Soil water is the water held in pore spaces between soil particles. Soil pore spaces usually fill with water after a rain storm but are usually partially void of water. Ground water, on the other hand, is found where earth materials are saturated throughout the year. That is, the pore spaces are always occupied with water. Both soil and ground water are very important sources of water.
Soil water is available for plants to extract and use.
Ground water is an important source of water for irrigation and drinking water supplies. Above the surface water is found stored in streams, rivers and lakes. One might expect that given the large rivers that flow across the earth and the huge numbers of lakes we have that this store would be rather large.