Groundwater- all life connects to water!

All the water there is,IS all, the water there is on Earth! So if this IS the truth then water must move? For instance a pond or lake may change levels, where is the water going? Water moves through the hydrologic cycle. You may have heard of the water cycle in previous grades.The total amount of water we have on Earth moves freely from phase to phase (changes states). Water can exist as 3 different states of matter; solid(ice ,snow),liquid (oceans,rivers, groundwater), and gas (water vapor). Water goes through a cycle.

The water cyle is driven by heat energy from our Sun. Gaining energy from the Sun and loosing is can cause water to change states. Click on the water cycle link.

Water can "do" several things s it falls to earth in the form of precipitation:

It can travel over the surface of the land as runoff , forming streams as it goes
It can soak into the ground to become ground water.
It can flow into a coastal bay, creating an estuary.
It can be taken up by the roots of plants and returned to the air as water vapor from the plants leaves (transpiration).
It can evaporate to the air from open water surfaces, including ponds,streams, wetlands, and estuaries.

Groundwater is liquid water that soaks down into the Earth through the layers. Gravity pulls water downward through spaces. The water eventually reaches an area already filled with water, this is the saturated zone. The top of the saturated zone is the water table.

Water tables respond to the amount of precipitation in the area, this recharges the water table. If precipitation is low the water table will fall.

About one quater of the precipitation that falls on Connecticut percolates down into the earth to become groundwater.

Surface water (runoff) flows across the land and into rivers,stream,lakes, and finally the ocean. Surface and groundwater flow through Connecticut in predictable areas called drainage basins. Drainage basins are also referred to as watersheds.

Watch the groundwater video below for more explanation.