The law of water balance states that the inflows to any water system or area is equal to its outflows plus change in storage during a time interval. In hydrology, a water balance equation can be used to describe the flow of water in and out of a system. A system can be one of several hydrological or water domains, such as a column of soil, a drainage basin. A general water balance equation is:
P = R + ET + ΔS
P is precipitation, R is the runoff, ET is evapotranspiration, ΔS is the change in storage (in the soil column). This equation uses the principles of conservation of mass in a closed system, whereby any water entering a system (via precipitation), must be transferred into either evaporation, transpiration, surface runoff (eventually reaching the channel and leaving in the form of river discharge), or stored in the ground. This equation requires the system to be closed, and where it isn’t (for example when surface runoff contributes to a different basin), this must be taken into account. Wwater balance can be used to help manage water supply and predict where there may be water shortages. It is also used in irrigation, runoff assessment, flood control and pollution control.
