Groundwater is the terminology used for available stores of natural water that can be found in the fractures and pore spaces in sediment and rock that lies beneath the surface of the earth. It is water that originates as snow and rainfall which then travels through the earth into the groundwater system and eventually makes its way back to the surface, into lakes, oceans and streams.
Groundwater is naturally replenished from above, infiltrating the ground as surface water recycled from rivers, streams and water from precipitation. Groundwater, as opposed to short-term water reservoirs such as fresh surface water and atmospheric water, is the long-term reservoir of the natural water cycle.
Groundwater can often be found in aquifers, which are underground water saturated strata that yield quite a significant amount of water to wells. There are two basic types of aquifer:
- A confined aquifer is an aquifer in which the saturated zone is sandwiched between layers of retentive material, putting the groundwater under unified pressure;
- An unconfined aquifer is an aquifer in which there is no hermetic layer directly above the saturated zone
Aquifers are often used as a source of drinking water because the water is pure and tastes great, although it is still treated by municipalities before being transported to your home as drinking water. In a way this is a pity, because the treatment of groundwater from aquifers may purify this water of ground, sediment and the like, but it also usually strips the water of all minerals, including those which are actually good for our bodies.
Aquifers generally produce a significant amount of water to a spring or well, which is highly economically feasible, but in a saturated region this quantity drops due to lower hydraulic conductivity.
The three most important aquifers in the UK are the Sherwood Sandstone, the Chalk, and the Jurassic Limestones. These are all consolidated, indurate sedimentary formations with dual porosity and deliver large amounts of groundwater of good quality.
Groundwater sources are very important to all countries as the majority of the public’s drinking water is sourced from groundwater, although the type of rock in which the aquifers exist differs greatly in the different countries, as does the level at which the groundwater lies.
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