The Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program (GAMA) is an all-inclusive monitoring program for groundwater that was implemented in 2000 in California, United States. It was created by the California State Water Resources Control Board as an improvement from groundwater programs that were already in place.
GAMA monitors various aspects in groundwater such as the water quality and allotment total through research projects conducted by multiple agencies both statewide and locally sourced. GAMA wants to improve public awareness for groundwater resources as well as improve monitoring on groundwater research across the state to assess potential hazards from this resource. [1]
Approximately 85% of water used in California by farmers and residents today is from groundwater, with 6 million Californians relying solely on this resource. [2] The Central Valley is a big user of groundwater for agricultural purposes which supplies a large portion of food for not only California, but for the rest of the United States as well. [3] This resource for a long time had been unregulated, which helps one understand the groundwater crisis that occurs today in California. This was a highly relied upon resource over the past century, and was especially critical during drought periods. When there was less snow pack and less precipitation, people relied heavily on groundwater. [2] Over time, issues have arisen like land subsidence which occurs from pumping groundwater out faster than it can naturally replenish underground. [4] This is one reason among many others for why GAMA was proposed.
Since GAMA has been implemented, there have been a few projects that GAMA aims to achieve to better understand California's groundwater systems.
Begun in 2002 to help better understand risks imposed on California groundwater, this project looks at both deep and shallow aquifers. Deep groundwater for this project looks at how this water is used for the public use. Shallow aquifers address more local water uses such as wells. By tracking both of these aquifers, officials hope to be able to better understand impacts on groundwater, to provide more information to consumers. [1]
This is a system that integrates reported data from all of Californias groundwater systems from both the Priority Basin Project and the Domestic Well Project. This information goes through analytical processes to later be uploaded onto a comprehensive statewide map. This monitoring method allows all agencies access to a comprehensive site where data is available for users to see if there is a potential contaminant that is above safety levels. [5]
This project took samples from domestic wells and analyzed the water quality for commonly occurring chemicals. This gave well owners information regarding the quality of their water, which also acted as a baseline for other wells in the area. This information was entered into the GeoTracker GAMA project data. There has been a main focus on six counties which include Tehama, Monterey, Yuba, El Dorado, Tulare, and San Diego counties. Over one thousand wells collectively between all counties have been sampled so far. Chemicals tested include Nitrates, Perchlorate, Sulfate, Chloride, Coliform, Volatile Organic Compounds, Aluminum, Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Thallium, Vanadium, Zinc, Radium, and Uranium. Most owners received information by pamphlets sent by mail regarding the water quality of their well. [1]
The Arrowhead Tunnels Project shares a portion and is regulated under the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). MWD was issued a Special Use Permit to the San Bernardino National Forest. The Special Uses Permit allows other multi-disciplinary services and agencies to evaluate techniques of construction, hydrology, groundwater dependent systems, impacts on groundwater storage, and how groundwater is recovered. [6] A case study done by The San Bernardino National Forest developed a goal for a groundwater management project called the Arrowhead Tunnels project, in hopes to maintain the current health and vitality of the ecosystem. The project's protocol is to monitor and protect the amount of groundwater activity. The design includes two 16-ft tunnels that stretch over 8 miles and about 2,040 ft deep. The success of the project has been effective in terms of measuring base flow, ground water-dependent surface water, and the hydrological processes of the San Bernardino Mountain water table. [7]
In 2003 the Department of Water Resources developed an analysis on 39 well water resources to trace toxic chemicals and pollutants. The collection of samples were monitored from local and regional areas of the Sacramento Valley including the Sacramento Basin and Volcanic Provinces such as Sierra Nevada and Chico, CA. The Volcanic Provinces contain the Vina and West Butte Basins which are interconnected with the large Sacramento Basin. [8]
In 2003, the California Aquifer Susceptibility (CAS) project managed sources of contamination and assessed water quality for toxic traces of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Volatile Organic Compounds form from human activity and naturally. The process includes an organic compound that undergoes evaporation and the remaining molecules are released into the water or the atmosphere from temperature changes. The assessment is used as a source towards prevention of current water supply to become contaminated. [9]
The years of 2004- 2005 Los Angeles Metropolitan area and neighboring basins in Southern and Central California have completed GAMA assessments on water quality which assesses for public drinking-water supply and overall quality of groundwater tables. The flow rates in groundwater supply are deprived by surface, recharge systems from storms, waste and sewage water treatment systems. The assessment discovered traces of pharmaceuticals of human and non-human material being disposed in the groundwater recharge supply. Pharmaceutical toxic chemicals reported were pesticides, insecticides, caffeine, and various other toxic chemicals. There is a connection that the repeated concentration rates in pharmaceuticals found in the water supply was anthropogenic. There was limited use on land-owned wells because of the potential risk of the recharge water supply which could have been affected by the pharmaceutical traces. The pesticides and insecticide chemicals are driven by human activity, including agricultural practices and irrigation runoff. The pesticides and insecticide chemicals are said to be driven by human activity, including agricultural practices and irrigation runoff. There is a large indication that there will be a large risk in Los Angeles groundwater supply in the future. Los Angeles is the largest urbanized region in California and increased potential risk factors from pharmaceutical and toxic concentrations on drinking water supply are arising for the City of Los Angeles. The GAMA assessment collects data that is useful for monitoring and protecting future groundwater and drinking water supply. The GAMA Program is useful for tracing toxic pollutants and chemicals that can have harmful effects on human health.
GAMA was built on current legislation which consists of six bills and one proposition.
The 1999 Budget Act was the development plan and framework which instructed the members of the California State Water Resources Control Board to begin establishing the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program (GAMA Program). The purpose of the GAMA program is to demonstrate and measure environmental vulnerability and particle concentrations of pollutants in groundwater tables. Various GAMA Assessment reports in Northern California include the state capital of Sacramento on the basis of public safety and water quality. The reports have made contributions from a document called the Supplemental Report of the 1999 Budget Act. [11]
Took effect in 2001 shortly after GAMA was implemented. Legislature stated that it's a necessity that groundwater should continue to be monitored to make sure the groundwater system is safe. More information to the public needs to be improved upon, and more information needs to be conducted to better understand how to restore depleted groundwater systems. A comprehensive program among agencies would need to be implemented across the state to ensure adequate monitoring measures. [12]
Passed in November 2002. This Act was granted approximately $380 million for IRWM plans and projects. [13] Voters approved this act which would help with a number of issues such as groundwater replenishment plans, improved water quality, and improved water security.
States that rules from Proposition 50 must be in line with AB 599. [1]
This bill states that the state board extend AB 599 funding to 2024. Public opinion would be able to make recommendations and state opinions before new legislation would be enacted. Public accessibility would be improved upon as well regarding issues such as contaminated groundwater, and developing plans to assess the situation. [14]
Implemented in 2008 as a recovery program to understand why contamination can occur in groundwater and preventative measures. Tulare lake and Salinas basin will serve as a research zones. Agencies will find point sources of nitrates in groundwater, and reduce nitrate levels or prevent them entirely. Costs and funding methods must be interpreted for these zones. Adding an interagency task force to monitor and expand cleanup programs will be a necessity, and reports must be generated including all research conducted from Tulare Lake and the Salinas Basin. [15]
A local agency can come up with a new plan for groundwater management based on prior groundwater laws. SB 1938 declared that groundwater must be protected and adequately managed, especially during dry years where groundwater use increases. This bill continues to declare that groundwater systems are not well understood which complicates future planning, and that agencies need to communicate with each other to effectively manage a monitoring system for this resource. [16]
Implemented in 2013. Well Stimulation Treatments would need an all-inclusive program to monitor these actions. Part of this bill enacted research on well stimulation treatments which owners or well operators would be required to have recorded data on these sites. Permits would be required to perform any well stimulation treatments as well as frequent inspections. Fines will be issued if violations occur. This program must be implemented starting in July, 2015. [17]
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado. The site was completed December 1942, operated by the United States Army throughout the later 20th century and was controversial among local residents until its closure in 1992.
The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. Located on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas, it is the source of drinking water for two million people, and is the primary water supply for agriculture and industry in the aquifer's region. Additionally, the Edwards Aquifer feeds the Comal and San Marcos springs, provides springflow for recreational and downstream uses in the Nueces, San Antonio, Guadalupe, and San Marcos river basins, and is home to several unique and endangered species.
The Turlock Basin is a sub-basin of the San Joaquin Valley groundwater basin which occupies approximately 13,700 total square miles, making it the largest groundwater basin in California. The Turlock Basin makes up 542 square miles of this total. This aquifer is located within Merced and Stanislaus counties in the Central Valley bounded by the Tuolumne River to the north, the Merced River to the south and San Joaquin River to the west. The Sierra Nevada foothills bound the sub-basin to the east. Groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley occurs mostly in younger alluvial material. The Turlock Basin lies to the east of the city of Turlock. Groundwater in the Turlock Basin occurs in older alluvial deposits. Large portions of the San Joaquin Basin have experienced overdraft of water and infiltration of agricultural water pollutants, resulting in poor water quality.
The Alameda County Water District (ACWD) is a public agency in Alameda County, California, United States, which has responsibilities for managing and protecting certain groundwater resources within Alameda County. While most of the county is served by the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the Alameda County Water District serves only the cities of Newark, Fremont, and Union City. While not an administrative unit of the county government, this water district derives certain of its authorities from the County of Alameda. In particular, much of the work of the ACWD relates to management of the Niles Cone aquifer. (ACWD, 2007) Some of the work of the ACWD is regional in nature, coordinating with water management agencies of the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley Water District. (S.F. Bay, 2003) The Alameda County Water Agency receives grant funding from such agencies as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and State of California Department of Water Resources, for the purposes of technical assessment of the Niles Cone and other hydrological features of its jurisdictional area.. Specific capital programs of the ACWD include the construction of water supply pipelines, monitoring wells and blending facilities.(Earth Metrics Inc, 1990)
Title 40 is a part of the United States Code of Federal Regulations. Title 40 arranges mainly environmental regulations that were promulgated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), based on the provisions of United States laws. Parts of the regulation may be updated annually on July 1.
The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is a research institute created and funded by Government of India. It was established in Nagpur in the year 1958 with focus on water supply, sewage disposal, communicable diseases and to some extent on industrial pollution and occupational diseases found common in post-independent India. NEERI is a pioneer laboratory in the field of environmental science and engineering and part of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). NEERI has five zonal laboratories at Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. NEERI falls under the Ministry of Science and Technology (India) of the central government. The NEERI is an important partner organisation in India's POPs National Implementation Plan (NIP).
Water resources management is a significant challenge for Mexico. The country has in place a system of water resources management that includes both central (federal) and decentralized institutions. Furthermore, water management is imposing a heavy cost to the economy.
The water resources management system in Uruguay has been influenced by the general sense of water as an abundant resource in the country. Average annual rainfall is 1,182 mm, representing a contribution of 210 3 annually throughout its territory. In 2002, the per capita renewable water resources was 41,065 cubic meters, way above the world average 8,467 m3 in 2006. Uruguay also shares one of the largest groundwater reserves in the world, the Guarani Aquifer, with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay. The Guarani aquifer covers 1,200,000 square kilometers and has a storage capacity of 40,000 km3.
California's interconnected water system serves over 30 million people and irrigates over 5,680,000 acres (2,300,000 ha) of farmland. As the world's largest, most productive, and potentially most controversial water system, it manages over 40 million acre-feet (49 km3) of water per year.
The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is one of six branches of the California Environmental Protection Agency.
Guatemala faces substantial resource and institutional challenges in successfully managing its national water resources. Deforestation is increasing as the global demand for timber exerts pressure on the forests of Guatemala. Soil erosion, runoff, and sedimentation of surface water is a result of deforestation from development of urban centers, agriculture needs, and conflicting land and water use planning. Sectors within industry are also growing and the prevalence of untreated effluents entering waterways and aquifers has grown alongside.
Groundwater pollution occurs when pollutants are released to the ground and make their way into groundwater. This type of water pollution can also occur naturally due to the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent, contaminant, or impurity in the groundwater, in which case it is more likely referred to as contamination rather than pollution. Groundwater pollution can occur from on-site sanitation systems, landfill leachate, effluent from wastewater treatment plants, leaking sewers, petrol filling stations, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) or from over application of fertilizers in agriculture. Pollution can also occur from naturally occurring contaminants, such as arsenic or fluoride. Using polluted groundwater causes hazards to public health through poisoning or the spread of disease.
Water in Arkansas is an important issue encompassing the conservation, protection, management, distribution and use of the water resource in the state. Arkansas contains a mixture of groundwater and surface water, with a variety of state and federal agencies responsible for the regulation of the water resource. In accordance with agency rules, state, and federal law, the state's water treatment facilities utilize engineering, chemistry, science and technology to treat raw water from the environment to potable water standards and distribute it through water mains to homes, farms, business and industrial customers. Following use, wastewater is collected in collection and conveyance systems, decentralized sewer systems or septic tanks and treated in accordance with regulations at publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) before being discharged to the environment.
Mount Shasta City Park is an urban park located in the city of Mount Shasta, California. It is one of two parks within the Mt. Shasta Recreation and Parks District and hosts the district's headquarters. Mt. Shasta City Park spans 26 acres and offers a variety of opportunities for recreation such as hiking, picnicking and biking. Many community events occur within the park buildings and in the surrounding park land. The park is also home to the headwaters of the Upper Sacramento River.
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is a three-bill package that passed the California state legislature and was signed into California state law by Governor Jerry Brown in September 2014. Its purpose is to ensure better local and regional management of groundwater use and it seeks to have a sustainable groundwater management in California by 2042. It emphasizes local management and formed groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) from local and regional authorities.
California's Central Valley subsides when groundwater is pumped faster than underground aquifers can be recharged. The Central Valley has been sinking (subsiding) at differing rates since the 1920s and is estimated to have sunk up to 28 feet. During drought years, the valley is prone to accelerated subsidence due to groundwater extraction. California periodically experiences droughts of varying lengths and severity.
Borrego Valley Groundwater Basin, located in the very southern region of California, is one of the driest basins in the state. With climate change predicted to have strong effects into foreseeable future, the region is viewed with a skepticism in the sustainable use of water at current rates of consumption. Both natural and man-made geographic divisions within this basin allow for a closer inspection of the various management techniques implemented throughout the years, and provide a basis for what may be pursued for an uncertain future.
Seawater intrusion is either caused by groundwater extraction or increased in sea level. For every 1 foot of freshwater depression, sea-salty waters rises 40 feet as the cone of depression forms. Salinization of groundwater is one of the main water pollution ever produced by mankind or from natural processes. It degrades water quality to the point it passes acceptable drink water and irrigation standards. To this day, the State of California enforced several methodologies through technical innovation and scientific approach to combat saltwater intrusion in areas vulnerable to saltwater intrusion.
The Wellhead Protection Program in the 1986 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act requires states to protect underground sources of drinking water from contaminants that may adversely affect human health. More than one-third of the people in the United States depend on groundwater for drinking water. However, residential, municipal, commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities can all contaminate groundwater. In the event of contamination, a community's drinking water supply can develop poor quality or be lost altogether. Groundwater contamination might not be detected for a long period of time and health problems can occur from drinking contaminated water. Cleanup of a contaminated underground source of drinking water may be impossible or so difficult it costs thousands or millions of dollars. The U.S. Congress requiring Wellhead Protection Programs by 42 U.S.C. § 300h–7 in the Safe Drinking Water Act applied the concept that it is better to prevent groundwater contamination than try to remediate it. U.S. Congress by 42 U.S.C. § 300h–7 requires identification of the areas that need implementation of control measures in order to protect public water supply wells from contamination as "wellhead protection areas". Communities can use the police power established by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to enforce zoning and subdivision regulations to protect drinking water sources. Thereby communities can direct development away from areas that would pose a threat to drinking water sources.
Groundwater in Nigeria is widely used for domestic, agricultural, and industrial supplies. The Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation estimate that in 2018 60% of the total population were dependent on groundwater point sources for their main drinking water source: 73% in rural areas and 45% in urban areas. The cities of Calabar and Port Harcourt are totally dependent on groundwater for their water supply.
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