ABSTRACT
In the United States, roughly 75 percent of freshwater comes from surface sources; the balance originates from the ground. Groundwater, that water stored in underground reservoirs called aquifers, is the primary source of water for major sections of the arid western United States as well as large sections of northern and central Africa and other areas throughout the world. When examining water pollution, the types of pollution are usually divided into point and nonpoint sources. Point sources of pollution are those that originate from some specific location such as a pipe. Common nonpoint sources of water pollution include runoff from irrigation containing salts and residue from pesticides, etc. In the control of nonpoint sources of water pollution as well as groundwater, current laws are often either nonexistent or ineffective. The health effects of chemicals that are commonly found in drinking water are numerous and frightening.
