Principles of Environmental Science Hydrogeology Lab Introduction Ground water is any water that is contained in the pores of soils, surficial deposits or rocks. Rain water percolates into the ground to enter or recharge the ground water system.
Ground water is discharged from the ground into streams and rivers.
Ground water discharge provides the base flow for streams when they are not being fed by run off from precipitation. Over long periods of time, the amount of water that recharges the ground water system is approximately balanced by the amount of water that is discharged from it. Many types of surficial deposits and rocks have a high porosity and are capable of storing large quantities of water in their pores. Some porous rocks have highly interconnected pores and allow water to flow through them relatively easily. Surficial deposits and rocks that have a high porosity and permeability are known as aquifers.