Recharge adds water to an aquifer after water enters the ground and reaches the saturated zone. Discharge removes it through springs, streams, or wells. These flows take different amounts of time in different places. The water table can rise or fall as the balance between additions and removals changes. Recharge adds water to groundwater storage; pumping removes it through wells.
Water and oceans · Discover & try
How can the ground hold water?
Reading level 4 of 5 · FluentChange
Word help
water table
The upper boundary of the groundwater-saturated zone.
aquifer
Rock or sediment that stores and transmits usable groundwater.
porosity
The proportion of a material occupied by open spaces.
permeability
How readily water can move through connected openings.
Watch · Try · Explain
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Simplified grains, pores, and water table; flow rates are illustrative rather than site measurements.
What to look for
- Water between solid grains
- Connected and disconnected spaces
- The water table changing with recharge or pumping
Explain what you noticed
Where is groundwater commonly stored?
Keep this idea: Groundwater commonly fills pores and fractures within solid ground.
Follow the sources
- U.S. Geological Survey — Groundwater: What is Groundwater?
- U.S. Geological Survey — Aquifers and Groundwater
- U.S. Geological Survey — Groundwater Decline and Depletion
Source material checked 2026-10-28. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Agency source links do not imply endorsement.
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