Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/728580
construction jobs between May and June (-4.7%, -1200 jobs), followed by North Dakota (-4.4%, -1200 jobs). Association officials said the fact nearly half of the states that added con- struction jobs over the past 12 months had static or falling employment be- tween May and June shows the wide- spread need to draw more workers into the industry and provide them the skills to succeed. They note 70% of firms report they are experiencing difficulty finding qualified workers. USGS Online Mapper Provides Look at Groundwater Quality A n online interactive mapping tool from the U.S. Geological Survey was released this past summer providing summaries of decadal-scale changes in groundwater quality across the nation. The mapper shows how concentra- tions of 24 contaminants such as nutri- ents, pesticides, metals, and volatile organic compounds are changing over a decade or so in 67 groundwater net- works 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. A summary of the changes: • Increases in concentrations of chlo- ride *(31), dissolved solids (25), deethylatrazine (17), nitrate (14), and uranium (8). • Decreases in concentrations of fluo- ride (10), arsenic (8) and prometon (6). *(31) is the number of groundwater networks where an increase or decrease was observed. The first set of samples was obtained from 1988-2000, and the second set was obtained from the same wells from 2001-2012. Groundwater quality data were col- lected in about 5000 wells between 1988 and 2001 by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project. About 1500 of these wells were sampled again between 2002 and 2012 to evalu- ate decadal changes in groundwater quality. To access the mapping tool, visit http://nawqatrends.wim.usgs.gov/ Decadal. Consumer Confidence Index Rises in August The Conference Board reported on August 30 the Consumer Confidence Index for August. The index rose and consumers were quite optimistic about both the current situation and the near term outlook. The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 101.1 from 96.7 in July. The present situation index rose to 123.0 from 118.8. The expectations index increased to 86.4 from 82.0. Unlike the mixed assessments in July, consumers' assessments of current business conditions were clear in Au- gust. Assessments shifted to the extreme of "good" from "bad" and "normal." The share of respondents rating business conditions "good" rose from 27.3% to 30%—with net declines in respondents assessing business conditions "bad" and "normal." Consumers became more optimistic about business conditions over the next six months. The share of respondents expecting future business conditions to be better rose 1.6 percentage points, from 15.7% to 17.3%. Most of the in- NEWS from page 12 waterwelljournal.com 14 October 2016 WWJ