Why Should Groundwater Contamination Be Prevented or Cleaned Up?
Groundwater contamination is detrimental to water supplies not only because of its potential health effects, but because the contamination itself (“plume”) tends to migrate and spread throughout the aquifer, thereby impacting a larger volume of groundwater over time. Ideally, groundwater contamination should be prevented in the first place, by eliminating contamination sources (e.g., maintaining the integrity of pipelines and storage tanks) and removing conduits to groundwater (e.g., properly destroying unused water wells in accordance with state well destruction standards). However, there are many cases where the release of chemicals has already taken place. In these situations, timely investigation of the extent of groundwater contamination and prompt cleanup is the best alternative.
