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Protecting Our Groundwater

Protecting Our Groundwater
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   high interest, readability grades 6 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.71

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    radioactive, sewage, uranium, poisonous, radon, shale, tested, granite, natural, industry, traces, present, overuse, resource, industrial, cancer

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Protecting Our Groundwater
By Patti Hutchison 		  
1     We cannot live without water. It is our most important natural resource. You can live without oil or natural gas. But you must have water to survive. It is used in households as well as industry and farming. Groundwater supplies a lot of the demand.
 
2     Groundwater is safer to use than surface water. Because it is stored underground, it is not as exposed to pollution as surface water is. But groundwater is not always safe. And once it is harmed, it is harder to clean up than surface water is. What are the threats to our groundwater supply? What can we do to protect it?
 
3     One of the biggest threats to our groundwater supply is overuse. If water is pumped out of the ground faster than it is replaced, the supply will decrease. This can cause another problem. As water is pumped from the ground, there is less water pressure to help hold up the ground above. The land caves in. A sinkhole is formed.
 
4     As groundwater seeps through the soil, germs are filtered out. But sometimes chemicals and other harmful materials get mixed in. Sewage and industrial waste can enter the recharge area. They move with the groundwater into the aquifer.
 
5     Wastes from farming can also harm groundwater. Chemical sprays that kill weeds and insects can hurt the water supply. Decay from landfills can also enter groundwater and pollute it.

Paragraphs 6 to 11:
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