Why is groundwater not a renewable resource?

Question

Why is groundwater not a renewable resource?

Answer 1

interesting questions.....

it isn't renewable in the sense that we can't plant it or regrow, but natural underwater springs do renew themselves.  i have two wells.

Answer 2

Look in the real world.

Does one know what is staglactite or staglamite?

Does one ever been to underground caves?

Notice how the water drips from it?

When the water is in underground cavity.

How long does it takes the drip to fill it up in time?

What will happen if we keep on drilling it and pump it out?

How fast will the replacement be?

Where are those excess water going to?

Our own backyards?

So when flood comes.

Don't complain.

The same in the destruction of wetlands.

In draining out the water from high land to low land.

Look what happened infront of our doorstep.

Luke 6.39-40,41-45,46-49

What do you think?

Answer 3

With all respect to the other two answers, the real reason that ground water is not considered a renewable resource is TIME.  Most groundwater (but not all) comes from aquifers which can be likened to underground rivers, although their flow rates are relatively much slower than free flowing water above ground.  All aquifers have a "recharge zone" where new water is added.  That means that they do refill over time, but if water is drawn out by wells at a rate greater than the recharge rate, then the water table (level of water in the aquifer relative to the ground above) will go down.  Unfortunately, much of mid-western American agriculture has become dependent upon irrigation from wells into such aquifers, and the long term result has been the decline in the water table due to over use.

Answer 4

it is being used up faster than it is being renewed. water tables all over the country are falling.

Answer 5

I disagree but acknowledge is mostly about semantics.  Of course it is renewable but it does have a limit.  When you put a well in and start to withdraw water, the water level will lower.  As long as you don't use too much it is renewable.  I live right next to a recharge basin near Los Angeles.  They create a dam that enables water to flow down into the ground to recharge aquifers.  You could also pump the water down.  It is far easier to pump out than to put back in and you get no money for putting it back in.  This is why governments must do the recharging or renewing.

Answer 6

Groundwater can run out. It can be contaminated, and be too expensive to clean up.