If you have a dry summer with little precipitation, what is the source of water that causes streams to flow?

Question

ground water?
rainfall in the mountains?
trees give up water in dry periods through their root systems?
a release of water from caves?

Answer 1

Aquifers are the most likely source for streams that do not "dry up".

An aquifer is a deep underground water storage system that is created when cracks develop in the bedrock that lay under the soil. Groundwater seeps into these cracks & gets "trapped" in these systems. Aquifers can sometimes run for miles underground.

At some point the water will come back to the surface either by natural springs or man-made wells.

Many streams are fed by natural springs from these aquifers.

If a stream has a history of "drying up" then it is most likely NOT spring fed from an aquifer. The source of water from an ephemeral (short-lived) stream is runoff from rain water.

Answer 2

We lived in central Kansas for 10 years, and after the 1993 floods, the creeks didn't stop flowing until 2001. The creeks had always stopped flowing before that. But the ground water was high for a long time.

This had an effect on the septic tanks, too.

Answer 3

from the north--- where it has snowed and now the snow is melting. The water from the snow flows into streams, rivers, and oceans, mostly narrogating through areas with droughts.

hope this helps.

Answer 4

subterranean water.. water under ground, in springs, etc.

thunderstorms bring down lots of water in the summer.

Answer 5

rain that comes from upstream of the stream