Water that is held in the rocks and soil beneath the surface of the Earth Ground water feeds wells and springs
Water beneath the earth's surface that fills pores between materials such as sand, soil or gravel Groundwater is a major source of water for agricultural and industrial purposes and is an important source of drinking water for about half of all Americans
Water under the earth's surface that supplies streams, rivers, wells and springs
Groundwater is that subsurface water contained in the interconnected pore spaces below the water table of an aquifer Groundwater will occur where there is an impermeable subsurface barrier that allows water flowing through the unsaturated zone to be collected and stored within the interconnected pore spaces at depth This impermeable barrier may be bedrock or an impermeable layer of rock Once collected in the saturated zone, groundwater will flow from areas where the water table is highest toward areas where it is lowest This percolation of water through the saturated zone is powered by gravity Eventually, percolating water may leave the groundwater system and be discharged into streams or other surface water bodies
Water contained underground in the earth's saturated zone Groundwater supplies wells and springs
Water in the subsurface which is beneath the water table and thus present within the saturated zone In contrast to water present in the unsaturated, or vadose zone which is referred to as soil moisture
water beneath the earth's surface that fills underground pockets (known as aquifers), supplying wells and springs
Underground water that fills pores in soil or openings in rocks to the point of saturation Where groundwater occurs in significant quantity, it can be used as a water supply
The supply of fresh water found beneath the surface of the Earth (usually in aquifers) that often supplies wells and springs (Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, 1990)