Runoff
Water
The portion of precipitation, snow melt, or irrigation that flows over the soil, eventually making its way to surface water supplies. Liquid water that travels over the surface of the Earth, moving downward due to the law of gravity; runoff is one way in which water that falls as precipitation returns to the ocean.
That part of precipitation that flows toward the streams on the surface of the ground or within the ground. Runoff is composed of baseflow and surface runoff.
- — Service Hydrologist Reference Manual Glossary of Hydrologic Terms retrieved 2014-06-01
Energy
The water that flows off the surface of the land, ultimately into our streams and water bodies, without being absorbed into the soil.
- — Smart Growth/Smart Energy Toolkit Glossary retrieved 2014-05-26
Weather
In hydrologic terms, the part of precipitation that flows toward the streams on the surface of the ground or within the ground. Runoff is composed of baseflow and surface runoff.