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freshwater
Water that contains very low levels of dissolved salts
groundwater
Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers
zone of saturation
An area beneath the Earth's surface which extends downward until all of the open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water
water table
The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater
aquifer
An underground water reservoir.
natural recharge
Natural replenishment of an aquifer by precipitation, which percolates downward through soil and rock
lateral recharge
Water that replenishes an aquifer from the side from sources such as streams
nonrenewable aquifer
An aquifer that receives very little, if any, recharge; deep underground and must be mined to yield water
surface water
The freshwater that flows across the Earth's land surface into rivers, streams, lakes, etc.
surface runoff
Precipitation that does not return to the atmosphere by evaporation or infiltrate into the ground
watershed
The area of land that is drained by a water system; drainage basin
reliable surface runoff
Surface runoff that generally can be counted on as a stable source of water from year to year
water footprint
An estimate (for an individual or a nation) of the amount of water required to sustain the consumption of goods and services
virtual water
Water that is not directly consumed but is used to produce food and other products
water hotspots
Areas with high levels of competition for water
land subsidence
A gradual (or sudden) settling of land when groundwater that previously filled cavities in the land is pumped out
sinkhole
A depression produced in a region where soluble rock has been removed by groundwater
dam
A structure built across a river to control its flow
reservoir
A large artificial lake used as a source of water supply
California State Water Project
The world's largest publicly built and operated water and power development and conveyance system; original purpose was to provide water for arid Southern California which lacks adequate local water resources to provide for the growth the region has experienced
desalination
Purification of salt water or brackish (slightly salty) water by removal of dissolved salts
reverse osmosis
A desalinization process that involves forcing salt-water through a membrane permeable to water but not to salt
distillation
A process of desalinization in which water is evaporated and then recondensed
lifeline rates
The process of giving each household a set amount of water at a low price to meet basic needs
user-pays approach
A means of discouraging water waste (and other resource waste) by charging a fee to withdraw water for consumptive us
flood irrigation
Watering crops by pumping water to fields and letting it flow via gravity through unlined ditches to surround crops; very wasteful
center-pivot, low pressure sprinkler
80% efficient method of delivering water to crops using pumps and a mobile central boom with sprinklers to mist water directly on crops
drip irrigation
A highly-effective form of irrigation that uses pipe or tubing perforated with very small holes to deliver water one drop at a time directly to the soil around each plant
tensiometer
Instrument used to measure soil moisture
gray water
Domestic wastewater composed of wash water from household sinks, tubs, and washers
floodplain
A low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding
channelization
An engineering technique to straighten, widen, deepen, or otherwise modify a natural stream channel
Ogallala
The largest known aquifer in North America
percolation
The process by which water moves downward in the soil, toward the water table
infiltration
Flow of water from the land surface into the subsurface.
transpiration
Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant
hydrologic cycle
The movement of water through the biosphere
overdraft
Groundwater withdrawal when the amount pumped from wells exceeds natural rate of replenishment
Aral Sea
An inland saltwater sea in Katzakstan and Uzbekistan
polyculture
Growing several crops on the same plot simultaneously
Bangladesh
South Asian country prone to flooding due to being situated on the Ganges Delta and the many distributaries flowing into the Bay of Bengal
xeriscaping
A method of landscaping that uses plants that are well adapted to the local area and are drought resistant
China South-North Water Transfer Project
Uses canals, reservoirs, dams to transfer water from southern regions to drier northern regions, 10 times larger than the California Water Project
hydroelectic power
electricity produced by moving water
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