Water well. Photo by Juan Rodriguez for RIPR
Hurricanes can push extra sea water toward the shore. And that water, called storm surge, can flood streets and basements. But scientists at the University of Rhode Island are wondering, how can that water impact coastal drinking wells?
During this next installment of our series Ready or Not, Rhode Island Public Radio’s environment reporter Avory Brookins takes a look at how extreme weather events could threaten the quality of drinking water for thousands of coastal residents.
Andrew Baer slides the cap off of his well in his front lawn. It’s a cement cylinder about 12 feet deep. And unlike those pictures you may have seen in story books, it doesn’t have a pail and rope to get the water out.
Instead, there’s a pump inside that runs on electricity.
“It pumps the water from that well into a pressure tank into our basement, it goes into a pressure tank and then comes up into our plumbing.”
Baer and his wife live in a small house on Green Hill Pond in Charlestown, Rhode Island….less than a mile from the ocean. And the town has no water system. So the Baers rely on their well for drinking, bathing, doing dishes — everything. And so far, Baer says that’s been working out for them.
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