U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GROUND-WATER STUDIES IN NORTH CAROLINA

Ground water is the source of domestic supplies for nearly 58 percent of the 6.2 million North Carolina residents; of these residents, 2.8 million live in rural areas and obtain their water from private wells. About 435 million gallons per day of fresh ground water is used in North Carolina. The aquifers of the Coastal Plain province of the State are the source for many of the largest ground-water withdrawals. In the Piedmont and Blue Ridge provinces, ground water is the source for nearly all self-supplied domestic uses and for many small and moderate-size public and self-supplied industrial systems. Statewide, ground-water discharge supplies about 60 percent of all streamflow. The major issues related to ground water in North Carolina are: Declining water levels, Contamination from hazardous wastes and landfill leachate, and Effects of land use on water quality