Comparison of Groundwater and Surface Water for Patterns and Levels of Contamination by Toxic Substances

The scientific literature indicates that, except for isolated exceptions, groundwater will be relatively uncontaminated with toxic substances when compared with surface water. Using data on the concentrations of 56 toxic substances in samples of both groundwater and surface water from New Jersey, we test this relationship. The results indicate that in New Jersey groundwater has the same patterns of contamination by toxic substances and is at least as contaminated as surface water.