Dalia Zakaras, age 11 of Rockford, Ill., for tie question:

What is a water table?

When the rain falls down, some of it goes to quench the thirsty plants. Some runs off in streams and rivers. Some sinks down into the ground. There, below the surface level, it is stored in cracks and crannies and in porous rocks. This hidden reservoir is called the ground water.

The surface of the ground water is called the water table and it is sometimes very importalt to know where the water table is. Wells must be dug deep enough to reach the water table, or they will not fill up with water. The well must be below this level, for the water table may change with the seasons. After a rainy season, extra water seeps down and the water table rises. After a long drought much of the ground water escapes. When it is not replaced the water table sinks.