What is the Water Table? Zone of aeration • pore spaces contain air the top of the zone of saturation where soil or rocks are mostly filled with water. Zone of saturation • pore spaces are filled with water

Water flows underground Due to gravity, water seeps into the ground and moves downward until the rock is no longer permeable. The subsurface zone in which all openings of the rock are filled with water is called the zone of saturation. This zone is also called an aquifer. The upper surface of this zone of saturation is called the water table. The zone that exists between the water table and the ground surface is called the zone of aeration. In order to be successful, a well must be drilled into the zone of saturation. Springs occur where water flows naturally from rock onto the surface of the land. Springs may seep from places where the water table intersects the land surface.

What is an aquifer? Underground bed or permeable rock layer that contains ground water for wells and springs etc… Types Artesian well- water flows to the surface naturally because it is under pressure Spring - water that flows to the surface of the earth from underground. It's a site where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface. water is between two permeable layers of rock water is between two impermeable layers of rock

Artesian Well Spring Types of Aquifers Wells needs a hole to be dug to access the water. A spring occurs at the water table so it doesn’t need a hole dug.

Fresh water also flows on the Earth’s surface

Fresh Water Locations—Rivers, Streams, and Lakes What is a stream? A small channel along which freshwater is continually flowing down a slope—made of small gullies. What is a river? A large channel along which water is continually flowing down a slope—made of many streams that come together.

How are ponds different from lakes? A pond is generally smaller, very shallow and has many species of plants rooted in its muddy bottom. A lake is generally larger and has water so deep that sunlight is unable to reach it’s bottom. Plants grow on the outer edges of lakes.

Where does our drinking water come from? Household water • 90 percent of Americans receive drinking water from a public water supply, such as a city, town or county water department. Most of this water comes from surface-water sources like rivers, lakes or reservoirs • About 10 percent of Americans provide water for themselves, most from ground-water sources such as a well , but some from a cistern, pond or stream.

Video Clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIgO8yg_u0c http://www.cbsnews.com/news/americas-dwindling-water-supply/

Water’s Journey Whether your water comes from a ground-water or surface-water source, it often travels a long distance to get to you. A watershed is the land area that surrounds or covers a water source. Rain and snow fall onto divides of basins or watershed and flow into rivers, lakes or reservoirs. Or, if there is open and undeveloped land, the water seeps through the soil and lower rock layers to replenish underground reservoirs called aquifers

Divides and Drainage Basins http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/drainage-basins-definition-characteristics.html

What is a divide? The divide is a ridge that allows water to flow in different directions.