Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/740475
In the southern part of the study area, in places like Virginia and North Car- olina, the situation is reversed. The aquifers used for drinking-water supply typically are deep and not well con- nected to the land surface. Pumping in this area therefore does not have a large effect on surface waters, but the re- stricted connections between the deep aquifer and surface waters can poten- tially lead to groundwater depletion. Although only 14% of the total pumping from all aquifers in the North- ern Atlantic Coastal Plain occurs in Vir- ginia and North Carolina, it accounts for almost half of the total groundwater de- pletion in the entire aquifer system. "We're looking at water situations in the north and south of the region that might be seen as two sides of the same coin," says John Masterson, a USGS hy- drologist and lead author of this assess- ment. "In the north, the greatest threat to sustainability is the ecological impacts that may result from overpumping, whereas in the south, depletion of the groundwater resource is the biggest sustainability concern." To see the study's results, visit www.usgs.gov/news/study-assesses- threats-groundwater-availability-and- sustainability-northern-atlantic-coastal. Sustainability and Resilience Stressed by NGWA at White House Roundtable Chuck Job, NGWA regulatory affairs manager, represented the Association on September 21 at the White House Roundtable on the National Drought Resilience Partnership. The partnership, led by the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, includes other federal agencies, industry, and water-related organizations. The federal government wanted feed- back on the Partnership Report on Cli- mate Preparedness and Resilience. Job stressed the importance of long- term groundwater monitoring and mod- eling and noted the report failed to mention the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network as a tool in drought response. He also highlighted the inter- dependence of water supply and farm ir- rigation for groundwater, in particular affecting small water systems, and the role evapotranspiration can play as a "consumer" of water. Job urged federal agencies to work together on infrastruc- ture financing programs to support needed public-private water infrastruc- ture investment. Other stakeholder comments ad- dressed concern for small systems sup- port, need for long-term modeling for hazard mitigation, evaluating forestry plan impacts on water supply and qual- ity, irrigation return flow contributions, stormwaters as a source of supply and recharge, and drought as a potential public health crisis. A follow-up conference call was planned for October 6. Congress Urged to Extend GHP Tax Credits by NGWA Leaders N GWA CEO Kevin McCray, CAE; NGWA President Jeff Williams, MGWC, CVCLD; and NGWA Govern- ment Affairs Chair David Henrich, CWD/PI, CVCLD, joined Government Affairs Director Lauren Schapker in Washington on September 21 for a day of meetings with congressional leaders, urging an extension of the investment tax credit for residential and commercial installation of geothermal heat pump systems. They were participating in a Fly-In organized by the Domestic Energy and Job Security Coalition—a group com- prised of NGWA, the Geothermal Exchange Organization, the National Association of Home Builders, National Rural Electric Cooperatives, and the Distributed Wind Energy Association. Participants visited more than 50 of- fices and urged geothermal heat pump technology be placed on an even play- ing field with solar and wind, both of which received five-year extensions last year. The tax credits, set to expire on De- cember 31, 2016, provide an important incentive to the adoption of geothermal heat pump systems. EPA Study Shows Stormwater Retention Practices Benefit Groundwater Recharge The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new study focuses on areas of the United States where groundwater is a significant contributor to urban and agricultural uses and where water short- ages may occur in the future under dif- ferent climate change scenarios. The results suggest the use of green infrastructure can save hundreds of millions of dollars in groundwater resources when only applying the prac- tices to new development and redevel- opment. If retrofitting or increased retention were to occur, the groundwater benefits would be even more significant. The study was commissioned to esti- mate the groundwater recharge benefits from application of small stormwater- retention practices on new development and redevelopment nationwide. Broad assumptions, national datasets, and sim- plified recharge calculation and moneti- zation approaches were used to provide general insight into the monetary bene- fits of small stormwater-retention prac- tices. The assumptions and limitations are listed in the study to facilitate future researchers' efforts. To read the study, visit www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/ estimating-monetized-benefits-ground water-recharge-stormwater-retention. Global Managed Aquifer Recharge Database Launched The International Groundwater Resources Assessment Center launched a managed aquifer recharge (MAR) portal, the first structured database on MAR sites globally at www.un-igrac .org/ggis/mar-portal. To increase the availability and facil- itate continuous update of the MAR in- ventory, a MAR web-GIS portal was developed. About 1200 case studies from more than 50 countries from around the world were collected, analyzed, and compiled in the global inventory of MAR schemes. The inventory contains information such as site name, location, MAR type, year of scheme deployment, the source of infiltration water, the final use of abstracted water, as well as the main objectives of the project. By facilitating access and promoting international shar- ing of information and knowledge about managed aquifer recharge, the MAR portal encourages stakeholders to regard managed aquifer recharge as a viable solution for sustainable groundwater re- sources development and management. NEWS from page 15 waterwelljournal.com 16 November 2016 WWJ