Studied by 9 people
aquifers
permeable, underground layers of rock, sand, and gravel saturated with water
dam
device constructed to block a river; built up water can be used for irrigation, drinking water, and hydro power.
desalination
The process of obtaining fresh water from salt water by removing the salt.
distillation
A process that separates the substances in a solution based on their boiling points; one of the 2 main ways to do desalination.
drainage basin
the area from which a single stream or river and its tributaries drains all of the water. aka watershed.
drought
A long period of dry weather
estuary
area where fresh water from streams and rivers merges with salty ocean water; productive ecosystem
eutrophic
type of lake with good amount of flora and fauna
floodplain
an area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks
groundwater
Water found in the spaces between soil particles and cracks in rocks underground.
oligotrophic
a condition of a lake or other body of water characterized by low nutrients, low productivity.
recharge
new water that enters the aquifer from the surface
reliable surface runoff
the amount of surface runoff that we can generally count on as a source of freshwater from year to year
reservoir
a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water storage.
reverse osmosis
A desalinization process that involves forcing salt-water through a membrane permeable to water but not to salt; one of the 2 main ways desalination is done.
saltwater instrusion
The movement of seawater into a freshwater aquifer near the coast; caused by overpumping freshwater from the aquifer.
sediment
Particles of rock and sand.
sinkhole
A depression produced in a region where soluble rock has been removed by groundwater
subsidence
sinking of land due to removal of subsurface material, including water, oil, or gas
surface runoff
Water flowing off the land into bodies of surface water.
surface water
Water above the surface of the land, including lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and runoff.
water table
The upper limit (top) of groundwater held in an aquifer
watershed
An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water
zone of saturation
an area where all the pores in a rock are completely filled with water.
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
Amount of oxygen required by aquatic bacteria to decompose given load of organic waste; a measure of water pollution. A high BOD means bad water.
cultural eutrophication
Overnourishment of aquatic ecosystems with plant nutrients (mostly nitrates and phosphates) because of human activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and discharges from industrial plants and sewage treatment plants.
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
Amount of oxygen in the water. A high DO is good.
flocculation
particles that stick together in the water treatment process; a way of clearing the water of very fine particles.
inorganic plant nutrients
Examples include water-soluble nitrates and phosphate
leachate
polluted liquid produced by water passing through buried wastes in a landfill
nonpoint sources
broad, and diffuse areas, rather than points, from which pollutants enter bodies of surface water or air.
ogallala
World's largest aquifer; under parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas (the Midwest). Holds enough water to cover the U.S. with 1.5 feet of water. Being depleted for agricultural and urban use.
oxygen-demanding wastes
organic matter that enters a body of water and feeds microbes that are decomposers; usually sewage or manure.
point sources
single identifiable source that discharges pollutants into the environment. Examples include the smokestack of a power plant or an industrial plant, drainpipe of a meatpacking plant, chimney of a house, or exhaust pipe of an automobile.
primary sewage treatment
mechanical sewage treatment in which large solids are filtered out by screens and suspended solids settle out as sludge in a sedimentation tank
secondary sewage treatment
a biological process in which aerobic bacteria remove as much as 90% of dissolved and biodegradable, oxygen-demanding organic wastes
septic tank
large tank where solid matter or sewage is disintegrated by bacteria
sewage sludge
solid material that remains after primary treatment and secondary treatment
tertiary sewage treatment
Advanced Sewage Treatment: series of specialized chemical and physical processes used to remove specific pollutants left in the water after primary and secondary treatment
thermal pollution
the addition of warm water into a body of water
water pollution
the addition of any substance that has a negative effect on water or the living things that depend on the water
cone of depression
lowering of the water table around a pumping well
drainfield
An area where the effluent from a septic tank is distributed into the ground
salinization
Accumulation of salts in soil that can eventually make the soil unable to support plant growth.
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Flashcard