Groundwater & Streams

In areas where the aquifer is close to the surface, as in the southeastern half of Gloucester County, which is underlain by the Kirkwood–Cohansey aquifer, the relationship between groundwater and streams is very direct. Infiltrating water percolates down through topsoil to the water table. The water table is the top of the water held in the sediment and sand spaces (also called the saturated zone). Infiltrating water then begins to move with the groundwater flow, which follows a downhill, or down-slope direction. It moves very slowly, especially compared to water in streams or rivers. In southeastern Gloucester County, the general down-slope direction is to the southeast.

When the groundwater intersects with a water body such as a lake or stream, it emerges as a spring entering into and “recharging” the water body. It can also emerge from a hillside as a spring or seep. Streams and wetlands in southeastern Gloucester County are fed by groundwater. A large public well pulling groundwater from the same general region can diminish the flow to a local stream and may even cause it to dry up. This has happened in the Berlin area of Camden County.

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