Celebrating Groundwater this World Water Day

March 22 marks World Water Day, an annual United Nations Observance that celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people currently living without access to safe water. This year, groundwater is being celebrated, with the goal of ‘making the invisible visible’.

March 22 marks World Water Day, an annual United Nations Observance that celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people currently living without access to safe water. This year, groundwater is being celebrated, with the goal of ‘making the invisible visible’.

Our Beca hydrogeologists, water engineers and environmental scientists are focused on the sustainable use of groundwater, to ensure that while it serves the needs of the community, it is also protected for future generations. This means using our knowledge and skills to understand the potential impacts of a project on the wider groundwater system and designing to avoid or mitigate.

We asked some of our groundwater team four questions posed by the UN this World Water Day.
 

How does groundwater affect your life?

Groundwater is the lifeblood for the environment we exist in. All parts of this system rely on each other; a holistic approach for health and wellbeing. Groundwater needs us to care for and protect it, and in turn it will provide for us by feeding and caring for our communities through drinking water, irrigation, industrial processing, electricity generation, and heating and cooling.

In New Zealand, there is an opportunity to lift and elevate Mātauranga Māori to the same level as western knowledge, and to use it to inform and innovate the solutions and outcomes we are all looking for.

“Groundwater makes me think of balance and reciprocity. I see groundwater and its relationship to the whenua and all living things. I see Mātauranga Māori in action when I see a Māori placename – that placename connects me to whakapapa and informs me on how to treat groundwater. If the developed land use is not in unison with that, I see that whakapapa is broken and a loss of respect and a disconnect with the whenua.” – John Blyth, Senior Associate ­– Māori Business Advisory
 

Is there enough?

Groundwater is interconnected with all parts of the water cycle and provides flows to springs, streams, rivers, and wetlands. Careful balancing of using groundwater and providing for its life supporting function is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s, Australia’s and world’s, greatest challenges. As populations increase, demands for clean, reliable water supplies will become increasingly critical. Integrated science and collaborative processes for limit setting can provide for the competing demands on our groundwater resources.
 

Is it safe?

We often look for groundwater when we are finding a new source for a drinking water supply. Compared to surface water it can be of much higher quality due to the natural filtration that it undergoes and the time that it spends in the ground which reduces microbiological risk. However, there are increasing concentrations of contaminants such as nitrates, pesticides, iron and manganese. Salinity is also a huge issue we are seeing in groundwater in Australia. These contaminants can persist in groundwater systems for many years, and can travel long distances. Yes, we can always treat our drinking water to remove these contaminants, but it is expensive both in financial cost and the cost to the environment. Isn’t it better to protect our environment and the groundwater that is so important to us?
 

What needs to be done to protect groundwater?

Protecting groundwater will take more than just technical solutions and policy. Groundwater is invisible and that needs to change. Only by raising awareness of where our water is sourced from, and the interconnected nature of groundwater, can we expect everyone to take those small personal steps that will help, such as using water consciously and sustainably, minimising use and discharge of contaminants and supporting local initiatives to restore the environment.

In our day-to-day work here at Beca, we passionately promote the sustainable use of water, but World Water Day presents us all the opportunity to think wider. Let’s also think about earth-centric design, rather than just human-centric design. Only by protecting groundwater, can we rely on groundwater to protect us.