Hydrogeology. Principles and practice / Гидрогеология. Принципы и практика

This book is about the study of hydrogeology and the significance of groundwater in the terrestrial aquatic environment. Water is a precious natural resource, without which there would be no life on Earth. We, ourselves, are composed of two-thirds water by body
weight. Our everyday lives depend on the availability of inexpensive, clean water and safe ways to dispose of it after use. Water supplies are also essential in supporting food production and industrial activity. As a source of water, groundwater obtained from beneath the Earth’s surface is often cheaper, more convenient and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water.

Groundwater, because it is unnoticed underground, is often unacknowledged and undervalued resulting in adverse environmental, economic and social consequences. The over-exploitation of groundwater by uncontrolled pumping can cause detrimental effects on neighbouring boreholes and wells, land subsidence, saline water intrusion and the drying out of surface waters and wetlands. Without proper consideration for groundwater resources, groundwater pollution from uncontrolled uses of chemicals and the careless disposal of wastes on land cause serious impacts requiring difficult and expensive remediation over long periods of time. Major sources of contamination include agrochemicals, industrial and municipal wastes, tailings and process wastewater from mines, oil field brine pits, leaking underground storage tanks and pipelines, and sewage sludge and septic systems. <...>