to build and use wells over municipal water, there may be variations in the quality of the water and the effectiveness of the filtering process.
Some reports indicate there are as many as 500,000 new residential wells being built each year. An investigation of the ground water and stability through civil engineering is needed before these wells should be dug. However, depending on the location and the regulations in that area, the thorough process may not be followed in every case.
Water pollution is rampant in the United States right now. The majority of estuaries and bays are considered damaged due to the high presence of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water. Nearly half of all streams and lakes are polluted and over thirty percent of all bays are polluted. The primary culprit of this is the farm lands.
Large scale farms using an intense amount of chemical pesticides to protect their crops from bugs, but all those chemicals sink into the ground water and eventually make their way to the lakes and streams. There is an estimated 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides used each year in the United States. Those chemicals end up in the water and in the food. Studies show there are roughly 73 different pesticides found in groundwater.
