PUB00070

• Year: 1998
• Title: Ground Water and Surface Water A Single Resource U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1139
• CWCB Section: Interstate & Federal
• Author: T.C. Winter, J.W. Harvey, O.L. Franke, W.M. Alley
• Description: Overview of current understandimg of interaction of ground water and surface water in terms of quality and quantity
• Publications - Doc Type: Historical

"Lakes and wetlands can receive
ground-water inflow throughout
their entire bed, have outflow
throughout their enti1'e bed,
or have both inflow and outflow
at different localities"

INTERACTION OF GROUND WATER
AND WETLANDS

Wetlands are present in climates and land-
scapes that cause ground water to discharge to
land surface or that prevent rapid drainage of
water from the land surface, Similar to streams
and lakes, wetlands can receive ground-water
inflow, recharge ground water, or do both, Those
wetlands that occupy depressions in the land
surface have interactions with ground water
similar to lakes and streams, Unlike streams and
lakes, however, wetlands do not always occupy
low points and depressions in the landscape
(Figure 17 A); they also can be present on slopes
(such as fens) or even on drainage divides (such
as some types of bogs), Fens are wetlands that
commonly receive ground-water discharge
(Figure 178); therefore, they receive a continuous
supply of chemical constituents dissolved in the
ground water, Bogs are wetlands that occupy
uplands (Figure 17D) or extensive flat areas, and
they receive much of their water and chemical
constituents from precipitation, The distribution
of major wetland areas in the United States is
shown in Figure IS,
In areas of steep land slopes, the water table
sometimes intersects the land surface, resulting
in ground-water discharge directly to the land
surface, The constant source of water at these
seepage faces (Figure 178) permits the growth of
wetland plants, A constant source of ground water
to wetland plants is also provided to parts of the
landscape that are downgradient from breaks in
slope of the water table (Figure 178), and where
subsurface discontinuities in geologic units cause

Upland bog in Labrador, Canada. (Photograph
by Lehn Franke.)

upward movement of ground water (Figure 17 A),
Many wetlands are present along streams, espe-
cially slow-moving streams, Although these
riverine wetlands (Figure 17C) commonly receive
ground-water discharge, they are dependent
primarily on the stream for their water supply.

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