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US groundwater is getting saltier--what that means for infrastructure, ecosystems, and human health
by Sarah Derouin , Geological Society of America
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have been monitoring groundwater quality in wells across the country for more than three decades, looking for harmful chemicals or residual substances that may cause harm to ecosystems or humans. In all, they have measured up to 500 chemical constituents, including major ions, metals, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, fertilizers, and radionuclides.
(Snip)
These rising levels of Na, Cl, and dissolved solids can cause multiple problems, starting with the environment. Many streams are fed by groundwater, and higher concentrations of chloride in the water can knock out the natural balance that aquatic life is used to. "[Rising levels] is something that can take 20, 30, 40 years to develop … which means that it can also take that long to recover if management of the sources of salinity changes," says Lindsey.
Dissolved salt ions can also pose problems for infrastructure. As the salinity of groundwater increases, corrosivity can become an issue. Corrosive groundwater, if untreated, can dissolve lead and other metals from pipes and other components present in household plumbing.
Lastly, Lindsey and his colleagues have also discovered a unique issue related to rising salinity with implications for human health. In a sandy aquifer in southern New Jersey, they found that a mixture of low pH water and high salinity groundwater has mobilized the radium— a radioactive element which is harmful to humans.
(More at link)
https://phys.org/news/2023-10-groundwater-saltierwhat-infrastructure-ecosystems-human.amp
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have been monitoring groundwater quality in wells across the country for more than three decades, looking for harmful chemicals or residual substances that may cause harm to ecosystems or humans. In all, they have measured up to 500 chemical constituents, including major ions, metals, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, fertilizers, and radionuclides.
(Snip)
These rising levels of Na, Cl, and dissolved solids can cause multiple problems, starting with the environment. Many streams are fed by groundwater, and higher concentrations of chloride in the water can knock out the natural balance that aquatic life is used to. "[Rising levels] is something that can take 20, 30, 40 years to develop … which means that it can also take that long to recover if management of the sources of salinity changes," says Lindsey.
Dissolved salt ions can also pose problems for infrastructure. As the salinity of groundwater increases, corrosivity can become an issue. Corrosive groundwater, if untreated, can dissolve lead and other metals from pipes and other components present in household plumbing.
Lastly, Lindsey and his colleagues have also discovered a unique issue related to rising salinity with implications for human health. In a sandy aquifer in southern New Jersey, they found that a mixture of low pH water and high salinity groundwater has mobilized the radium— a radioactive element which is harmful to humans.
(More at link)
https://phys.org/news/2023-10-groundwater-saltierwhat-infrastructure-ecosystems-human.amp
1 replies
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