And, most importantly, Pennsylvania s 12 million people rely upon ground water and treated surface water for their drinking water. In fact, over 21 percent of Pennsylvanians rely upon private ground water supplies .which is a very significant number. Each year, almost 15,000 new wells are drilled, adding to our inventory of nearly one million existing wells .the second highest number in the nation. When you add community water systems into the equation, it becomes clear that nearly half of the population of Pennsylvania uses ground water for their drinking water supplies. In many rural areas, almost 100 percent of the population depends on ground water.
Clean water is also essential to aquatic life.
On Sunday, my wife and I hiked a part of Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland County. We saw firsthand its clear waters and abundant trout and watched children become exhilarated as I once was hauling in a big catch. Water is the fuel of the Pennsylvania economic engine that provides jobs for our citizens and grows our economy. And, quite candidly, we have taken our water resources for granted for many years and assumed they will always be available to us in adequate quantity and quality. As you may already be aware, National Drinking Water Week and National Ground Water Awareness Week were both observed last week.