An aquifer is an underground body of rock that contains or can transmit groundwater. Many public water systems pump groundwater from aquifers to the surface for drinking water. It’s also used for other things like irrigating land and supplying water for industry.
Aquifers get water from groundwater that filters through the area directly below the land’s surface (called the unsaturated zone). They can also get water from surface waters like lakes and rivers. When an aquifer fills to capacity and reaches the land’s surface, it can be discharged as a spring or seep. Aquifers take in water at recharge areas and release water at discharge areas.