Dry well

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A dry well or drywell is an underground structure that disposes of unwanted water, most commonly surface runoff and stormwater, in some cases greywater or water used in a groundwater heat pump. It is a gravity-fed, vertical underground system that can capture surface water from impervious surfaces, then store and gradually infiltrate the water into the groundwater aquifer.

Such structures are also called a dead well, absorbing well, negative well and soakaway or soakage pit in the United Kingdom^[1] or a soakwell or soak pit in Australia.^[2][3]