One of our most valuable resources is the water beneath our
feet. - Something you canít see and may not even know is there!
Ground water is the part of precipitation that seeps down
through the soil until it reaches rock material that is
saturated with water. Ground water slowly moves underground,
generally at a downward angle (because of gravity), and may
eventually seep into streams, lakes, and oceans. Most of the
void spaces in the rocks below the water table are filled with
water. But rocks have different porosity and permeability
characteristics, which means that water does not move around the
same way in all rocks. When water-bearing rocks readily transmit
water to wells and springs, they are called aquifers. Wells can
be drilled into the aquifers and water can be pumped out.
Precipitation eventually adds water (recharge) into the porous
rock of the aquifer. The rate of recharge is not the same for
all aquifers, though, and that must be considered when pumping
water from a well. Pumping too much water t