Fresh water in some areas of the state extends to 2,000 feet or more below the land surface. In a few areas, however, fresh water extends down to only 150 feet below the land surface. The Hydrologic Cycle Water does not remain in one place. Rivers run to the sea, rain soaks into the ground, water evaporates and then returns from the air as precipitation. Precipitation runs off into water bodies, goes back into the air, is used by plants, or soaks into the ground.
Some soil water travels down to the water table and becomes ground water.
Below the water table, ground water moves slowly, returning to the surface as springs or seeping out of the beds of water bodies such as rivers. The state as a whole has abundant ground water, but aquifers in some areas such as the Cumberland Plateau and Piedmont yield small quantities of water to wells. In the Coastal Plain where aquifers are more productive, several population centers are using water so fast that the natural rate of replacement cannot keep up with the demand. Water levels in some public water-supply wells have been falling steadily for decades. If trends continue, several of these wells will suffer reduced water production or water level declines below pump intakes within the next 50 years.