Where does spring water come from?
From rainfall ultimately. Rain. once it has fallen does one of three things: Evaporate back into the atmosphere Run off into streams and rivers Soak into the ground It is the third one that gives us springs. The rain will more or less slowly permeate (soak) into porous rocks under the action of gravity and will go on doing so until it finds a place to accumulate or to emerge on the surface somewhat lower down in both cases. It will be stopped in both instances by a layer of impermeable rock or clay. If the shape of the rock is that of a bowl (anticline) then the water will accumulate. The water pressure in this situation can be quite high and it may force its way back to the surface through fissures or cracks (or a drilled hole). If the impermeable rock strata is sloping then the water will migrate downwards along the strata to a place where it can flow out to form a spring or a line of springs often near or at the bottom of a hill.
