Name: Cleveland Sharpe
Date: July 26, 2015
Instructor’s Name: Beverly Hamilton
Assignment: SCIE211 Phase 1 Lab Report
Title: Human Impacts on the Sustainability of Groundwater
Part I: Using the time progression of industrialization and human development, fill in the data table below to help you write up your lab report.
Time Period
Impact to Forest
Groundwater Levels
Saltwater Intrusion
Farming
Industrial development
Population
1800s
Large forest
Lots of groundwater
No salt water intrusion
Small farms
No cities
Limited housing
1900s
Decreased by 50%
Decreased by 50%
Ocean moved into ground water
Farms are larger but there are fewer
Exceptional growth of cities and industrial development
Substantial increase in housing
2000s
Decreased by 90%
Decreased by 90%
Greater movement of ocean into ground water
Same number of farms but size decreased by 20%
Industrial development decreased by 10-15%
Housing development decreased by 10-15%
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to show what will happen to the sustainability of groundwater in the future with the development of new industries around the world.
Introduction
Groundwater is important not only to the United States but nations all over the world. Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water in some smaller nations where as here in the United States we have developed different types of bottled water but we still have to use groundwater in order to make these products. “The earth’s surface is over 70% water with less than 1% of the water on the earth considered, accessible, and usable freshwater for sustaining humans and other organisms’ lives” (Wright & Boorse, 2010).
“In the United States Approximately 26% of the water withdrawn is groundwater with California and Texas being the largest users in volume, while Nebraska and Idaho have the largest withdrawal per-capita. There are over 15 million wells...