Running head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 1

Annotated Bibliography on Water Tables

Anais Blanco

The University of Texas at El Paso

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 2

Adler, R. W. (2013). Agriculture and water quality: A climate-integrated perspective. Vermont

Law Review, 37(4), 847.

Adler (2013) argues agriculture has a negative impact on water quality because waste

from farmlands is mixing with the groundwater causing it to be unusable. Since

agriculture plays such a large part in our ecosystems it effects the water levels greatly. On

the other hand Anderson (2003) disagrees with Alder because he believes the recycling of

waste water is a positive thing because freshwater should only be used when necessary.

The recycling of water preserves the freshwater helping maintain a good water level

rather than it rapidly lowering.

Campos Flores, I. (2015). Evaluation of point of use drinking water treatment systems for

colonias in the Southwest United States Available from Dissertations & Theses Europe

Full Text: Science & Technology. Retrieved

from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1732168228

Campos (2015) believes water sources are not available or inadequate to lots of parts of

the country therefore people cannot be the leading factor of lowering water levels.

Campos states water in “colonias” found in Dona Ana County tend to be unsanitary and

unusable so people don’t use the water as much as areas that have access to clean water.

Water levels in this area are not depreciating because it is unpotable which can also be a

factor of the pollution created over time. Thangarajan (2007) agrees water is being

polluted making it a limited resource to people but disagrees because he believes over

extraction is a contributor to the lowering of water levels.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 3

J Anderson. (2003). The environmental benefits of water recycling and reuse. Water Science &

Technology, 3(4), 1. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1943127214

Anderson (2003) states that freshwater is a limited source and it should be used

cautiously. Anderson believes the limited freshwater that is left is being threatened by

pollution but can be restored by recycling waste water for irrigation. Anderson fails to

realize water levels are rising rather than lowering because of the warming of the planet

according to Manheim (2016). Manheim agrees we must be more cautious about the

environment but water levels lowering because he states they are fluctuating.

Kirk L. Clarence, Brush W. William, Folwell Prescott, Maury W. John, & Alvord W. John.

(1918). Lowering ground water levels. Retrieved from http://0-

www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/pdf/41224419.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A28e5c113e9d

fa9b4e8fdfe0241d389cf

Kirk (1918) states that the size of pipes used to extract water influences how much water

is extracted. The larger size of pipe leads to more extraction and people over time are

beginning to use them more frequently because they are more convenient and time

efficient. This has a negative effect on lowering water levels because water is rapidly

decreasing. Condensing the effect of pipe size, research stills shows that over extraction

is a great factor of lowering levels according to Nepali Times (2017) stating people near

water sources take advantage of the water source and tend to over extract.
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Knott, J., Daniel, J. S., & Jacobs, J. (2017). Eyeing the rise: Assessing the effects of rising

groundwater from sea-level rise on coastal road pavement. Roads & Bridges, 55(9), 26.

Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=125159429&sit

e=eds-live&scope=site

Knott (2017) believes sea-levels are rising and are inducing ground water to rise as well.

The pressure created by sea level effects the pressure of the land making the ground

water rise because of the tension pushed from the sea. Manheim (2016) agrees that sea

levels are rising but was unaware that the sea level was contributing to the rise of

groundwater. Knott believes pollution is a factor in the warming of the planet but does

not consider it to be a direct issue with water levels, he only believes it affects quality of

water.

Manheim Frank. (2016). Living with climate change : How communities are surviving and

thriving in a changing climate. Retrieved from http://0-

www.choicereviews.org.lib.utep.edu/review/10.5860/CHOICE.196798?

Manheim (2016) states pollution is to blame for water shortages because water is

becoming unusable due to the contamination from cars and waste are effecting all types

of water sources such as oceans, aquifers and lakes. Thangarajan (2007) agrees to

pollution being a large contributor to water issues but he believes over extraction is also a

key factor to water shortages. Manheim (2016) tends to focus only on pollution rather

than other issues that can contribute to lowering water levels. Manheim must take into
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 5

consideration that pollution takes a time to effect water sources in comparison to

extraction because extraction of water immediately shows effect on aquifers.

Marylou Doehrman. (2005). El Paso County makes toxic polluter list. The Colorado Springs

Business Journal, , 1. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/224566355

Doehrman (2005) claims El Paso County has been found to have an alarming level of toxic

pollution in water. This pollution has been created over the years by an excess dumping of

chemicals into water sources. McQuigge (2009) agrees water sources are taken for granted

and are constantly being polluted by careless mistakes. Doehrman has narrowed down the

issue to El Paso and is reliable because the toxin levels where compared throughout other

counties across the US.

Murray McQuigge. (2002). Water: A clear and present danger. Canadian Journal of Public

Health / Revue Canadienne De Sante'E Publique, 93(1), 10-11. Retrieved

from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41993679

McQuigge (2009) claims clean water is being taken for granted and people do not

understand how hard it is to maintain water sources uncontaminated. McQuigge focus on

the spread of E. Coli in water in 1982 in Canada because people were not cautious of being

sanitary around and properly disposing waste. In 2007 Thangarajan advanced this claim

when he realized people continue to be careless with waste because people are now burning

waste which is now polluting not only water but also the air. The issue with McQuiggie’s
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 6

claim is he focuses on a case in Canada many years ago.

Nepali Times (2017, December 23). Retrieved February 02, 2018, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-4CEtbfH1c

Nepali Times (2017) claims water levels in Kathmandu Valley are lowering due to over

extraction by people in the area. Although Nepali Times may have seemed of concern to

only a small group of people in the Kathmandu Valley, it should in fact have concerned

anyone who cared about lowering water levels. For instance, according to Sheng (2005)

water levels are decreasing overtime due to the increase in population. The lowering of

water levels can be caused by a range of things such as pollution, an increase in

population or misuse, not just over extraction.

Ramirez Cindy.Physicists developing on the spot pollution detectors

. Retrieved from https://theprospector.newspaperarchive.com/el-paso-prospector/1990-

11-01/page-4/

Ramirez (1990) claims pollution in the El Paso area has being excessive because of

fumes emitted from ASARCO that the University of Texas at El Paso contemplated

creating on spot pollution detectors. Ramirez focuses on ASARCO being the main

contributor to water pollution rather than expanding the danger of water pollution

globally. On the other hand Manheim (2016) makes a broad claim that other factors such

as cars and waste effect the content of water. Manheim does not just focus on one

polluter making his claim more valuable because it does not just focus on a certain region

of people.
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Rios-Arana, J. V., Walsh, E. J., & Gardea-Torresdey, J. L. (2004). Assessment of arsenic

and heavy metal concentrations in water and sediments of the Rio Grande at El Paso–

Juarez metroplex region. Environment International, 29(7), 957-971. 10.1016/S0160-

4120(03)00080-1 Retrieved

from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412003000801

Rios-Arana (2004) claims human activities are contributors to the rise in sediment load,

inconsistent water flows and runoff of minerals into the water system of the Rio Grande.

The negative effects of the Rio Grande lead to higher issues into the Gulf of Mexico.

Although Rios-Arana extended the water issue into The Gulf of Mexico rather than just

to the Rio Grande it fails to get an overall effect of water tables across the world. On the

other hand Anderson (2003) makes his claim based off of a versatile group rather than

just focusing on one. Anderson makes a similar claim stating human usage is the leading

factor of water depreciation but he presented his information more effectively.

Sheng, Z. (2005). An aquifer storage and recovery system with reclaimed wastewater to preserve

native groundwater resources in El Paso, Texas//doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2004.10.007

Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479705000216

Sheng (2005) emphasized that the greatest threat to lowering water levels is the rapid

increase in population over the years. The increase in population has made water

demands rise greatly putting water levels to decrease to dangerous levels. Although

Sheng claim is reasonable Knott J (2017) pointed out water levels are rising because of

the warming of the planet. Knott agrees humans are the cause of water issues but he

believes they indirectly cause problems—create pollution which later effects the water.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 8

Sun, D., Niu, S., & Zang, Y. (2017). Impacts of inland boundary conditions on modeling

seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers due to sea-level rise. Natural Hazards, 88(1), 145-

163. 10.1007/s11069-017-2860-0 Retrieved

from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1917626768

Sun (2017) argues water levels are rising because of global warming. Global warming

can be a series of things affecting the planet to overheat. The overheating is causing ice

caps to melt creating the sea level to rise. Sun fails to recognize water is also being over

extracted and is rapidly lowering usable water levels. Campos (2015) disagrees with Sun

because Campos claims water levels are low and very scarce.

Thangarajan, M. (2007). Groundwater: resource evaluation, augmentation, contamination,

restoration, modeling and management. Dordrecht ; [London] : Springer, 2007.

Thangarajan (2007) argued that ground water is being affected by a high level of

pollution from burning waste lands and car exhaust. Thangarajan based his claim only on

pollution rather than seeking further issue affecting water tables. While Thangarajan’s

claim is true he overlooked that water levels are also decreasing due to over extraction.

According to Nepali Times (2017) water levels are lowering because of the excessive

extraction of aquifers by people in nearby areas.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 9