Salt-water Invasion in Coastal Wells - Essay Example

It is vital to for the government to continue administering lots of efforts in the prevention of salt-water invasion within the coastal wells since these regions are not only economically suitable, but also environmentally vibrant. The United States’ coastal regions support more than half of the Nation’s population and host a diverse ecosystem. Furthermore, they are home to the fast growing counties, depicting a continuous growth within the coastal areas in the future. Truthfully, populations within the coast and industries need a host of natural resources in order to sustain their existence.

Most importantly, they require a reliable source of freshwater for drinking and for other related purposes. Therefore, it is of great importance that the government and other stakeholders prevent saltwater invasion into the coastal wells by ensuring supportive maintenance of ground water supply (Arlai, 2007). According to U.S. Geological Survey scientists, ground water supply amounts to one-third of the water supply within the great coastal areas of Los Angeles. Surprisingly, saltwater is continuously penetrating into some parts of the supply hence a significant part of the remainder is at risk.

Relatively, the U.S. Geological scientists are working in conjunction with other local water agencies with view of establishing the main connection between coastal aquifers and the offshore geology in order to understand better saltwater intrusion processes and pathways (Arlai, 2007). Finally, saltwater intrusion into coastal wells is proving to be a serious menace since without treatment, the contaminated water does not conform to either drinking water or agricultural standards. Nevertheless, the U.S. government is seeking to contain this disaster by carrying out intensive research. U.S Geological scientists are collaborating with Long Beach Harbors in data collection using reflection seismology acoustic technique.

This collected data will help experts understand the mechanism surrounding the saltwater intrusion into coastal wells that will in turn provide the relevant measures required in order to stop the intrusion permanently.ReferencesArlai, P. (2007). Numerical Modeling of possible Saltwater Intrusion Mechanisms in the Multiple-Layer Coastal Aquifer System. Kassel:kassel university press GmbH.