WATER TERMS

term	description
SALINITY	The total dissolved solids in water alter all bromide and iodide have been replaced by chloride, and all organic matter has been oxidized. For most purposes, salinity is considered equivalent to total dissolved salt content. Salinity is normally expressed in parts per thousand.
SAP	A type of fluid contained within a plant.
SEDIMENTATION	The removal, transport, and deposition of detached soil particles by flowing water or wind.
SEPTIC TANKS	These are used to hold domestic wastes when a sewer line is not available to carry them to a treatment plant. The wastes are piped to underground tanks directly from a home or homes. Bacteria in the wastes decompose some of the organic matter and sludge settles on the bottom of the tank and the effluent flows out of the tank into the ground through drains.
SLEET	Precipitation which is a mixture of rain and ice.
SLUDGE	Precipitated solid matter produced by water and sewage or mineral treatment processes.
SNOW	Precipitation in the form of branched hexagonal crystals, often mixed with simple ice crystals, which fall more or less continuously from a solid cloud sheet. These crystals may fall either separately or in cohesive clusters forming snowflakes.
SNOW COURSE	A line laid out and permanently marked on a drainage area along which the snow is sampled at definite distances or stations. Sampling occurs at appropriate times to determine snow depth, water equivalent, and density.
SNOW DENSITY	Ratio between the volume of melt water derived from a sample of snow and the initial volume of the sample.
SNOW FIELD	An area, usually at high elevation or in polar latitudes, where snow accumulates and remains throughout the entire year.
SNOW SURVEY	The process or operation of determining the depth, water content, and density of snow at various selected points on a drainage basin. This is done in order to determine the amount of water stored there in the form of snow for the purpose of forecasting runoff.
SNOWFLAKE	Precipitation which is made up of a number of snow crystals fused together.
SNOWPACK	The winter accumulation of snow in mountain areas.
SOAKER HOSE	Low-flow watering device with small holes throughout the surface of the hose. Good for plant beds and gardens.
SOIL MOISTURE (SOIL WATER)	Water diffused in the soil. It is found in the upper part of the zone of aeration from which water is discharged by transpiration from plants or by soil evaporation.
SOIL MOISTURE SENSOR	A device which can be attached to any automatic irrigation system that monitors level drops below the desired level.
SOLID WASTE	Any garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant or air pollution control facility, and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous materials resulting from industrial, municipal, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community and institutional activities, but does not include (A) Solid or dissolved material in domestic sewage, or solid or dissolved material in irrigation return flows, or industrial discharges subject to regulation by permit issued pursuant to Chapter 26, Texas Water Code; (B) Soil, dirt, rock, sand, and other natural or manmade inert solid materials used to fill land if the object of the fill is to make the land suitable for the construction of surface improvements; or (C) Waste materials which result from activities associated with the exploration, development, or production of oil or gas and are subject to control by the Railroad Commission of Texas.
SPECIFIC HEAT	The heat capacity of a material per unit mass. The amount of heat (in calories) required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance 1 C; the specific heat of water is 1 calorie. SPILL To cause or allow to run or fall from a container unintentionally so as to be lost or wasted. It is also the overflow from a reservoir after it is full.
SPlLLWAY	The channel or passageway around or over a dam through which excess water is diverted.
SPRING	A concentrated discharge of ground water coming out at the surface as flowing water.
SPRING RUNOFF	Snow melting in the spring causes water bodies to rise. This in streams and rivers is called "spring runoff".
STABILIZATION	The process' of changing an active substance into inert, harmless material, or physical activities at a site that act to limit the further spread of contamination without actual reduction of toxicity.
STANDARD	A pre-mixed solution with a known amount of material to be tested; can be used for calibration but also to check monitoring accuracy.
STEAM	The vapor that forms when water is heated to the boiling point. Steam under pressure is capable of driving a piston in a piston engine or turning the blade of a turbine.
STEAM, DRY	A steam that is so hot that no water droplets are present in it.
STERILIZATION	A cleansing process that removes possible contamination by bacteria; used with fecal coliform testing equipment.
STORM SEWER	A sewer that carries only surface runoff, street wash, and snow melt from the land. In a separate sewer system, storm sewers are completely separate from those that carry domestic and commercial wastewater.
STORMWATER DRAINAGE SYSTEM	Man-made and natural features which function as a system to collect, convey, channel, hold, inhibit, retain, detain, infiltrate, or divert stormwater runoff.
STRAW-MUD	this is an old building technique for exterior walls where earth material is mixed with straw, moistened and pressed between forms where it hardens into a strong wall. It is then covered with a waterproofing plaster system.
STREAM GAGING	A process of determining the rate of flow, or the discharge, of streams.
STREAMFLOW	The discharge that occurs in a natural channel. Although the term discharge can be applied to the flow of a canal, the word streamflow uniquely describes the discharge in a surface stream course. The term Ò"streamflow" is more general than runoff, as stream flow may be applied to discharge whether or not it is affected by diversion or regulation.
STREAMFLOW DEPLETION	The amount of water that annually flows into a valley or onto a particular land area minus the amount that flows out of thevalley or away from the particular land area. It is also the amount of water taken from a stream.
SUPERFUND SITE	Any facilities identified in the State Registry pursuant to 361.181 of the Texas Health and Safety Code or on the National Priorities List pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, 42 United States Coade Annotated, 9601 et seq., as amended.
SURFACE TENSION	The free energy produced in a liquid surface by the unbalanced inward pull exerted by molecules underlying the layer of surface molecules.
SURFACE WATER	Water on the earth's surface exposed to the atmosphere, e.g., rivers, lakes, streams, oceans, ponds, reservoirs, etc.
SURFACE WATER	Lakes, bays, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, rivers, streams, creeks, estuaries, wetlands, marshes, inlets, canals, gulfs inside the territorial limits of the state, and all other bodies of surface water, natural or artificial, inland or coastal, fresh or salt, navigable or nonnavigable, and including the beds and banks of all watercourses and bodies of surface water, that are wholly or partially inside or bordering the state or subject to the jurisdiction of the state; except that waters in treatment systems which are authorized by state or federal law, regulation, or permit, and which are created for the purpose of waste treatment are not considered to be waters in the state.
SUSPENDED WATER	Water in the zone of aeration which includes seeping water and stored water.
S04	Sulfate.
SALT WATER	Water which contains a relatively high percentage of sodium chloride.
SAND BARRIER TERMITE PROTECTION	A shallow trench around the perimeter of the house foundation that is filled with sand. Termites cannot pass through the barrier because their tunnels cave in.
SATURATION, ZONE OF	The zone below the watertable in which all pore spaces are filled with ground water.
SCENIC WATERWAY	Rivers or river segments chosen for scenic and recreational qualities to be preserved in their natural state.
SEDIMENT	Transported and deposited particles derived from rocks, soil, or biological material.
SEDIMENT	The layer of soil, sand and minerals at the bottom of surface water, such as streams, lakes, and rivers that absorb contaminants.
SEEPAGE	The appearance and disappearance of water at the ground surface. Seepage designates the type of movement of water in saturated material. It is different from percolation, which is the predominant type of movement of water in unsaturated material.
SILTATION	The deposition of finely divided soil and rock particles upon the bottom of stream and river beds and reservoirs.
SLURRY WALL	Barriers used to contain the flow of contaminated fund water or subsurface liquid. Slurry walls are constructed by digging a trench around a contaminated area and filling the trench with an impermeable material that prevents water from passing through it. The ground water or contaminated liquids trapped within the area surrounded by the slurry wall can be exacted and treated.
SNOWFALL	The amount of snow, hail, sleet, or other precipitation occurring in solid form which reaches the earth's surface. It may be expressed in depth in inches after it falls, or in terms of inches in depth of the equivalent amount of water.
SOLID	A state of matter, neither liquid or gas. The solid state of water is ice.
STORM	A change in the ordinary conditions of the atmosphere which may include any or all meteorological disturbances such as wind, rain, snow, hail, or thunder.
STRAW BALE TECHNIQUE	A building technique for exterior walls where straw (not hay) bales are stacked, reinforced and interlocked in a manner that forms a thick, highly insulated wall. This technique was used in early structures in the Plains region of the U.S. It is currently being revived here and in Europe.
STREAM	A general term for a body of flowing water. In hydrology the term is generally applied to the water flowing in a natural channel as distinct from a canal. More generally, it is applied to the water flowing in any channel, natural or artificial. Some types of streams 1. Ephemeral A stream which flows only in direct response to precipitation, and whose channel is at all times above the water table. 2. Intermittent or Seasonal A stream which flows only at certain times of the year when it receives water from springs, rainfall, or from surface sources such as melting snow. Perennial A stream which flows continuously.3. Gaining A stream or reach of a stream that receives water from the zone of saturation. An effluent stream. 4. Insulated A stream or reach of a stream that neither contributes water to the zone of saturation nor receives water from it. It is separated from the zones of saturation by an impermeable bed. 5. Losing A stream or reach of a stream that contributes water to the zone of saturation. An influent stream. 6. Perched A perched stream is either a losing stream or an insulated stream that is separated from the underlying ground water by a zone of aeration. 6. SWAMPS Shallow lakes where a small depth of water and a slight range of fluctuation permits the growth of aquatic vegetation.
STREAM SEGMENT	Surface waters of an approved plannmg area exhibiting common biological, chemical, hydrological, natural, and physical characteristics and processes. Segments will normally exhibit common reactions to external stresses (e.g. discharge or pollutants). Segments are enumerated using a four digit number. The first two digits identify the basin in which the segment is located. The last two digits distinguish the segments within a particular river, coastal or estuarine basin. Boundaries of bay and estuarine segments (identified with the number 24 as the first two digits) have not been precisely defined and are illustrated as approximations at this time.
SUBSURFACE WATER	All water which occurs below the ground surface.
SULPHUR DIOXIDE(SO2)	A colorless, irritating gas that is a primary cause of acid rain. It is a by-product of coal combustion.

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