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What Are the Sources of Water in the United States?

In the United States, there are clear sources of freshwater that provide all that is needed. In order to maintain these sources they must be actively protected. The amount of freshwater on planet Earth has remained largely the same since monitoring began. However, the distribution and pollution of this revered freshwater must be reevaluated to prevent many people from experiencing water shortages.

Great Lakes
- Lakes provide the U.S. with most of its surface water. Surface water is used for drinking, irrigation and industry. According to the Encyclopedia of Earth, 79 percent of all the water used in the United States comes from surface water. The Great Lakes in North Central America are the continent's largest freshwater lakes. There are five: Superior, Michigan, Heron, Ontario and Erie. These large freshwater resources are interconnected by a maze of waterways and fed by over 200 tributaries. These natural mega lakes provide 95 percent of the nation's surface water. The Great Lakes contain one-fifth of the freshwater in the world, they are so large that they can be seen from the moon. Four of the United State's largest cities are located on the shores of these lakes as well as 25 percent of Canada's population. They are an internationally shared resource and all changes concerning the use of the freshwater provided by the Great Lakes must be agreed upon by both countries.
Mississippi River
- The United States has more than 250,000 rivers according to American Rivers. The largest is the Mississippi River which flows at a volume of 593,000 cubic feet of freshwater per second. The water provided by our nation's rivers is used in irrigation and drinking water. According to the National Park Service, 15 million Americans depend on the Mississippi River and its tributaries for their freshwater needs. That's about 50 cities worth of people using this single resource. The Mississippi River basin has been the nation's chief agricultural location for more than 200 years. The area produces 92 percent of the country's agricultural exports. Sixty percent of the world's grain comes from this river basin.
Ground Water
- Groundwater provides rural residents of the U.S. with drinking water and supplies about half of the nation's fresh water. Aquifers such as those located in the Pacific Northwest and in the Southwestern U.S. are large underground reservoirs full of freshwater. People who have wells on their property are using ground water from the water table, an aquifer or an underground river. The nation's largest aquifer is located beneath eight Southwestern states: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota. It is called the Ogallala Aquifer and covers 174,000 square miles of land. Withdrawal from this resource in the past has not been restricted and recently there have debates about whether it will be able to replenish itself.

Nature