Three problems dominate groundwater use: depletion due to overdraft; waterlogging and salinization due mostly to inadequate drainage and insufficient conjunctive use; and pollution due to agricultural, industrial and other human activities.

Advantages and disadvantages of groundwater supply

• Rocks act as a natural filter.
• No loss of water through evaporation.
• No requirement for expensive and environmentally damaging dams.
• Pumping costs low.

5. The advantages of withdrawing groundwater include water for drinking and irrigation; availability and locality; low cost, no evaporation losses; and it is renewable. Disadvantages include aquifer depletion from over pumping, subsidence, pollution, saltwater intrusion, and reduced water flow.

It can cause land subsidence, because as water is removed from the soil, it collapses and drops. Since much of the water in streams and rivers seeps up from groundwater, groundwater overpumping can also mean less water for lakes and rivers, which can affect vegetation and wildlife.

Groundwater Health Risks Groundwater may need to be disinfected before consumption to remove harmful microorganisms and should be disinfected to prevent any downstream contamination. Disinfection does not remove chemicals and other treatment processes may be necessary to manage any associated risks to health.

Generally, groundwater is treated by drilling recovery wells to pump contaminated water to the surface. Commonly used groundwater treatment approaches include air stripping, filtering with granulated activated carbon (GAC), and air sparging.

Overwhelming metals: Groundwater contains substantial metals, for example, mercury, lead and arsenic. The groundwater close to mining locales will have more substantial metals than others. In the event that you devour the water without filtration, it might be lethal for your wellbeing.

Groundwater is pure and hence a very safe source. Groundwater is not connected to rivers and lakes. Contaminants from oil that is poured on the ground will be filtered by soil and gravel before reaching groundwater. If a well reaches groundwater, an unlimited amount of water can be pumped.

In other areas groundwater is polluted by human activities. There is no such thing as naturally pure water. As water flows in streams, sits in lakes, and filters through layers of soil and rock in the ground, it dissolves or absorbs the substances it touches. Some of these substances are harmless.

Unlike surface water collected in rivers and lakes, groundwater is often clean and ready to drink. This is because the soil actually filters the water. The soil can hold onto pollutants—such as living organisms, harmful chemicals and minerals—and only let the clean water through.

To clean groundwater: remove the pollutant source, monitor the pollutant, and perform remediation. Cleaning groundwater in an aquifer requires bioremediation or chemical remediation. Bioremediation uses microorganisms to consume a pollutant. Chemical remediation destroys the contaminant.

The maps that were developed from the study show that most modern groundwater is found in tropical and mountainous regions. Some of the largest reservoirs can be found in the Amazon basin, the Congo, Indonesia, the Rocky Mountain regions of North and Central America, and the Western Cordillera of South America.

Groundwater supplies drinking water for 51% of the total U.S. population and 99% of the rural population. Groundwater helps grow our food. Groundwater is an important component in many industrial processes. Groundwater is a source of recharge for lakes, rivers, and wetlands.

Since surface water can quickly enter the groundwater system through sinkholes, people living in areas with Karst must be extra careful to protect ground- water from pollution. Land use management is an important tool in these areas to prevent pollutants from reaching the groundwater.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) (Superfund) – authorizes the government to clean up contamination caused by chemical spills or hazardous waste that do or could pose threats to the environment(groundwater).