Groundwater
When waste and hazardous materials percolate down into the groundwater they can have an effect on well water quality and drinking water. Although there are strict regulations governing the transport, storage, and disposal of toxic and hazardous wastes, illegal dumping of dangerous compounds continues. The threat to groundwater from these toxic products is real.
Pollutants that contaminate groundwater may be some of the same pollutants that contaminate surface water. Drinking contaminated groundwater can have serious health effects caused by chemicals and toxins that have leached into well water supplies.
Groundwater is water that comes from the ground. Half of everyone in the United States drinks groundwater everyday and groundwater is used to irrigate crops.
Concerns for ground water contaminants have led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and individual states to develop new regulations to protect ground water in public water systems.