Township of Morris NJ - Ground Water Protection

Much of our water supply comes from ground water, a key natural resource that travels mostly unseen beneath the surface of the Earth. In fact, in New Jersey and throughout the United States, ground water is the primary source of drinking water for about half of the population. Ground water is essential to our everyday lives. We obtain most of this water from individual domestic wells or public water supplies which tap into aquifers porous rock formations capable of holding and transporting ground water.

Depending on the location, aquifers containing ground water can either be a few feet below the surface to several hundred feet underground. Under normal conditions, aquifers are replenished naturally by rainfall that soaks into the Earth and seeps down to the water table, the top layer of ground water. 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soils, from shallow to deeper areas and from places where it enters the Earth's surface to where it is discharged or withdrawn.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.

What Threatens Ground Water?

While the ground water resource is vast, it is also increasingly vulnerable. 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.

It is also important to realize that a large percentage of ground water contamination results from non-point source pollution, or "pointless pollution" which comes from everyday activities such as littering, wrongful disposal of household hazardous products, changing motor oil, fertilizing lawns and farmland, washing cars, overuse of pesticide and de-icing.

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.

How Can We Help?

UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS - If you own an underground storage tank to store gasoline, heating oil or pesticide, make sure that it's tested periodically. To prevent leaks, install storage systems of good quality.

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTES AND SEPTIC SYSTEMS - Keep household products containing toxic chemicals, such as paint thinners, oven cleaners and mothballs out of public sewers and septic systems by not flushing them down the drain. Contact your local government to obtain information on the local household hazardous waste collection programs that can properly dispose of these wastes.

PESTICIDES/FERTILIZERS - Follow the directions carefully when using and disposing pesticides, fertilizers and other products that are harmful to humans and animals.

AUTOMOBILES - Recycle crankcase oil and repair engine leaks to keep oil from draining onto streets, driveways and parking lots. Never dump oil or chemicals onto the ground. If engine oil is changed at home, take the used oil to your local oil collection site. Call DEP's Division of Solid Waste Management at (609) 530-8593 for more information.

SOLID WASTE REDUCTION - Reduce household and office waste to help minimize our tremendous dependence on landfills. Waste from landfills can pollute both ground and surface water, so becoming involved in local recycling programs will help reduce the amount of waste we produce.