WATER TERMS

term	description
BENEFICIAL USE OF WATER	The use of water for any beneficial purpose. Such uses include domestic use, riigation, recreation, fish and wildlife, fire protection, navigation, power, industrial use, etc. The benefit varies from one location to another and by custom. What constitutes beneficial use is often defined by statute or court decisions.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE	A practice or combination of practices determined to be the most practicable means of preventing or reducing, to a level compatible with water quality goals, the amount of pollution generated by nonpoint sources.
BIODEGRADATION	The technology that uses microorganisms to degrade contaminants.
BIOSPHERE	The part of the world in which life can exist.
BIOTA	All the species of plants and animals indigenous to a certain area.
BLOWDOWN	The water drawn from boiler systems and cold water basins of cooling towers to prevent the buildup of solids.
BOILING POINT	The temperature at which a liquid boils. It is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure on its surface. If the pressure of the liquid varies, the actual boiling point varies. For water it is 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius.
BOILING WATER REACTOR (BWR)	A nuclear reactor in which water, used as both coolant and moderator, is allowed to boil in the core. The resulting steam can be used directly to drive a turbine generating electric power.
BORATE-TREATED WOOD	Borate is a mineral product derived from borax. Treating wood with borates has been done in New Zealand and Australia for many years (for insect and moisture protection). Commercial applicability' is being researched in the U.S. with a major effort geared toward preventing the borates from leaching out in the presence of moisture. Borates are commonly used to treat cellulose insulation.
BORROW PIT	An excavated area where soil, sand, or gravel has been dug up for use elsewhere.
BRINE	Water that is saturated or partially saturated with salt.
BUFFER STRIP or ZONE	Strips of grass or other erosion resistant vegetation between a waterway and an area of more intensive land use.
BUOYANCY	The tendency of a body to float or rise when immersed in a fluid; the power of a fluid to exert an upward force on a body placed in it.
BACKFILL	To refill an excavated area with removed earth; or the material itself that is used to refill an excavated area.
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND	The oxygen used in meeting the metabolic needs of aerobic microorganisms in water rich in organic matter.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT	All human-built-structures. In the GREEN BUILDER PROGRAM, the built environment pertains to single-family-homes only.

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