Water Connects
Land, Farms, and Communities
Groundwater is the foundation of our local watersheds. Beneath Montgomery County and the Agricultural Reserve, the Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer stores water within underground fractured rock formations.
This groundwater supplies drinking water to private and public wells—serving over 20,000 homes and farms—and feeds the streams and rivers that sustain our landscape.
An aquifer is a layer of rock and underground that stores groundwater. In the Piedmont region, water moves through cracks and fractures in the rock below Earth’s surface. The water moves slowly through cracks and spaces.
Our region sits on an unconfined aquifer, meaning water from rainfall and snowmelt can move directly from the land surface into the groundwater system.
This connecting helps recharge our aquifer, but it also means groundwater can be more vulnerable to pollution and land use impacts.
How Groundwater Works
Webinar presentation on
well protection and what to look for when testing water quality with Water Quality Specialist, Andy Lazur, PhD.
Find Out if You’re in the Piedmont SSA
Use the EPA’s interactive map of Sole Source Aquifers to see if you receive water from the Piedmont SSA.
“Our Aquifer is the bloodstream for farms in the Agricultural Reserve. It’s what sustains us. ”
— Gene Kingsbury, Kingsbury’s Orchard
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