What is recharge area and discharge area?

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HelpCenter Definition

HelpCenter Definition

Aquifers are replenished with water from the surface through a process called "recharge." This occurs as a part of the hydrologic cycle when water from rainfall percolates into underlying aquifers. The rate of recharge can be influenced by different factors, such as soil, plant cover, water content of surface materials, and rainfall intensity. Groundwater recharge may also occur from surface water bodies in arid areas. Overwithdrawal of groundwater occurs when the discharge of groundwater in an aquifer exceeds the recharge rate over a period of time. Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/groundwater

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When water infiltrates a permeable land surface it percolates downwards through the unsaturated zone of permeable rock and/or sediment until it reaches the saturated zone, the top of which is called the groundwater table. Recharge zones refer to those areas where water infiltrates through the permeable rock and sediment but the saturated zone is at a depth where surface ecosystems (e.g. palustrine, lacustrine and riverine wetlands, riverine water bodies and terrestrial vegetation) are unable to access the groundwater. However, subterranean ecosystems (e.g. aquifer and cave ecosystems) underlying recharge areas may be groundwater dependent.

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Last updated: 12 April 2017

This page should be cited as:

Queensland Government, Queensland (2017) Recharge zones, WetlandInfo website, accessed 5 October 2022. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/aquatic-ecosystems-natural/groundwater-dependent/recharge-zones/

This is the area where groundwater seeps up to the soil surface or into streams. Waterlogging and salinity are most likely to occur in these areas.

Discharge areas are generally found lower in the landscape and can be associated with:

• change in slope gradient (break of slope)
• texture changes in the soil
• geological structures and barriers (e.g. faults, dykes, lithology changes)
• manmade structures such as roads and railway lines which impede normal groundwater flow
• drainage depressions and other topographic lows.