GROUNDWATER Definition & Meaning

groundwater

[ ground-waw-ter, -woter ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the water beneath the surface of the ground, consisting largely of surface water that has seeped down: the source of water in springs and wells.

groundwater

/ ground′��ô′tə�� /

Water that collects or flows beneath the Earth's surface, filling the porous spaces in soil, sediment, and rocks. Groundwater originates from rain and from melting snow and ice and is the source of water for aquifers, springs, and wells. The upper surface of groundwater is the water table .

groundwater

Water that seeps through the soil or rocks underground.

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Notes

Groundwater can be contaminated by chemical pollutants. ( See water pollution .)

Groundwater is a source of drinking and spring water for many communities.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of groundwater¹

First recorded in 1885–90; ground ¹( def ) + water ( def )

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

To grow substantially, Large said, Roy’s and Amboy need easier access to potable water, probably through a groundwater purification process.

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The groundwater in Amboy is about 10 times saltier than the sea, Large said, and for years, all drinking water has been trucked in.

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Residents of Bentham, a town in North Yorkshire, are taking legal action against a firefighting foam manufacturer over potential health risks caused by "forever chemicals" found in soils and groundwater.

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Some of Southern California’s urban wastewater is treated and reused to irrigate golf courses and parks, while Orange County has a system that purifies wastewater and puts it into the groundwater basin for use as drinking water.

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Wet conditions and rainfall accumulations prior to spring meant that groundwater levels in many areas have held up well, so far.

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