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OBM Acronym List

Check out this list of federal acronyms (But nothing to do with water!)

A Glossary of Some Water Related Words

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Here is a glossary for 2000 contributed by Margaret Rader.

OR for a glossary of over 1000 terms

Here are a few commonly used water related words

The larger glossary has many more!
acre-foot (pl. acre-feet) aka AF, a-f The volume of water necessary to cover one acre to a depth of one foot. Equal to 43,560 cubic feet or 325,851 gallons or 1,233 cubic meters.
aquifer One or more geologic formations containing sufficient saturated porous and permeable material to transmit water at a rate sufficient to feed a spring or for economic extraction by a well. Combination of two Latin words, aqua or water, and ferre, to bring; literally, something that brings water.
artificial recharge The deliberate act of adding water to a groundwater aquifer by means of a recharge project; also, the water so added. Artificial recharge can be accomplished via injection wells, spreading basins, or instream projects. See also incidental recharge, natural recharge, recharge.

base flow Streamflow derived from groundwater seepage into the stream.
beneficial use A use of water, such as domestic, municipal, agricultural, mining, stock watering, recreation, wildlife, or power generation, that provides a benefit. capillary fringe The unsaturated zone immediately above the water table containing water in direct contact with the water table.
CD Conservation District. There is one in each Washington County
consumptive use A use that makes water unavailable for other uses, usually by permanently removing it from local surface or groundwater storage as the result of evaporation and/or transpiration. Does not include evaporative losses from bodies of water. See non-consumptive use
contaminant plume A zone of polluted groundwater down-gradient from a point source of pollution.
discharge The volume of water (and suspended sediment if surface water) that passes a given location within a given period of time.
DNR Wa. Dept. of Natural Resources
DNSA Determination of Non-Significance. This is a decision made by a lead agency that an activity for a which a SEPA checklist was submitted, will have no significant environmental impact.
DOE In this state (Wa) DOE generally refers to the Wa. Dept. of Ecology. Nationally it is used to refer to U.S. Dept. of Energy.
DOH Wa. Dept of Health
effluent Treated wastewater discharged from sewage treatment plants. See tertiary treatment.
EIS Environmental Impact Statement
evaporation The process of liquid water becoming water vapor, including vaporization from water surfaces, land surfaces, and snow fields, but not from leaf surfaces. compare with transpiration
evapotranspiration The sum of evaporation and transpiration.
gaging station A site on a stream, lake, reservoir or other body of water where direct systematic observations of hydrologic data are obtained.
groundwater Subsurface water body in the zone of saturation, OR (more commonly, available groundwater is defined as:) That portion of the water beneath the surface of the earth that can be collected with wells, tunnels, or drainage galleries, or that flows naturally to the earth's surface via seeps or springs.
hydrologic cycle The cyclic transfer of water vapor from the earth's surface via evapotranspiration into the atmosphere, from the atmosphere via precipitation back to earth, and through runoff into bodies of water.
incidental recharge Water incidentally added to a groundwater aquifer due to human activities, such as excess irrigation water applied to fields or water discharged as waste after a use. See also recharge, artificial recharge, natural recharge.
natural recharge Naturally occurring water added to an aquifer. Natural recharge generally comes from snowmelt and storm runoff. See also recharge, artificial recharge, incidental recharge.
non-consumptive use A use that leaves the water available for other uses. Examples are power generation and recreational uses. See consumptive use.
non-point source A source of water pollution that originates from a broad area, such as agricultural chemicals applied to fields or acid rain. See point source.
pH A measure of the relative acidity or alkalinity of water. Defined as the negative log (base 10) of the hydrogen ion concentration. Water with a pH of 7 is neutral; lower pH levels indicate increasing acidity, while pH levels above 7 indicate increasingly basic solutions.
phreatophyte A plant whose roots generally extend downward to the water table which customarily feeds on the capillary fringe. Phreatophytes are common in riparian habitats. Term literally means water-loving plants.
Primary treatment Is a physical process in which the sewage flow is slowed down in settling tanks or lagoons. The thicker part of the wastewater -- the sludge -- is then removed from the bottom and disposed of in a variety of ways. Floatable solids, oil and grease are usually skimmed off the surface before the remaining effluent is discharged into a waterbody.
point source A source of water pollution that originates from a single point, such as an outflow pipe from a factory. See non-point source.
potable water Water of a quality suitable for drinking.
recharge To add water to an aquifer; also, the water added to an aquifer. See also artificial recharge, incidental recharge, natural recharge.
riparian habitat Natural home for plants and animals occurring in a thin strip of land bordering a stream or river. Dominant vegetation often consists of phreatophytes.
riparian Of, or pertaining to, rivers and their banks.
Secondary treatment Also known as biological treatment, further reduces the amount of solids by helping bacteria and other microorganisms consume the organic material in the sewage. Oxygen is critical to this treatment stage. Air activated sludge and biological filters are two of many methods of secondary treatment.
streamflow The discharge that occurs in a natural channel. A more general term than runoff, streamflow may be applied to discharge whether or not it is affected by diversion or regulation.
SEPA State Environmental Policy Act, the name of an Act , in Washington, which is designed to protect the natural resources of the state. SEPA checklists are completed by an applicant and reviewed by a lead agency. If there is a significant environmental impact an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be required.See DNS.
tertiary treatment Postsecondary treatment of water designed to improve the quality of the water to the point where it can be put to a particular beneficial use.
TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load. A study or, or report of, the pollution loading of a body of water. Serves to identify the sources and the maximum discharges allowed if the waterbody is to meet legal requirements for beneficial uses.
transpiration The vaporization of water given off by plants. See also evaporation and evapotranspiration
Trichloroethylene Also known as TCE, an industrial solvent and suspected human carcinogen commonly found as a pollutant in urban groundwater.
WaDOE Washington State Dept. of Ecology
water quality The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water and how they relate to its suitability for a particular use.
watershed That surface area which drains to a specified point on a water course, usually a confluence of streams or rivers.
water table The upper boundary of a free groundwater body, at atmospheric pressure.
wetland Land with a wet, spongy soil, where the water table is at or above the land surface for at least part of the year.

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