Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa water, Sanitation Mar- Apr 2015 Vol.10 No.2 | Page 29

Groundwater

Man-Made Pollutants Finding Their Way into
Groundwater through Septic Systems

P

harmaceuticals, hormones and personal care
products associated with everyday household
activities are finding their way into groundwater
through septic systems in New York and New
England, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“Septic systems nationwide are receiving increased
attention as environmental sources of chemical
contamination,” said USGS scientist Patrick Phillips,
lead author of the study published in the journal
Science of the Total Environment.
Two different well networks were studied, one in
New England and the other in New York, looking
for micropollutants in groundwater samples collected
downgradient of septic systems. “Downgradient” is
the term used for how groundwater flows under the
ground, and is a similar term to “downstream” when
describing surface water. The scientists tested for items
such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and
plasticizer compounds (which make things more flexible). +