What is the water table defined as?

• A. Pumping water level in a well
• B. Upper surface of the groundwater
• C. Water level in a pond
• D. Groundwater beneath the bedrock

Answer: (B)

The water table is the upper surface of the groundwater—the boundary between the saturated zone (where all the pores are filled with water) and the unsaturated zone above it. This surface can rise or fall with recharge from rain and withdrawal from springs or wells. It isn’t the pumping level in a well, which is just a localized drawdown created by pumping. It isn’t the water surface in a pond, which is surface water above ground. And while groundwater can exist beneath bedrock, the water table specifically refers to the boundary of the saturated zone, not a fixed point beneath bedrock.