8. GROUNDWATER
Groundwater is the subsurface water that occurs beneath the water table in soils, rocks and geologic formations that are fully saturated. For purposes of groundwater supply or groundwater control our traditional focus is on shallow, saturated, groundwater flow; but on a broader sense, it also encompasses the near surface, unsaturated, soil-moisture regime that plays an important role in the hydrologic cycle; and it includes the much deeper, saturated regimes that have an important influence on geologic processes.