PUBLICATIONS

• Publications by topic
  • Groundwater
  • Surface Water
  • Water Quality
  • Water Use

• Publications by date
  • Recent publications

Annual Water Data Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

USGS IN YOUR STATE

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Efficient Groundwater Utilization

Proceedings of North Carolina Conference on Water Savings and Water Supply Assistance
By R.C. Heath

Abstract

The eastern half of North Carolina is occupied by the Coastal Plain, which contains abundant groundwater in sand and limestone aquifers and abundant surface water in major rivers that originate in the Piedmont to the west. However, groundwater levels in the deeper aquifers have been declining for more than two decades, which indicates that withdrawals and natural discharge are exceeding recharge. The development of a water management plan for the deep Coastal Plain aquifers will be one of the critical water issues in the eighties. In the Piedmont and Mountain area, there has been increasing dependence on surface-water supplies: the area 's population is expected to double in the next 40 years and water use to triple. Water needs of North Carolina population and industry will require expansion of existing water supplies and the development of new supplies, both of which require federal and state assistance. In addition, conservation is needed to ensure reasonable water costs. Resources are necessary to determine how much groundwater can be developed and how to construct and test the wells needed to supply it. Assistance is available from the U.S. Geological Survey, which collects data on streamflow, groundwater, and water quality for use in the design of water systems.

Heath, R.C., 1980, Efficient groundwater utilization, in Proceedings of the North Carolina Conference on Water Savings and Water Supply Assistance, Raleigh, N.C., Nov. 18, 1980: The University of North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute, p. 74-77.