Soakage (source of water)

When it rains, water falls from the sky and lands on the ground. Some of the water goes into the soil, like a sponge, and stays there. This is called soakage. The soil can hold on to this water for a while and then it can slowly seep out into rivers, lakes, and underground water reservoirs called aquifers. This helps provide us with clean drinking water, and helps plants and animals who live on land to stay alive. So, soakage is like a big water storage tank under the ground that holds onto rainwater and then gives it to us and the natural world slowly over time.