What do water shortages mean for the average consumer?

A recent article on Bloomberg.com (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a_b86mnWn9.w&refer=home#) highlights an increasing problem seen across the country: water scarcity. Lake Mead, which supplies Las Vegas with a significant percentage of its water, has been dropping one percent a year since 1999. The drought that is currently afflicting the area has only drawn attention to water scarcity issues.

Other cities, most notably, Atlanta, Georgia, have had their own water crisis events in the past few years.

While numerous reasons are cited for the various water shortages—droughts, overuse, population increases, etc.—for consumers connected to city water supplies, this doesn’t serve as much comfort.

However, with the concern over water scarcity, residential water wells may be a good option for some homeowners.

Dale Olson, vice president of marketing for Commercial Water Distributing in Zumbrota Minnesota, said, “The scarcity of pure water is beginning to affect more and more people. Some people may choose for an independent source of water, such as a well. If treated properly, this can be a very safe alternative while possibly providing a very dependable supply.”

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “Wells are extremely important to all societies. In many places, wells provide a reliable and ample supply of water for home uses, irrigation, and industries. Where surface water is scarce, such as in deserts, people couldn’t survive and thrive without ground water” (http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwwells.html).

There are several types of wells in use today. The dug well can be effective where the ground is relatively soft and water doesn’t lie too far under the surface.

For driven wells, a pipe is literally “driven” into the ground. Again, this method is most effective when water is near the surface.

Finally, the most common well is the drilled well. This is often the most complicated, as well. The drill is usually mounted on a large truck and can be more than 1,000 feet deep. A pump is normally placed at the bottom of the well to push up the water.

For consumers concerned about water scarcity—and purity—a residential well might be something to consider. Information can be found on the Internet or by contacting local water filter businesses in your area.

To ensure well water is safe to drink, well owners use whole house water filtration products, such as these:

http://www.waterfilters.net/Filters/wholehouse/wholehouse.htm

The U.S. Geological Survey was a source for this article.