Other forms: groundwater levels
Groundwater level is the amount of water that's stored below the surface of the earth. During a drought, the groundwater level is often much lower than normal.
Groundwater makes up 98 percent of the water we use for drinking, bathing, and irrigating farmland. You can't see it — groundwater isn't in lakes and rivers, but it saturates the soil, collecting underground from rain and melting snow. Its level is important because it's a kind of hidden reservoir, filling wells and keeping wetlands, streams, lakes, and other visible water bodies healthy. Low groundwater levels can lead to the loss of crops and a lower quality of drinking water.