dbd-77.nd
 
March 1994
 
Ground Water Youth Guide
 
 
North Dakota State University Extension Service
Fargo, ND
 
 
 
 QUALITY and QUANTITY
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Some of the state's people have water available to them, but it is not
good to drink or use. Some people in the state have good groundwater
to use but not much of it.That is why you often hear the terms
"Quality and Quantity" used together when talking about
groundwater. Quality and quantity of groundwater are of equal concern
in North Dakota.
 
Nearly all rural people in North Dakota use groundwater as their main
source of water. Rural people have their own wells or are on a rural
water system that uses wells.Therefore, quality and quantity of
groundwater are very important. Many communities or water systems will
have more than one source of water supply just in case a well goes dry
or becomes contaminated.
 
Water quality varies greatly in the state. Generally the water in
bedrock aquifers in the state has high salt content and often is not
useable for drinking. Shallow aquifers above the bedrock aquifers
generally have much less salt and have good drinking water.
 
dbd-77.fig1.nd.gif
Figure 1.
 
North Dakotan's Groundwater Usage is:
 
 Irrigation 33%
 
 Towns/Cities 18%
 (Drinking,Washing, etc.)
 
 Rural 9%
 (Drinking, Washing, etc.)
 
 Livestock 9%
 
 Rural(Other) 3%
 
 Industry 4%
 
We irrigate 217,000 acres of the 22 million acres of farm land in
North Dakota. Although we only irrigate about 10 percent of our
farmland, irrigation is the biggest user of our groundwater compared
to other uses such as drinking and washing. However the public is much
more dependent on groundwater (over 60 percent) than agriculture (10
percent).
 
Sometimes, people pump water out of an aquifer faster than it is
soaking in. If this goes on for a long time, the water table may be
lowered many feet. Lowering of the water table may cause wells to dry
up and the land surface to sink.
 
The term "Safe Yield" is used to describe the quantity of water that
can be pumped out of an aquifer and still maintain the water level
through natural recharge. Another way of saying it is, discharge or
use should equal recharge. Water permits issued by the State Water
Commission makes groundwater users keep the state's water in good
quality and quantity for future generations.
 
dbd-77.fig2.nd.gif
Figure 2.
 
TXTEND
 
Funding for this publication was provided by the U.S.Department of
Agriculture Extension Service, under project numbr 89-EWQI-1-9006 and
the Nort Dakota State University Extension Service.
 
NDSU Extension service. North Dakota State University of Agriculture
and Applied science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
Robert J. Christman, Interim Director, Fargo. North
Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8
and June 30, 1914. We offer our programs and facilities to all persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap,
age, Vietnam era veterans status. or sexual orientation; and are an
equal opportunity employer.