Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/740475
Under the court's ruling, according to the Montana Association of Realtors, the state will revert to a permitting sys- tem that could harm builders, homeown- ers, and farmers. "Exempt wells have served Mon- tanans for years and the detailed scien- tific studies conducted determined these exempt wells have virtually no impact on groundwater and stream flows," says Montana Association of Realtors CEO Taylor Oldroyd. Consumer Confidence Rises in September T he Consumer Confidence Index rose in September. Compared with Au- gust, consumers were more optimistic about both the current situation and the near term outlook. The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 104.1, from 101.8 in August. The Present Situation Index rose to 128.5, from 125.3, and the Expectations Index increased to 87.8, from 86.1. Consumers' assessments of current business conditions were mixed. Assess- ments shifted from both "good" and "bad" to "normal." The share of respon- dents rating business conditions "nor- mal" rose by 4.9 percentage points from 51.5% to 56.4%. A net decline of 2.9 percentage points in assessments of "good" combined with a net decline of 2.0 percentage points in assessments of "bad" for the total. Similar to consumers' assessments of current business conditions, expecta- tions of business conditions over the next six months were mixed. The share of respondents expecting future business conditions to be the same rose from 71% to 73.3%. About half of the in- crease was the result of a net decline in respondents expecting future business conditions to be worse (an upgrade) while the rest was the result of a net de- cline in respondents expecting future business conditions to be better (a downgrade). Consumers' assessments of current employment conditions improved. The share of respondents reporting jobs were "hard to get" dropped to 21.6%, from 22.8%. Most of the 1.2 percentage point decline upgraded to "jobs plentiful." Also, consumers' expectations of em- ployment over the next six months were more upbeat than in August. The share of respondents expecting "more jobs" rose to 15.1%, from 14.4%. Most of the 0.7 percentage point increase shifted from "fewer jobs" while the rest shifted from "same jobs." To read more, visit http://eyeon housing.org/2016/09/consumer- confidence-in-september-another- optimistic-month. Threats to Groundwater Along Atlantic Coast Assessed in Study Threats to groundwater availability and sustainability in the Northern At- lantic Coastal Plain depend to a large degree on the type of aquifers used for water supply, according to a regional as- sessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. The water challenges faced in a highly populated area ranging from Long Island, New York, to North Car- olina vary greatly, as do the causes. In places like Long Island and New Jersey, in the northern part of the study area, groundwater depletion is not a se- rious concern. There, shallow aquifers used for drinking-water supply are well connected to the land surface and easily replenished by rainwater seeping into the ground as aquifer recharge. NEWS continues on page 16 Twitter @WaterWellJournl WWJ November 2016 15