Our group has been commissioned by the Navajo Nation to look at possible groundwater contamination from abandoned radium mines and tailings. The majority of the Navajo people use this water for themselves and their livestock; therefore it is imperative to know what possible contaminants are in the water. At the completion of this project our group feels that others wanting to look at possible contamination can use this program making it available for all.

Contrary to what many people believe, ground water contamination is not a new problem. Early investigations of ground water contamination are abundant in scientific literature. The work of Dr. John Snow in 1854 first linked the contamination of wells by cholera to seepage from Earth privy faults even before the discovery of the microorganisms responsible for the disease. Henry Darcy, a civil engineer, was concerned about the public water supply to the City of Dijon, France in the 1850's. In order to provide some purification to the water supplied to the city, Darcy passed the water through sand filters to remove particulates and sediment. By 1959, a European publication cited 60 cases in which groundwater had become contaminated with petroleum products and so on............ So what is a contaminant? It is an undesirable constituent that is introduced directly or indirectly as a result of human activity. The moment it reaches the ground water, it is termed as ground water contaminant. Groundwater is the source of drinking water for 50 percent of the population in the United States. In rural areas, such as the Navajo Nation, 85-90 percent of the residents obtain their drinking water from groundwater. Because the quality of drinking water supplies is important, groundwater merits protection from contamination.