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Does anyone know the flow rates for the confined and unconfined aquifers, or the difference? (like which one is faster)

I don't think you can quantify them since there are too many factors involved (and, honestly, they have better topics to test you on). However, if you find a source that gives numbers, you wanna share it?

As I understand it, the unconfined aquifer's flow rate will be greater due to the pressure which explains Artesian wells.

Could someone define leachate for me? It's one of the presentation concepts for for the State tournament.

Leachate is any water that drains from landfills and is probably contaminated as a result. They might ask you to show how to prevent leachate from contaminating the groundwater supply.

What is the difference between percolation and infiltration, and depletion and overwithdrawal?

Infiltration is the initial penetration of water into the ground, while percolation is the movement of water underneath the earth from that point on. I dunno about the difference between depletion and overwithdrawal though.

I like the distinction between infiltration and percolation! About the other two...
It seems to me that it goes like this. Depletion is discharge over time. Overwithdrawal is depletion over time.

I put them in that order because I put depletion and withdrawal together. Overwithdrawal has to be more water loss than withdrawal no matter what, right?...
...feel free to take a stab at it if you got a better approach.

I find this confusing to me. Let's say there is a confined aquifer. The confining layers are clay. Between these, is it just pure water, or water and rocks/sand/etc.? Could it be both? Every diagram I see dipict an aquifer as just a pool of water underground, and some rocks/sand/clay is just magically floating above...

mnstrviola wrote:I find this confusing to me. Let's say there is a confined aquifer. The confining layers are clay. Between these, is it just pure water, or water and rocks/sand/etc.? Could it be both? Every diagram I see dipict an aquifer as just a pool of water underground, and some rocks/sand/clay is just magically floating above...

Haha, not quite. It's rock all the way down (with the exception of features like caves, but that's another story), but a layer of rock is considered an aquifer when the pores between the rocks are entirely filled with water, like this. The rocks above the aquifer have a little water in their pores too, but mixed in with air, so the layer isn't considered saturated and is not an aquifer.

Yeah, you don't just have underground water bottles or something...

You sure the unsaturated zone isn't considered part of the aquifer? It still contains water.