ShareCompartir
Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail.
Announcements: Ground Water Awareness Week — March 10–16, 2013
CDC is collaborating with the National Ground Water Association to highlight National Ground Water Awareness Week, March 10–16, 2013. Water is essential for life. However, many persons are not aware that much of the water they use flows from below ground to the surface. The National Ground Water Association uses this week to stress ground water's importance to the health and well-being of humans and the environment (1).
The majority of public water systems in the United States use ground water as their primary source, providing drinking water to nearly 90 million persons (2). An additional 15 million U.S. homes use private wells, which also rely on ground water (3).
Usually, ground water in the United States is safe to use. However, ground water sources can be contaminated naturally or as a result of imperfect agricultural, manufacturing, or sanitation practices (4). The presence of contaminants, such as pesticides, factory waste, and sewage, can lead to acute and chronic illness (5).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has worked with individual states to develop new regulations to provide increased protection against microbial pathogens in public water systems that use ground water sources (6). Private ground water wells serving fewer than 25 persons might not be regulated but nonetheless must be properly maintained by well owners to ensure that the water remains free from harmful chemicals and pathogens.* Resources are available from state and local health departments to help homeowners protect their ground water.†
References
- National Ground Water Association. National Ground Water Awareness Week: March 10–16, 2013. Westerville, OH: National Ground Water Association; 2012. Available at http://www.ngwa.org/events-education/awareness/pages/default.aspx.
- US Environmental Protection Agency. Fiscal year 2010 drinking water and ground water statistics. Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water; 2012. Available at http://water.epa.gov/scitech/datait/databases/drink/sdwisfed/upload/new_fiscal-year-2010-drinking-water-and-ground-water-statistics.pdf.
- US Census Bureau. Current housing reports, series H150/09, American housing survey for the United States: 2009. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2011. Available at http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/h150-09.pdf.
- CDC. Surveillance for waterborne disease outbreaks associated with drinking water—United States, 2007–2008. MMWR 2011;60(No. SS-12):38–68.
- US Environmental Protection Agency. Drinking water contaminants. Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency; 2012. Available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html.
- US Environmental Protection Agency. Ground water rule (GWR). Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency; 2012. Available at http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/gwr/index.cfm.
* Additional information available at http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/private/wells/index.html.
† Additional information available at http://www.apha.org/about/public+health+links/linksstateandlocalhealthdepartments.htm.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from typeset documents.
This conversion might result in character translation or format errors in the HTML version.
Users are referred to the electronic PDF version (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr)
and/or the original MMWR paper copy for printable versions of official text, figures, and tables.
An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371;
telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices.
**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to
mmwrq@cdc.gov.
