ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Well drainage

Well drainage is like having a big straw that goes down into the ground to suck up water. You know how when you drink from a straw, only the liquid comes up and everything else stays down? Well, that's how well drainage works too – it pulls up water from the ground and moves it elsewhere, leaving behind everything else.

The straw in well drainage is called a well, and it's usually a deep hole in the ground with a pipe in the middle. This pipe is like the straw you would use to drink with – it has small holes in it that let water in. The well goes deep enough to hit an aquifer, which is a layer of underground rocks or gravel that's full of water.

When it rains or when you water your plants, some of that water seeps down into the ground and fills up the aquifer. The well then sucks up the water from the aquifer and moves it to a different location, like a drainage ditch or a creek. This helps prevent flooding and helps keep the soil healthy for plants to grow in.

Overall, well drainage is like having a secret helper for managing the water in your yard – it takes the extra water away so you don't have to worry about it!