APES Withgott and Laposata Chapter 15 Freshwater Systems and Resources

Fresh water

Does not contain any saltwater and can be found in rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, and wetlands.

Floodplain

A low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding. Fertile lands often attributed to the rise of powerful civilizations.

Littoral Zone

Is the shallow area near the shore, to the depth at which rooted plants stop growing. Because of abundant sunlight and the nutrients it gets from the surrounding land, Littoral is the most productive zone of a lakeor pond. It has a high biological diversity, containing a variety of phytoplankton, rooted plants that extend above the water's surface (such as cattails and water lilies), totally submerged rooted plants (such as muskgrass), and various species of floating plants (such as duckweed). It also contains large numbers of decomposers, as well as frogs, snails, insects, fish, and other consumers.

Benthic Zone

Bottom of a lake; inhabited mostly be decomposers, detritus-feeding clams, wormlike insect larvae, and catfish.

Limnetic Zone

Area in a freshwater habitat away from the shore but close to the surface.

Profundal Zone

The deep, open water where it is too dark for photosynthesis to occur in freshwater lake. A region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the Limnetic Zone inn very deep lakes.

Aquifers

Large regions of sediment of rock that can hold large amounts of groundwater.

Water Table

The line between the water-saturated soil and the soil that is not saturated with water (beneath the Earth's surface).

Confined or Artesian Aquifer

A groundwater storage area trapped between two impermeable layers of rock.

Unconfined Aquifer

Aquifer in which there is no impermeable layer restricting the upper surface of the zone of saturation.

Comsumptive Use

Taking water and using it, then not returning it back to where it came from.

Nonconsumptive Use

Use of water for such purposes as washing and rinsing, wherein the water, albeit polluted, remains available for further uses. Such water may be recycled infinitely.

Desalinization

Technology used to and process of removing salt from ocean water to create fresh drinking water.

Point Sources

Specific locations of highly concentrated pollution discharge, such as factories, oils wells, etc.

Non-Point Source

Pollution that enters a body of water from a large area, such as lawns, construction sites, and roads.

Wastewater

Water that contains unwanted materials from homes, businesses, and industries; a mixture of water and dissolved or suspended substances.

Septic Systems

Installed in homes that do not have access to municipal sewers. Used to dispose of wastewater. Wastewater runs into a underground tank, the solids precipitates out while the water proceeds downhill to gravel fill trenches and microbes decompose the remaining waste.

Primary Treatment

First step of sewage treatment; eliminates most particulate material from raw sewage using grates, screens, and gravity (settling).

Secondary Treatment

Treating wastewater biologically, by using microorganisms to decompose the suspended organic material; occurs after primary treatment.

Recycled water

Wastewater treated to a level suitable for non drinking purposes is called:

surface water

Water above the surface of the land, including lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, floodwater, and runoff.

watershed

An area of land that drains into a river or lake.

wetland

ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year

consumptive water use

Water that is not recycled and re-used

nonconsumptive water use

Non-consumptive water uses remove the water from a surface source and return it after use to the source after it has been altered in some way.

sinkhole

Depression in Earth's surface formed when a cave collapses or bedrock is dissolved by acidic rain or moist soil.

subsidence

A depression of the land surface as a result of groundwater being pumped. Cracks and fissures can appear in the land. Subsidence is virtually an irreversible process.

overdrafting

taking more water from a well or aquifer than it can recharge. Results: a falling water table, subsidence (this is what made diking in Holland necessary), encroachment from nearby bodies of saltwater, and eventual exhaustion.

levee

A wall of earth built to prevent a river from flooding its banks.

water diversion

The human alteration of natural water patterns, such as irrigation channels, aqueducts, reservoirs, and similar structures.

dam

any obstruction in a river or stream to block its flow

desalination (desalinization)

removal of salt from seawater

gray water

all of the wastewater that drains from washing machines, sinks, dishwashers, tubs or showers and can be reused for non-sanitary purposes

xeriscaping

a method of landscaping that uses plants that are well adapted to the local area and are drought resistant.

fecal coliform bacteria

a group of microorganisms in the human intestines that can serve as an indicator species for potentially harmful microorganisms associated with contamination by sewage

pathogen

An organism that causes disease

dead zone

An area that has been depleted of oxygen by eutrophication

hypoxia

Low oxygen

BOD - biological oxygen demand

Amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break down organic materials

DO

dissolved oxygen

VOCs

volatile organic compounds

are compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility. VOCs are often components of petroleum fuels, hydraulic fluids, paint thinners, and dry cleaning agents. VOCs are common ground-water contaminants.

thermal pollution

a temperature increase in a body of water that is caused by human activity and that has a harmful effect on water quality and on the ability of that body of water to support life

effluent

Wastewater released from a factory or sewage treatment plant

Safe Drinking Water Act

US law sets maximum contaminant levels for pollutants in drinking water that may have adverse effects on human health

Clean Water Act

US law sets maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways; aims to make surface waters swimmable and fishable

impervious surface

Any surface through which water can NOT seep down into the ground

infiltration

Flow of water from the land surface into the subsurface.

leachate

The solution produced by passing a liquid through a solid. (ex. As rainwater passes through landfills, various chemical substances may dissolve into the water).

bioswale

Landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water. They consist of a swaled drainage course with gently sloped sides and filled with vegetation, compost and/or riprap.

rain garden

A stormwater management feature consisting of an shallow depression planted with perennial vegetation. It collects and rainwater runoff and filters it as it soaks into the ground.

green infrastructure

Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and other elements and practices to mimic nature in managing rainwater by soaking up and storing water

saltwater intrusion

Movement of salt water into freshwater aquifers in coastal and inland areas as groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is recharged by precipitation.

recharge

new water that enters the aquifer from the surface

discharge

An outflow of water from a stream, pipe, groundwater aquifer, or watershed; the opposite of recharge.