What Is Hydrology And Why Is It Important?

Hydrology, or the study of the water cycle and how it impacts the earth, is important in environmental decision making. Generally, there is no “new” water. Hydrology demonstrates the ultimate in recycling as water flowing through lakes, rivers, and oceans evaporates and falls to earth as rain or snow. This then percolates into the ground where some is taken up by plants, to later evaporate, or makes its way into groundwater, where it eventually makes its way to the surface.

Conservation is important because, even though water is constantly recycled, not all of it is available for our use. A lot of water is found where we aren’t – such as bound up in arctic/antarctic ice. More is found as seawater. Local groundwater is not always available in the necessary quantities – Southern California is an example. In conservation, there is a growing trend in the home use of gray water, or, non-toilet wastewater of the home, for irrigation (many online resources are available for more information). Some communities are also coming up with innovative ways to recycle wastewater for use in irrigation, drinking water, or to recharge groundwater aquifers. Conserving on many fronts will be necessary to meet future needs.