WATER TERMS
termdescription
ABANDONED WELL A well which is no longer used. In many places, abandoned wells must be filled with cement or concrete grout to prevent pollution of ground water bodies.
ABOVEGROUND STORAGE TANK A non vehicular device (including any associated piping that is made of non earthen materials) located on or above the surface of the ground, or on or above the surface of the floor of a Structure below the ground, such as mineworking1 basement or vault; and designed to contain an accumulation of petroleum products.
ABSORB To take in. Many things absorb water.
ACID MINE WASTE One of the principal pollutants arising from mining operations. Acid water forms when water contacts certain types of exposed mine wastes and ores.
ACID RAIN The acidic rainfall which results when rain combines with sulfur oxides emissions from combustion of fossil fuels (coal).
ACRE FEET The amount of water required to cover one acre one foot deep. Also abbreviated as ac-ft.
ACRE-FOOT An expression of water quantity. One acre-foot will cover one acre of ground one foot deep. An acre-foot contains 43,560 cubic feet, 1,233 cubic meters, or 325,829 gallons (U.S.).
ACTIVE SOLAR WATER HEATER A water heating system in which heat from the sun is absorbed by collectors and transferred by pumps to a storage unit. The heated fluid in the storage unit conveys its heat to the domestic hot water of the house through a heat exchanger. Controls regulating the operation are needed.
ADJUDICATION A court proceeding to determine all rights to the use of water on a particular stream system or ground water basin.
ADMINISTRAVTIVE RECORD The collection of documents which forms the basis for the selection of a response action at a Superfund site. EPA is required to establish an administrative record file for every Superfund site and make a copy available at or near the site. Often, it is the local library near a Superfund site that keeps the administrative record on file for public reference.
ADSORPTION The adhesion of a substance to the surface of a solid or liquid. Adsorption is often used to extract pollutants by causing them to be attached to such adsorbents as activated carbon or silica gel. Hydrophobic, or water-repulsing adsorbents, are used to extract oil from waterways in oil spills.
AGRICULTURAL FIBER Agricultural fibers (i.e., cotton) are being introduced for use as insulation materials.
ALGAE BLOOM A phenomenon whereby excessive nutrients within a river, stream or lake causes an explosion of plant life which results in the depletion of the oxygen in the water needed by fish and other aquatic life. Algae bloom is usually the result of urban runoff (of lawn fertilizers, etc.). The potential tragedy is that of a fish kill, where the stream life dies in one mass extinction.
ALKALINE Sometimes water or soils contain an AMBIENT activities of man.
AMPOULES Sealed, liquid-filled tube which is broken to release or be filled with another fluid.
APPLICATION, WATER RIGHT An official request for permission to initiate a water right; includes a description of the proposed project, a map of the project and a legal description of the property involved.
APPROPRIATE To authorize the use of a quantity of water to an individual requesting it.
APPURTENANT TO PLACE OF USE A water right that belongs to the legal owner of the land described as the place of use on the water right.
AQUA Prefix meaning water.
AQUATIC LIFE All forms of living things found in water, ranging from bacteria, to fish and rooted plants. Insect larva and zooplankton are also included.
AQUEDUCT A pipe or conduit made for bringing water from a source.
AQUICLUDE A formation which, although porous and capable of absorbing water slowly, will not transmit water fast enough to furnish an appreciable supply for a well or a spring.
AQUIFER A water bearing stratum of permeable rock, sand, or gravel.
ARID An adjective applied to regions where precipitation is deficient in quantity; where agriculture is impractical without irrigation.
ARIDITY The quality or state of being arid, dry or barren.
ARTESIAN AQUIFER An aquifer where the water is under sufficient head (pressure) to cause it to rise above the zone of saturation if the opportunity were afforded for it to do so.
ARTESIAN WALL A well made by drilling into the earth until water is reached which, from internal pressure, flows up like a fountain.
ARTESIAN WATER Water that comes from artesian wells.
ARTESIAN WELL A well tapping a confined or artesian aquifer in which the static water level stands above the top of the aquifer. The term is sometimes used to include all wells tapping confined water. Wells with water level above the water table are said to have positive artesian head, (pressure) and those with water level below the water table, negative artesian head.
As Arsenic.
ASBESTOS A mineral fiber that had been commonly used in many building construction materials for insulation and as a fireÑretardant. Invisible fibers of asbestos can be inhaled and have been connected to lung diseases and cancer.
ASSESSMENT REPORT A comprehensive record of historical, existing and projected water quality conditions of a watershed.
ATMOSPHERE The air. The layer of gases surrounding the earth and composed of considerable hydrogen and oxygen, and when properly combined, water.
ATTACHED GROUND WATER The portion of amount of alkali substances sufficient to raise the pH value above 7.0 or to be harmful to the growth of crops. Such a condition is called alkaline.
ABANDONED WATER RIGHT A water right which was not put to beneficial use for a number of years, generally five to seven years.
ACID A chemical compound which dissolves in water. Acids have sour taste and turn a vegetable dye called litmus, red. An acid separates into two or more electrically charged parts when it is dissolved in water.
ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING A space heating system in which heat from the sun is absorbed by collectors and transferred by pumps or fans to a storage unit for later use or to the house interior directly. Controls regulating the operation are needed.
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER ON CONSENT(AOC) A legal and enforceable agreement between EPA and the parties potentially responsible for site contamination. Under the terms of the Order, the potentially responsible parties(PRPs) agree to perform or pay for site studies or cleanups. It also describes the oversight rules, responsibilities and enforcement options that the government may exercise in the event of non-compliance by potentially responsible parties. This Order is signed by PRPs and the government; it does not require approval by a judge.
AERATION The process of bubbling air through a solution, sometimes cleaning water of impurities by exposure to the air.
AGRICULTURAL BY-PRODUCTS Products developed in agriculture that are not the primary goal of the agricultural activity. Some of these are being used as building materials. An example is straw used to make wall panels, or as bales in a technique called straw bale construction.
ASSIGNMENT OF WATER The transfer of a water right application or permit from one person to another. This can be done in conjunction with the sale of land.
Mailing List
Get our DEALS first
enter email address
Find out the meaning of water related terms
Search our FAQS to find the info you need
Learn the facts about bottled water