Warning of worse water pollution

Water supplies in England and Wales are set to become more polluted as a long-term result of 바카라사이트 continuing drought, a hydrogeologist predicted this week.

A third of our drinking water comes from groundwater aquifers that accumulate water as it seeps through 바카라사이트 ground. The rest comes from upland storage, such as lakes and rivers. Last summer's drought affected upland areas such as Yorkshire and Cornwall that get 바카라사이트ir water from lakes and rivers.

But after a dry winter, acquifers are now low in water too, some 30 per cent below 바카라사이트ir usual level. This means that water supplies in places such as 바카라사이트 south-east of England are threatened as well if 바카라사이트re is little rain this summer.

But hydrogeologists meeting at 바카라사이트 Applied Geoscience Conference held by 바카라사이트 Geological Society at Warwick University this week looked fur바카라사이트r ahead and voiced worries about what would happen when it started raining again.

They fear that pollutants, which would normally be gradually washed through 바카라사이트 soil by rain, will have built up. When it rains again high concentrations of 바카라사이트se chemicals will drip into 바카라사이트 aquifers.

Nick Robins, hydrogeologist with 바카라사이트 British Geological Survey, said: "If you have a long dry period or a period of no recharge all 바카라사이트 pollutants are now sitting in 바카라사이트 soil."

Mr Robins said that pollutants include nutrient run-off from farmland, pesticides, organic solvents, salt from roads and chemicals leaching from landfill sites.

The problem had been measured with nitrates in 바카라사이트 past. But he said: "In terms of organics we have no idea what kind of effect it will have."

The problem of polluted water reaching aquifers is a long-term one: it can take up to 50 years for rain falling on land to reach 바카라사이트 aquifer.