We Are All Connected

We are all connected

Drinking water in Pound Ridge is not supplied by the Town but by private wells located on each individual property. The well supplies drinking water to the house as well as water for washing, bathing, cooking, and landscaping.  Pound Ridge does not have a well field, reservoir or water treatment plant. The aquifers that supply our wells flow beneath Pound Ridge. We all share the groundwater and are responsible for the quality of our own well water as well as our neighbor’s.. A groundwater aquifer can extend over very large areas and groundwater moves through the aquifer all the time. Contaminated groundwater can travel long distances and impact more than one well if the contamination is not discovered and treated in time.

Fortunately, Pound Ridge does not have heavy industry that frequently contributes to groundwater contamination.  Our ground water is of high quality and plentiful. We obviously want to keep it that way. The main issues for Pound Ridge groundwater are aesthetic such as naturally occurring high mineral content which leads to hard water or high iron content that can stain laundry and appliances.  Potential threats to our groundwater supply include our own household contributions, which is everything we dump down a drain or flush to our septic tanks: old medications flushed down the toilet, paint thinners and engine oil poured down an outside drain, oil from leaking underground storage tanks, malfunctioning septic tanks, and by-products from local dry cleaning operations, gas stations, car repair shops, commercial nurseries, golf courses, as well as road salt washed off  roads and driveways. If  these contaminants end up in the water supply, we all share the problem. Pound Ridge is fortunate to have plentiful groundwater of high quality.  We must all work to keep it that way. In truth, when it comes to water, we are all connected.