It's our tagline, but it's also the whole science of hydrology in four words. Every drop that falls on a basin either runs off, sinks in, or goes back to the sky. The budget always balances.

Runoff

The part that leaves in a hurry. Rain that can't soak in becomes flow — the river's pulse, the flood's beginning. It's the fraction that makes the news.

Recharge

The part that sinks. It feeds the aquifer and comes back months later as baseflow, keeping the stream alive in August when the rain has forgotten it.

Exhalation

The part that evaporates — from puddles, leaves, and open water. In dry basins it's most of the budget. The river you see is only the leftover.

So: every drop drains. It just takes different paths home.