The Irrigation Association will be a groundwater advocate during National Groundwater Awareness Week, hosted by the National Ground Water Association, March 5 – 11, 2017.

Some 53.5 billion gallons of groundwater are used daily for agriculture irrigation from nearly 408,000 wells. Some 44 percent of the U.S. population depends on groundwater, the water that fills cracks and other openings in beds of rock and sand, for its drinking water supply "?u be it from either a public source or private well. In rural areas, the number is about 96 percent. These facts support the need for National Groundwater Awareness Week.

To help protect groundwater, NGWA suggests:

Using licensed or certified water well drillers and pump installers when a well is constructed or serviced or when the pump is installed or serviced. Keeping hazardous materials away from any well. Never dump such materials as: motor oil, or anything else that could impact water quality onto the land surface, into a hole or pit, or into a surface water supply.

"We are proud to serve as a groundwater advocate during National Groundwater Awareness Week," said Deborah Hamlin, CEO of Irrigation Association. "Groundwater is the world's most extracted natural resource. We don't take it for granted and are pleased to support this important initiative."

For additional resources, visit www.ngwa.org/Events-Education/awareness/.