National Groundwater Awareness Week is an annual observance that occurs during the month of March and is sponsored by the National Groundwater Association, or NGWA. Approximately 99% of the usable water in the world is groundwater, and in the United States, it’s used not only for the drinking water supply but also for agricultural irrigation.

Since water is one of the most precious resources in the world and people depend on it for day-to-day life, it’s important that groundwater supplies are adequately protected. And that’s exactly why people should take the time to observe this annual observance week.

Interesting Facts About Groundwater

Let’s dig into some facts about groundwater so that everyone can learn a little bit about it during National Groundwater Awareness Week. We’ve assembled the following facts for anyone and everyone interested in groundwater and how it should be protected.

• The amount of groundwater is 30 times higher than all U.S. streams, rivers, and lakes combined.
• Almost half of the U.S. population relies directly on groundwater for their drinking water supply.
• Every day, almost 53 billion gallons of groundwater are used for agricultural irrigation.
• Three decades ago, only about 2.2 billion gallons of groundwater were used for agricultural irrigation.
• The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the U.S. It covers 250,000 square miles from Texas to South Dakota.
• California pumps over 10 billion gallons of groundwater each day. This is 30% more than Texas.

Observing National Groundwater Awareness Week

Before celebrating this observance week, we think that everyone should take a moment to check out the resources provided by the National Groundwater Association. On their website, there are a ton of resources that teach everything a person would want to know about groundwater, how to protect it, and the potential risks to everyone’s access to groundwater. People can then spread the word about this week using the hashtag #NationalGroundwaterAwarenessWeek on social media.