Groundwater is the hidden water resource of Iowa. Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water for more than 80% of the residents. For many Iowans, not much thought is given to where the water coming from their kitchen faucet originates. It comes from groundwater, the level deep down below the earth's surface. This resource is made available to Iowans through wells in limestone and sandstone strata, in riverbeds, and sand and gravel bodies beneath the state.
Groundwater may not be a visible water resource as the rivers snake through the terrains of Iowa or the array of lakes dotting its landscape. Nevertheless, groundwater is a very important resource for commercial, industrial, agricultural, and residential use.
Over the years, the ground has been dug, driven, and drilled to access groundwater resource and provide Iowans with potable water. Water supplies, both public and private, use groundwater. The quality of groundwater is good enough to meet state and national standards. It is also available in sufficient quantity to meet the various needs of Iowans. It is estimated than an average individual in Iowa utilizes 1-100 gallons of water everyday.
The Iowa Geological Survey provides water forecast regarding the availability of groundwater in an area, how much water an aquifer can yield, the quality of groundwater, and the amount of vulnerability of groundwater resource to agricultural contaminants. Iowa Geological Survey also provides the data on where groundwater supplies are available across the state. People needing to drill a new well or having problems with existing well should look up the Iowa Geological Survey to determine geologic and hydrologic conditions of the well area.
There are only nine aquifers used to draw and supply groundwater in Iowa. The aquifers vary in depth, with some aquifers buried to just a hundred feet while others draw water from bedrocks a thousand feet below.
In terms of water quality, over 35, 000 samples have already been tested. The samples came from the well drillers of the state as well as from contractors. Much of the information regarding the quality of groundwater resource involves major chemical constituents. Are there ions (sulfate, iron, sodium) present in the water? Are there dissolved solids? What is the hardness of water? There is also information about degree of agricultural chemical contamination, but there's little information on whether there are traces of metal, organic chemicals, and radionuclide in the water.
Though quality of groundwater is generally high, in the western and southern parts of Iowa, the quality is a little poor. Plus, groundwater resource is also hard to access.
In general, the quality of shallow groundwater is better than in deep aquifers. However, shallow aquifers are more likely to be contaminated by pesticide and fertilizer run-offs than deep aquifer.
To protect its groundwater resource, the state has passed the Iowa Groundwater Protection of 1987. This legislation includes establishment of various programs including well protection program and groundwater monitoring program. Major concerns of the legislation include preventing human activities like farming that can contaminate the groundwater of Iowa. Along with agricultural chemicals, industrial chemicals, underground storage tanks, landfills, are some of the possible sources of contamination of groundwater.
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