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Division of Water
PROTECT GROUND WATER TO PROMOTE SAFE DRINKING WATER
Whether your drinking water comes from a spring, a well, a river or a lake, protecting ground water is essential to protecting all water resources.
Wells draw upon water in an aquifer where water has filled the pore spaces in rocks, sand and soil. When rain and snow melt seep from the Earth’s surface into the ground, it recharges the aquifer. This recharge eventually provides the baseflow to streams as well.
A significant source of ground water and surface water contamination is stormwater runoff. Runoff is water that does not soak into the ground. As runoff flows over impervious surfaces such as parking lots and streets, it picks up pollutants like pet waste, fertilizers, pesticides and automotive fluids. This stormwater eventually reaches storm drains, which empty into lakes and streams and wells if they are not properly sealed.
You can take action to protect the health of ground water:
• During spring cleaning, do not dump chemicals down the house drain or storm drain. Contact your local waste removal authority for proper disposal instructions for herbicides, pesticides, antifreeze, paint and oil.
• Keep hazardous chemicals away from wells and out of the potential path of runoff and floodwaters. Store them in their original containers, if possible.
• Have your well serviced by a certified water well contractor.
• Residents not connected to municipal drinking water systems should have their water tested annually to avoid serious health risks associated with contaminated drinking water.
• Have your septic tank serviced at least every five years.
Learn more about ground water protection at http://www.water.ky.gov/gw/gwprotection/.
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