aquifer
Subterranean water source
An aquifer is an underground layer of rock or sediment that holds water and allows it to flow through.
Wells and springs draw from aquifers, making them crucial sources of freshwater.
The Ogallala Aquifer supplies irrigation water across eight Great Plains states.
Aquifers can be depleted faster than rainfall replenishes them.
Dug water source
- boreholeDrilled underground passage
- pumpFluid-moving machine
- drillingHole-making by rotation
- drawdownReduction over time
extraction · irrigation · withdrawal · pumping station · wellhead · casing · screen · yield
Water in underground rock
- water tableTop of groundwater zone
- bedrockSolid stone underground
- stratumHorizontal layer of material
- permeableAllowing substances through
porosity · permeability · confined · unconfined · artesian · karst · limestone · sandstone
Covert entry into organization
- percolationLiquid passing through pores
- precipitationAtmospheric water deposit
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- catchmentArea collecting water runoff
snowmelt · rainwater · replenishment · seepage · absorption · drainage basin · runoff · stormwater
Not restricted or contained
- confinedKept within bounds
- artesianGroundwater under natural pressure
- perchedResting in place
- alluvialDeposited by moving water
karst · coastal · transboundary · Guarani · Nubian · Edwards
Spending past zero
- depletionReduction of supply
- sustainable yieldHarvest rate nature replaces
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
regulation · water rights · allocation · contamination · subsidence · remediation · modeling
Coils, sources, or leaps
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- riparianRelating to riverbanks
- oasisFertile desert spot
- seepFlow slowly through
fen · habitat · endemic species · biodiversity · spring-fed
well
Dug water source
drawdown · extraction · irrigation · withdrawal · pumping station · wellhead · casing · screen · yield · abstraction
groundwater
Water in underground rock
- water tableTop of groundwater zone
- bedrockSolid stone underground
- stratumHorizontal layer of material
permeable · porosity · permeability · confined · unconfined · artesian · karst · limestone · sandstone · alluvial
infiltration
Covert entry into organization
- percolationLiquid passing through pores
- precipitationAtmospheric water deposit
- watershedDrainage area boundary
catchment · snowmelt · rainwater · replenishment · seepage · absorption · drainage basin · runoff · stormwater · water cycle
unconfined
Not restricted or contained
alluvial · karst · coastal · transboundary · Guarani · Nubian · Edwards
overdraft
Spending past zero
- depletionReduction of supply
- sustainable yieldHarvest rate nature replaces
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
monitoring · regulation · water rights · allocation · contamination · subsidence · remediation · modeling
springs
Coils, sources, or leaps
seep · fen · habitat · endemic species · biodiversity · spring-fed
- water managementwater supply, dam, water district, water authority, water allocation
- geotechnicssoil, soil type, soil classification, soil structure, subsurface
- earth scienceatmosphere, earthquake, geology, volcano, crust
- freshwaterponds, river water, freshwater lake, creek, brook
- water resourcesfreshwater, water supply, water storage, water table, water resources
- desert oasispalm trees, date palms, well, water source, oasis
- Ogallala AquiferMassive underground freshwater deposit
- confined aquiferGroundwater layer between impermeable strata
- unconfined aquiferUnderground water without impermeable cap