Mid-South Water Resources & Beyond
Knowledge about our water resources empowers us to be active participants in its protection.
Groundwater & Surface Water
Groundwater
The groundwater resources of this region are remarkable and are considered some of the best globally. Yet we know all resources are vulnerable, so we seek to better ensure the long-term sustainability of our groundwater resources by preventing over-exploitation and declines in quality.
Surface Water
The ecosystems along the mighty Mississippi River and its tributaries which were once exceedingly rich and diverse have now been vastly lessened, mostly due to flood control measures. Yet where possible, we are attempting to transform these damaged river systems back to a more natural state.
Health Of The System
Confinement Condition of The Memphis Aquifer - Shelby County
Beneath much of Shelby County, the Memphis aquifer is confined, meaning that water levels in the aquifer sit above the base of the upper confining clay.
Threats to the Groundwater - West TN
Threats to the Memphis aquifer mainly come from the surface or right below the surface from anthropogenic (human) sources.
Ways To Get Involved
You can make a difference in the quality and availability of freshwater in your community through enacting simple conservation practices in your home, to getting involved in a research or education outreach activity. CAESER, along with other conservation programs, offers a variety of avenues to engage such as helping student researchers canoe our rivers to deploy instrumentation, contacting your child’s school to have the WOW mobile visit, participating in trash pick-up programs along waterways, or simply joining in a hike with others who also have a shared interest in the environment.
Check Out Our Research
Recharge
Recharge is the process through which surface water reaches groundwater. This can happen when precipitation infiltrates to an aquifer or when surface water bodies, such as lakes, rivers, and wetlands directly exchange water with an aquifer.
Protective Clay Breaches
Memphians are proud of their water, as it is known to be the best in the nation. Pure, fresh, crystal clear – these are words often used to describe our water. As wonderful and plentiful as our water is, Memphians also realize that it is a vulnerable resource and its protection is of critical importance.
Groundwater – Surface Water Exchange
In the natural environment surface water (e.g., rivers, lakes, and wetlands) and groundwater exchange water, back and forth. This interaction is important because surface water ecosystems rely on groundwater during the hot, dry summer months to provide water.