Hydro-Terra Group specializes in all phases of water resource development and management. There is no more precious natural resource on the planet than the Earth’s drinking water, and we are dedicated to finding technologically-innovative hydrogeological solutions to the challenges of water supply management. Our personnel bring decades of experience to:
WATER SUPPLY SERVICES
- Well design, construction, and testing
- Water balance analyses and appropriation permits
- Potable water treatment system design and permitting
- Small scale infrastructure design/build for municipal water resources
WATER BALANCE ANALYSIS
- Watershed restoration, planning, and monitoring
- Potable water assessment and permitting
- MDE, SRBC, PADEP, DRBC, DNREC, VADEQ Withdrawal, NPDES, and Construction Permits
GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENT
Our Hydro-Terra Group Hydro-Geologists, Geologists, Engineers, and Designers have well over 25 years of experience working in and around the Carroll County region and providing new drinking water sources for many of our local towns, townships, boroughs, and developments.
When rain falls to the ground, the water does not stop moving. Some of it flows along the land surface to streams or lakes, some is used by plants, some evaporates and returns to the atmosphere, and some seeps into the ground. Water seeps into the ground much like a glass of water poured onto a pile of sand.
As water seeps into the ground, some of it clings to particles of soil or to roots of plants just below the land surface. This moisture provides plants with the water they need to grow. Water not used by plants moves deeper into the ground. The water moves downward through empty spaces or cracks in the soil, sand, or rocks until it reaches a layer of rock through which water cannot easily move. The water then fills the empty spaces and cracks above that layer. The top of the water in the soil, sand, or rocks is called the water table and the water that fills the empty spaces and cracks is called ground water.
Click here to download the pdf “What is Ground Water” from the USGS.
AQUIFER TESTING
Finding the water is only the beginning of the process. The Hydro-Terra Group can also evaluate the long-term capacity and water quality of a newly developed groundwater source. Our scientists and environmental engineers can set up a comprehensive monitoring plan, capture the raw data during testing, interpret and submit the data to expedite regulatory agency approvals.
EPA WATER FACTS
- It takes, on average, 39,090 gallons of water to manufacture a new car and its four tires.
- 62,600 gallons of water are needed to produce one ton of steel; 1,500 gallons to process one barrel of beer; and 9.3 gallons to process one can of fruit or vegetables.
- On average, 50-70% of household water is used outdoors (watering lawns, washing cars).
- The average American uses over 100 gallons of water per day; the average residence uses over 100,000 gallons during a year.
- Americans drink more than 1 billion glasses of tap water per day.
- The average cost for water supplied to a home in the U.S. is about $2.00 for 1,000 gallons, which equals about 5 gallons for a penny.
- It costs over $3.5 billion to operate water systems throughout the United States each year.
Click here to read more in the EPA pdf “Drinking Water Facts and Figures”
SURFACE WATER: STREAMS, CREEKS, AND RIVERS
The quality and condition of our surface water is often linked to the overall health of the entire ecosystem. Our scientists and engineers offer a host of surface water evaluation services to help gauge the health of creeks, streams and rivers. Hydro-Terra Group scientists have a wide range of experience including measuring total stream flow (as seen above), bedload sampling, suspended sediment sampling, channel mapping, long-term monitoring of temperature & stream stage height as well as many other physical factors that affect stream health.
In addition to the physical stream characteristics, our staff can also test, monitor and sample for chemical parameters of the surface water. Just some of the field data collection that Hydro-Terra Group scientists have experience with include dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH, iron, hardness as well as developing specific testing procedures for other chemical properties suspected of being introduced into streams.
BEACH TREE WATER SUPPLY PROJECT
Hydro-Terra Group performed a comprehensive water supply project in Upper Marlboro, Maryland that required our services across many different areas of expertise. We designed and constructed an entire irrigation system, building a dam to create a lake, which augmented the stream supply.
We designed and constructed controls that monitored residential wells in the area to regulate the flow of water through the system to ensure that the community water supply wasn’t adversely affected. We also drilled a well 1600 feet deep to tap an aquifer low enough in the ground to protect the area’s residential water.
In this photo gallery, you’ll see the project progress from stream diversion and sub-grade preparation, to anchor trench excavation and panel installation, through to construction of the dam and wooden bridge.
