Aquifer
A subsurface formation saturated with water and permeable enough to yield it to wells.
Aquifers range from shallow alluvial deposits that recharge each year to deep confined formations holding water that fell as rain thousands of years ago. The distinction matters enormously: one is a renewable supply, the other is a stock being mined.
Where surface water is fully appropriated, aquifers are the remaining option, which is why declining water levels are appearing across the West and why states are steadily adding restrictions on new wells.
Where this shows up in the data
See also
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