Ground & Surface Water Concepts


The Digital Atlas covers groundwater & surface hydrology concepts that have definitions, questions and facts in this section. Click on the topic below for information on hydrology.

Idaho Water Facts

Surface Water:
   What is Surface Water?
   How Much Water is There In and On the Earth?
   Factors Affecting Surface Runoff
   Which Type of Drainage Basin Has the Greatest Effect on Surface Runoff?

   Runoff Paths
   Surface Water /Groundwater Interaction

   What Do Some Different Types of Streams Look Like?
   What is an Eddy?

Surface Hydrology:
   Introduction
   Streamflow & Precipitation
   Instantaneous Streamflow Measurement
   Continuous Streamflow Measurement
   Streamflow Hydrograph
   Precipitation Measurement
   Supplemental Material

   Running Water
   Stream Gaging Station Data

Ground & Surface Water Interactions:
   What is Meant by Surface and Ground Water Interaction?
   What Controls the Degree of Surface and Ground Water Interaction?
   How Can Pumping Impacts be Measured or Estimated?
   How do Surface Water Bodies Respond to Aquifer Recharge?  

Groundwater:
   What is an Aquifer?
   Is an Aquifer an Underground River?
   What does an aquifer look like?
   How Does an Aquifer Work?
   Why is Groundwater So Clean?
   How is an Aquifer Contaminated?
   What is Groundwater?
   Why is Groundwater so Important?
   How to Determine the Direction of Groundwater Flow
   What is the Water Table?
   Why Do Some "Artesian" Wells Flow?
   Groundwater Resources
   Hjulsröm's Diagram
   Tortuosity of Subsurface Flow Paths 
   Groundwater Review; Aquifers, Groundwater Movement, The Water Table, Darcy's Law

Response Functions:
   What are they?
   What Factors Affect Response Functions?
   What if Wells are not Continuously Pumping?
   Response Functions & Aquifer Recharge
   How Can Response Functions be Used?
   How are Response Functions Determined?
   Assumptions Supporting Response Functions