Some ground water is untouched for years, even centuries, before it is used. Contrary to popular belief, ground water is NOT a flowing underground stream or lake. Ground water moves at an irregular pace seeping from less porous to more porous soils, from shallow to deeper areas and from places where it enters the Earth's surface to where it is discharged or withdrawn. Solar energy will evaporate water from surface water bodies, like oceans, streams, lakes and, perhaps most easily seen, puddles. And, as clouds accumulate the evaporated water and rain falls, to the earth and hydrologic cycle begins again.
Overuse is but one threat to New Jersey's ground water.
Concerns about preserving our precious ground water resource are growing as contaminated water supplies have been discovered in many parts of the state. Much of the ground water contamination is a result of decades of improper disposal of chemical hazardous wastes - the legacy of the state's industrialized past. The disposal of household trash in unlined landfills that were little more than holes in the ground with no barriers to protect their contents from leaching also played a role in ground water contamination. Every day, New Jersey's citizens make decisions that can result either in ground water protection or pollution. Daily actions ranging from changing the oil in the family car to using a household cleaner to choosing a location for a new septic system can all have an effect on the quality of ground water that flows from the state's aquifers.