4 Types Of Water

Surface water is any body of water above ground, including streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, and creeks. Water that seeps deep into the ground is called groundwater. Surface water and groundwater are reservoirs that can feed into each other.

The main uses of surface water include drinking-water and other public uses, irrigation uses, and for use by the thermoelectric-power industry to cool electricity-generating equipment.

• Surface Water. Surface waters include streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands.
• Ground Water. Groundwater, which makes up around 22% of the water we use, is the water beneath the earth’s surface filling cracks and other openings in beds of rock and sand.
• Wastewater.
• Stormwater.

Large amounts of water are stored in the ground. The top of the surface where groundwater occurs is called the water table. In the diagram, you can see how the ground below the water table is saturated with water (the saturated zone).

Surface Water Storage Capacity. No one knows the exact amount of water that can be stored within California’s 515 groundwater basins. California’s Department of Water Resources estimates the total storage capacity at somewhere between 850 million and 1.3 billion acre-feet.

Runoff occurs when there is more water than land can absorb. The excess liquid flows across the surface of the land and into nearby creeks, streams, or ponds. Glaciers, snow, and rain all contribute to this natural runoff. Runoff also occurs naturally as soil is eroded and carried to various bodies of water.

Runoff may be classified according to speed of appearance after rainfall or melting snow as direct runoff or base runoff, and according to source as surface runoff, storm interflow, or groundwater runoff. 2. The sum of total discharges described in (1), above, during a specified period of time.

Runoff is defined as excess water draining away from land or buildings. The overflow of water that drains off of your driveway is an example of runoff. Dissolved chemicals, etc, included in such water. The runoff of nitrates is poisoning the lake.

There are three major types of runoff depending on the source: surface flow, interflow, and base flow. These were discussed in Module 101 and are expanded upon here. Surface flow is water that has remained on the surface and moves as overland or channel flow.

Water that flows over the ground surface directly into streams, rivers, or lakes. Also called storm runoff.

The difference between runoff and groundwater is that runoff is water flowing on the ground and groundwater is water that moves downward into the ground.

RUNOFF

• The most important characteristics of runoff are: peak discharge, total runoff volume, and frequency of peak flows.
• The peak discharge (peak flow) is the maximum flow a given point as a result of a storm.

Meteorological factors affecting runoff:

• Type of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, etc.)
• Rainfall intensity.
• Rainfall amount.
• Rainfall duration.
• Distribution of rainfall over the drainage basin.
• Direction of storm movement.
• Precipitation that occurred earlier and resulting soil moisture.

The characteristics of rainfall are the amount, the intensity, the duration, the frequency or return period, and the seasonal distribution.

What can you do to reduce the runoff from your property?

1. Disconnect/Redirect Downspouts.
2. Use a rain barrel to capture rain from your roof.
3. Plant a rain garden.
4. Plant trees.
5. Reduce impervious surfaces; install permeable pavement.
6. Plant a green roof.

1. Add plants. Incorporate plantings, especially in areas where runoff collects.
2. Protect trees. Like other plant roots, tree roots help absorb and filter runoff.
3. Break up slabs.
4. Go permeable.
5. Catch runoff.
6. How to Divert Water Runoff from Driveway.
7. Plant a rain garden.
8. Cover soil.