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Sustainability of ground-water resources

William M. Alley·Thomas E. Reilly·O. Lehn Franke
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Abstract

The pumpage of fresh ground water in the United States in 1995 was estimated to be approximately 77 billion gallons per day (Solley and others, 1998), which is about 8 percent of the estimated 1 trillion gallons per day of natural recharge to the Nation's ground-water systems (Nace, 1960). From an overall national perspective, the ground-water resource appears ample. Locally, however, the availability of ground water varies widely. Moreover, only a part of the ground water stored in the subsurface can be recovered by wells in an economic manner and without adverse consequences.

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William M. Alley, Thomas E. Reilly, O. Lehn Franke. 1999. Sustainability of ground-water resources. https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1186

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