What is Hydrology and how does it affect my water?
Hydrology…the sound of this word tells you it seems like a serious word, probably not used much in casual conversation. But in the world of water hydrology rings loud and clear. Here’s why… Like the framing of a house, the properties, distribution, and circulation of water (hydrology) and the relief features of the earth’s surface (geomorphology) help give environments their character. Simply put, hydrology determines the characteristics and ‘personality’ of your drinking water. The quantity and timing of water flows influence many ecosystem parts and processes, including those with direct effects on human activities. Loss of topsoil, which can take millennia to replenish, has obvious implications for agriculture, and moving sediment can cause sedimentation in harbors and other facilities and can carry chemicals for long distances. High and low water flows have important implications for ecosystem health. Low water flows define the smallest area available to stream biota during the
