Our aquifer is the bloodstream for all farmers in the Agricultural Reserve . It ’ s what sustains us . - gene kingsbury , kingsbury ’ s orchard
hundreds of feet , and draw good quality water in widely varying amounts . However , the Piedmont Aquifer with thin soil cover and rapid flow in fractured rock geology is vulnerable to potential contamination . Hydrogeologist and Reserve resident Bob Tworkowski explains that the unconfined aquifer is in “ direct communication with the ground surface , where what is spilled above will more readily percolate through the thin soil seeping into the aquifer .” Moreover , he explains , water in an unconfined aquifer is also subject to losses through evaporation and plant uptake — think thirsty forests .
Where does the water come from ?
Anyone with livestock depends on a thoroughly reliable source of water . When the power goes out , or waterlines freeze , or a well pump fails , figuring out how to get sufficient water on site can go very badly very quickly for our flock of sheep at Shepherd ’ s Hey Farm . This kind of situation provides more angst and urgency than almost anything else we deal with . We can go buy feed , we can get bottled water for ourselves , and food to eat , all without a care . The prospect of insufficient or unreliable access to water is hard to imagine , but even harder to contemplate for those of us who keep livestock .
- lee langstaff , shepherd ’ s hey farm
The Piedmont Aquifer is fed by rain and snow . An individual well is “ recharged ” by the precipitation that falls within the nearby watershed . The most effective recharge comes from gradual snow melt or low velocity rain allowing water to slowly percolate through soil and rock to the aquifer below . This process differs from groundwater in Maryland ’ s coastal plain which travels significant distances from where it enters the system to where it is withdrawn from an individual well .
Bob Tworkowski notes , “ The healthiest land use for good recharge to the aquifer is to keep the land as natural open space to minimize the impervious surfaces . Recharge can be affected by a number of items which include the type of soils , the slope of the topography , the vegetation cover , etc . The trick is to hold the water from running off and allow it to sink into the ground where it can contribute to the aquifer .”
The good news is that the Reserve and the low-density rural communities that surround it have retained a significant amount of pervious land that allows for recharge . In those areas where development is dense , recharge is limited , and a greater withdrawal of water may challenge the sustainability of the resource .