Why is clean groundwater important to lakes, rivers and streams?
Rivers and streams are called surface water bodies. Groundwater provides much of the flow for surface water bodies, contributing approximately 492 BILLION gallons per day to U.S. surface waters and habitat. If the groundwater is polluted, it can impact the use of these surface water bodies for drinking water. High levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can cause eutrophication, algal blooms or fish kills.
