Water table

Cross section showing the water table varying with surface topography as well as a perched water table

The water table is the level where the ground will be filled with water if you go any lower.

The water table is the top of an underground surface where the soil or rocks are permanently saturated with water.

The groundwater (fresh water found underground) may come from precipitation or from water flowing into the aquifer.

Water Table Media

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  Cross-section of a hillslope depicting the vadose zone, capillary fringe, water table, and the phreatic or saturated zone. (Source: United States Geological Survey.)

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  Seasonal fluctuations in the water table-during the dry season, river beds may dry up.

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  Yield of sugarcane versus depth of the water table, Australia. The critical depth is 0.6 m.

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  Blue pipes to remove groundwater in Berlin