Water Glossary
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acre-foot: Approximately 326,000 gallons; roughly equal to the amount of water a family of four uses in and around the home in a two-year period; the amount of water it would take to cover an acre of land one foot deep.
allotment: a share or portion.
aqueduct: a structure used to transport water from remote areas to large urban centers.
aquifer: an underground space where water collects.
artesian aquifer: a confined aquifer where water is contained under great pressure between two impermeable layers.
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bacteria: a single-celled microscopic organism.
bog: a wetland covered by a shallow layer of water, or no visible water at all, and containing ground that is made of sphagnum moss.
bottom life: animals that live on the bottom of a healthy body of water.
brackish water: Refers to water with a mineral content in the general range between freshwater and seawater.
brine: the by-product of desalinating water, about twice the salinity of seawater.
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California Aqueduct: a 444-mile structure that transports water from the San Francisco/San Joaquin Delta to Southern California.
Clean Water Act of 1972: a law that requires the federal government to regulate the quality of the nation's water supply.
Colorado River Aqueduct: a 242-mile structure that transports water from the Colorado River to Southern California.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (Superfund): a law enacted by the federal government to clean up hazardous waste sites that threaten groundwater resources.
condensation: water vapor or gas forming a cloud prior to becoming a liquid again.
confined aquifer: an aquifer found between two impermeable layers.
conservation: saving water and other natural resources.
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dam: a structure used to hold back the flow of water.
desalination: a process that removes dissolved salts from salty or brackish water.
dike: a structure used to confine or control water.
disinfection: a process in which chlorine and other chemicals are added to water to kill harmful microorganisms.
diversion canal: a structure used to change the directional flow of water.
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entrainment: is the incorporation of all life stages of fish and shellfish with intake water flow entering and passing through a cooling-water intake structure and into a cooling-water system.
estuary: an area where a river empties into an ocean or sea.
evaporation: water turned into a vapor or gas and rising into the atmosphere.
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filtration: a process that separates small particles from water by using a porous barrier to trap the particles and allowing the water through.
fish: a vertebrate (animal with a spine) that lives in water.
flocculation: a process in which a chemical such as alum or ferric chloride is added to water to cause dirt and other small particles to join together into "floc" or large clumps.
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groundwater: water that is stored in aquifers. Aquifers are replenished naturally with rainfall or snowpack or artificially through recharge basins with imported or recycled water.
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hydrologic cycle: a three-step process by which Earth is continuously able to recycle its water.
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impingement: is the entrapment of all life stages of fish and shellfish on the outer part of an intake structure or against a screening device during periods of intake water withdrawal.
imported water: water transported to our region from Northern California or the Colorado River Aqueduct.
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levee: a raised structure used to contain water and prevent flooding.
Los Angeles Aqueduct: a 335-mile structure that transports water from the eastern Sierra Nevada to the City of Los Angeles.
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mangrove swamp: tropical and subtropical saltwater swamp that contains a species of saltwater tolerant tree or shrub.
marsh: a wetland that is wet throughout the year and found at the edge of a river, lake or pond.
micro-filtration: is a membrane filtration process in which water passes through small pores of the micro-filtration membrane, accumulating particles on its surface. Periodically, flow is reversed to remove the debris. In ocean-water desalination, it is designed to remove particulate matter from seawater to allow the downstream reverse osmosis desalination process to efficiently remove dissolved salts.
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non-potable water: water not suitable for drinking. Can be used for landscaping, irrigation and industrial uses.
non-point pollution source: pollution that comes from various sources not easily identified.
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Ogalla Aquifer: the largest aquifer in the United States, located in the Midwest.
organism: a living plant or animal.
oxygen: a gas upon which most life depends.
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potable water: water that is suitable for drinking.
peak flow: highest flow level of a body of water.
permeability: a measurement of how freely water moves between pieces of soil and rock.
phytoplankton: microscopic free-floating green plants.
point pollution source: pollution that comes from an easily identified source.
porosity: a measurement of the amount of water held between pieces of soil and rock.
Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act: a California law that gives the State Water Resources Control Board ultimate authority over water rights and water control policy.
precipitation: water falling to Earth as rain, sleet, snow or hail.
pretreatment: a process in wastewater treatment where metal screens are used to remove large objects and chunks of debris.
primary treatment: the first process in wastewater treatment where solid matter is removed.
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recycled water: domestic wastewater purified through primary, secondary and tertiary treatment. Recycled water is ideal for most non-drinking water purposes such as landscaping, irrigation and industrial uses.
reservoir: a man-made storage facility used to hold water until it is needed.
reverse osmosis: a filtration process that forces water through membranes that contain microscopic holes, removing microorganisms, organic chemicals and inorganic chemicals, producing very pure water.
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Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974: a law enacted by the federal government that regulates the nation's drinking water.
saltwater marsh: a wetland that is wet throughout the year and found at the edge of a saltwater body.
secondary treatment: the second process in wastewater treatment where microorganisms are used to digest organic particles.
sediment: mud, sand or gravel that has settled to the bottom of a body of water.
sedimentation: a process in which gravity causes small particles to settle to the bottom of a tank or basin.
semi-arid: a mostly dry region that gets a small amount of precipitation.
Superfund: see Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
surface water: a body of water easily seen as it flows downhill to where it collects.
swamp: a wetland that can alternate between being wet and dry for periods of time throughout the year.
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tertiary treatment: the third process in wastewater treatment where remaining small particles are filtered out of the water before disinfection.
Title 22: a section of the California Code of Regulations pertaining to various aspects of drinking water and recycled water standards.
turbidity: cloudy or muddy looking water caused by suspended or stirred up particles in the water.
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Ultra-Low-Flush Toilet: often referred to as ULFTs, these fixtures require only 1.6 gallons of water per flush. These conservation devices save a typical household 7,900 to 21,700 gallons of water each year.
unconfined aquifer: an aquifer found close to Earth's surface that allows water to seep into it.
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water conservation: the best tool for stretching water supplies without making unnecessary investments in infrastructure, shifting available water resources or negatively impacting the environment.
watershed: an area of land where water drains from the higher elevation points into a larger body of water or into the soil.
water table: the top surface of a body of groundwater.
well: a hole dug into the ground that begins at the surface and ends where it reaches the water.
West Coast Basin Aquifer: an aquifer that underlies the Southern California communities of West Basin Municipal Water District within its territories.
wetland: an area of land that is wet for a period of time during the year.
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zooplankton: microscopic free-floating animals.
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