An exploratory data analysis of the relationship between groundwater quality and urbanization in the continental U.S.

Abstract

Groundwater quality (GWQ) in the United States has been explored by numerous studies in local urban areas, but large-scale trends in GWQ as an effect of urbanization have yet to be fully investigated. This study explores spatial and temporal trends in GWQ characteristics as they relate to urbanization at the continental U.S. scale. I examined 68 cities across the continental U.S. with varying urban and hydrologic characteristics. The results tentatively suggest the presence of regional and hydrogeological trends and highlight differences in relationships between groundwater quality and urbanization in coastal cities. However, weak correlations and strong variabilities in the results indicate a potentially high level of uncertainty in the conclusions, and suggest a careful examination of the consistency and the quality of historical data for future work.