Groundwater is a vital source of water that sustains both ecosystems and human communities worldwide. Wetlands, springs, rivers, and lakes often receive inflow from groundwater; it provides late-summer flow for many rivers, and creates cool-water upwellings critical for aquatic species during the summer heat.

Fens—wetlands fed by groundwater—support many rare and threatened species and can be a source of water in an otherwise dry landscape. Groundwater is also the only water source for springs and subterranean ecosystems, which harbor a distinctive and poorly understood fauna.
 
Groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) contribute to human well-being through things like water storage and purification. However, there are many pressures on groundwater, including pumping for irrigation, municipal, and industrial uses. Groundwater also can be contaminated by pesticides, nutrients from wastewater or agricultural run-off, and industrial chemicals. And pressures are only increasing, especially with declines in surface water availability and quality.
 
Despite the importance of groundwater to aquatic biodiversity, there is little information describing the types and distributions of groundwater-dependent ecosystems across the Pacific Northwest.
 
The Nature Conservancy in Oregon is working to conserve groundwater-dependent ecosystems. We have mapped the locations of these ecosystems across the state and identified the activities that threaten them. We are now developing and testing approaches that will protect groundwater for biodiversity conservation while at the same time meeting human needs.

Click here to see a fact sheet describing TNC's approach to conserving GDEs.