eli5: Why does there continue to be water in a river, even though it doesn’t rain all the time in the upper parts?

Question

eli5: Why does there continue to be water in a river, even though it doesn’t rain all the time in the upper parts?

In: 29

Answer 1

THe ground acts like a big, porous sponge, soaking up water when it rains, storing it and releasing it gradually at lower levels.

There are problems in some cities where all the ground is paved or roofed over. All the rain goes into the drainage system straight away, resulting in flash flooding in some parts.