Searching for Sweden's undiscovered ground water
Sweden's geological survey is developing new ways of scanning the landscape to find undiscovered ground water resources.
With over 100,000 lakes, you'd think Sweden would have enough water. But this year's dry summer has alerted many to the fact that the wet stuff is not a given. And on the islands of Öland and Gotland, off southern Sweden's east coast, a lack of water has been a reoccurring problem.
For a few years now, the Geological Survey of Sweden, a government agency that specialises on bedrock, soil and groundwater issues, has been trying out a new method. It allows them to scan large areas to get a picture of where authorities could tap new sources of ground water.
"Compared to other countries, we have quite a good amount of ground water, but we don't always have it when we need it, and where we need it. So finding those areas, and ensure that they are not destroyed... is very important," says Peter Dahlqvist, state geologist at Geological Survey Sweden.
