A spring box is a structure engineered to allow

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidat ...

to be obtained from a

natural spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...

. The spring box functions to protect the spring water from

contamination Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination ...

, normally by

surface runoff Surface runoff (also known as overland flow) is the flow of water occurring on the ground surface when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other sources, can no longer sufficiently rapidly infiltrate in the soil. This can occur when the ...

or contact with human and animals, and provides a point of collection and a place for

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to t ...

. In many instances it also acts as the principal water storage for the household water supply. The area surrounding the spring box should be fenced off in order to reduce the risk of contamination from animal feces. An overflow pipe should be installed into the spring box, as well as a sedimentation drain and the supply lines to & from it, and it should also have a well fitting lid. If the flow rate is relatively high, a spring box may not be necessary. Instead, a pipe can be driven horizontally into the spring. These systems are sometimes known as horizontal wells, although the pipe should not be completely horizontal; it should slope downwards away from the spring in order to reduce the risk of contamination.

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Alternative to a springbox
Appropriate technology Water supply {{watersupply-stub