What is the difference between groundwater and surfacewater?
Groundwater is water that comes from the ground and surface water is water that is available in streams, wetlands, ponds, and lakes. Groundwater comes from rain, snow, sleet, hail and fog that soaks into the ground through soil, sand, gravel, or rock until it reaches a depth where the ground is filled, or saturated, with water. About half of the drinking water in the US comes from groundwater wells as does a lot of the water used by farmers to irrigate their crops. Go to our Urban Hydrology and Drinking Water sections to find out more.
