Delaware scientists dig deep to ascertain groundwater availability

Scientists in Delaware, US are digging deep to know the quantity and quality of groundwater available for the expanding populace region south of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

Wells are being installed at eight sites, as far deep as 7,700ft, by the Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) to improve groundwater monitoring in southern New Castle and northern Kent counties.

Backed by a $600,000 grant from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), scientists are hoping to ascertain the region’s ability to provide water for future generations.

Collaborating together, scientists from University of Delaware, DNREC and the US Geological Survey are collecting samples of sediments, called ‘cores’, from these wells for analysis.

DGS Senior Scientist Scott Andres is wary of finding harmful substances such as radon and arsenic in the water, making it unfit for consumption, as has been the case in Maryland.

While Maryland requires arsenic testing in new wells, Delaware still needs to catch up in this regard.

The study is also expected to check for nitrates, water disinfection by-products, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and volatile organic compounds, in an effort to gauge the existing condition and thereby predict future use.

Apart from water sampling, the exercise is expected to bear other scientific by-products, including clues to determine the direction of water flow underground and water replenishment rates.

The project is a result of 2006 Governor’s Water Supply Coordinating Council report that highlights the need for a strategy for short and long-term groundwater availability in the region.