Ground Water Recharge and Chemical Contaminants: Challenges in Communicating the Connections and Collisions of Two Disparate Worlds

摘要: Our knowledge base regarding the presence and significance of chemicals foreign to subsurface environment is large growing — papers in this volume serving as testament. However, complex questions with few answers surround unknowns potential for environmental or human health effects from trace levels xenobiotics ground water, especially water augmented treated waste water. Public acceptance direct indirect recharge using municipal (especially sewage) spans spectrum unquestioned embrace outright rejection. In paper, I detour around issues most commonly discussed instead focus on some less-recognized issues—those that emanate mysteries created at many literal virtual interfaces involved world. My major objective catalyze discussion advances our understanding barriers public reuse its ultimate culmination drinking. pose what could be a key question whether much public's frustration ambivalence decision-making process accepting, rejecting, (for various purposes including personal use) emanates fundamental inaccuracies, misrepresentation, oversimplification how it functions environment—just exactly cycle is. These suggest might behoove us revisit very elementary aspects science we are conveying them public.