Groundwater Hydrology: Engineering, Planning, and Management, Second Edition

Abstract

The demand for fresh water is increasing as the world’s population continues to grow and expects higher standards of living. Water conservation, better systems’ operation, higher end use, and water allocation efficiencies have not been able to offset the growing demand. Many societies are struggling to bring supply and demand to a sustainable level. Although water is abundant on earth, fresh water accounts only for about 2.5% of global water reserves. Out of this amount, approximately 30% is stored as groundwater, and the same amount is on the surface as rivers and lakes, the remaining reserves are held in glaciers, ice caps, soil moisture, and atmospheric water vapor. Groundwater is a source of vital natural flow. In arid and semiarid areas, groundwater may represent 80% or more of the total water resources. The public has a perception of groundwater as a reliable, clean, and virtually unlimited source of water supply. Even though there could be exceptions, it is a dependable source almost everywhere in the world.