Currently 20 percent of US water consumption is supplied by groundwater, and its contamination is causing considerable alarm. In densely populated Central Pierce County (Wash.), groundwater contamination was found to originate from septic tank drainfields. The highest nitrate and coliform concentrations in groundwater occur when infiltrating rainfall dissolves and leaches these contaminants downward.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.