A significant quantity of water is also withdrawn from wells drilled to obtain water for domestic, commercial, agricultural, or industrial use. The nature of subsurface flow in karst can be very complex. It is often difficult to ascertain where water entering a karstic aquifer flows and where it eventually emerges on the surface. In practice, paths of travel are determined by inducing tracers, such as dyes, into input points and observing where they resurface. Altering the Flow of Groundwater Man-made changes to drainage on the surface or to sinkholes may easily alter the rate at which the underlying aquifer receives its normal recharge.
Vegetation slows runoff from storms and allows water to percolate into the soil.
Artificially filled sinkholes may become blocked inputs. This may drastically affect the amount of groundwater available for use in the immediate vicinity.