Contamination Plume

Image of a drawing depicting a contaminated plume in groundwater. Click on the image for a clearer view.

From the North Carolina University State University, Soil Facts, publication we learn that:

Both the quantity and quality of groundwater depend on the water that moves down through the soil to the saturated zone. This percolating water, called recharge, passes through the root zone and unsaturated zone until it reaches the water table.

The soil is a controlling factor in the recharge process because it may hold the water in soil pores, release it to plant roots or the atmosphere, or allow it to pass through to the underlying materials.

Efforts to protect groundwater focus primarily on the recharge process because it controls both the quantity and quality of water reaching the saturated zone.