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Title: Groundwater
Contamination: Effects on Private Well Owners in the Willamette Basin Author:Lindsey Wolf Abstract: The Willamette
Valley, known for its productive agriculture and timber industry, is the most
populated area in Oregon and contains the three largest cities in the state.
Its main water source, the Willamette Basin, drains an area of 12,000 square
miles and serves both public and private water users. While the public
water-users are protected by the Safe Water and Drinking Act, private well-users
are left out of this federal protection. This means that the groundwater that private-well users
are drawing from everyday is not necessarily contamination-free, as public
water sources are guaranteed to be. This study characterizes the hydrology of
the basin and finds the specific hydrogeology that leads to contamination
transmission into the groundwater. This project also addresses the main
contaminants in the basin, nitrates and arsenic, and provides recommendation
for policy-makers to use. The
basin needs more regulation and education on groundwater contamination in
order to protect private well-users. Key References: Orzol, Leonard, et. al. Ground-Water and Water-Chemistry Data for the
Willamette Basin, Oregon.
1999. http://or.water.usgs.gov/pubs_dir/Online/Pdf/99-4036.pdf Uhrich, Mark and Dennis
Wentz. Environmental Setting of the Willamette Basin, Oregon. 1997. http://or.water.usgs.gov/pubs_dir/Pdf/97-4082a.pdf Hutson, Susan, et. Al..
“Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000). USGS Circular 1268.
<http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/circ1268/>. Return to Water
Resources Projects page. |
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Date: May
2009
Student: *@willamette.edu
ENVR 327: Water Resources
Instructor: Dr. Karen Arabas
http://www.willamette.edu/~karabas/courses/envr327w