This paper examines the extent to which manure is a threat to groundwater supplies (which are a source of much of the nation's drinking water), looking at what farm practices lead to the current levels of pollution and how those methods might be changed so that the groundwater supply can be kept safe in the future. This paper investigates the effects that manure have on groundwater quality. While the issue is something that most of us would simply rather not think about because our own drinking water may come from groundwater reserves it is in fact a serious environmental issue.
Manure is applied to the soil both by the animals that produce it (stockyards are of course a primary source of manure being produced and spread over the ground) as well as by humans who use it for fertilizer. If the manure stayed on the surface of the soil it would produce some olfactory unpleasantness but it would not introduce harmful substances into the soil (http://www.wesleyan.edu/ctgeology/GroundwaterPollution/GroundwaterPollution.html).
However, precipitation (including dew as well as rain and snow and human-produced precipitation such as irrigation) percolates through the soil and recharges the groundwater supply. This water brings with it into the groundwater substances that are soluble in water, including salts and nitrogen compounds from manure (http://www.saveourwatersupply.com/cafos/chino.html). Water that has passed through manure on its way to j
13 
)
= 1057
= 4 (250 words per page)
