USGS Online Mapper Provides a Look at Changes in Groundwater Quality

The US Geological Survey (USGS) has just announced the release of the USGS online mapper that evaluates changes in the Nation’s groundwater quality.  This interactive mapping tool provides summaries of decadal-scale changes in groundwater quality across the Nation and is now available for use by the public, water-resource managers, and policy makers.  The mapper shows how concentrations of 24 contaminants, such as nutrients, pesticides, metals, and volatile organic compounds, are changing over decadal periods in 67 groundwater networks across the Nation.  Each network consists of about 20 to 30 wells selected to represent water-quality conditions in a given geographical area, aquifer, and in some cases, a specific land use.  The mapping tool is one component of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project’s ongoing efforts to assess, understand, and forecast the quality of the Nation’s groundwater.

Please contact Bruce Lindsey (blindsey@ugsg.gov) if you have any questions regarding the new mapper.