Glossary

A
allotment: a share or portion.

aqueduct: a structure used to transport water from remote areas to large urban centers.

aquifer: an underground space where water collects.

artesian aquifer: a confined aquifer where water is contained under great pressure between two impermeable layers.

B
bacteria: a single-celled microscopic organism.

bog: a wetland covered by a shallow layer of water, or no visible water at all, and containing ground that is made of sphagnum moss.

bottom life: animals that live on the bottom of a healthy body of water.

brackish water: Refers to water with a mineral content in the general range between freshwater and seawater.

C
California Aqueduct: a 444-mile structure that transports water from the San Francisco/San Joaquin Delta to Southern California.

Central Basin Aquifer: an aquifer that underlies the Southern California communities of Central Basin Municipal Water District within its territory.

Clean Water Act of 1972: a law that requires the federal government to regulate the quality of the nation's water supply.

Colorado River Aqueduct: a 242-mile structure that transports water from the Colorado River to Southern California.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (Superfund): a law enacted by the federal government to clean up hazardous waste sites that threaten groundwater resources.

condensation: water vapor or gas forming a cloud prior to becoming a liquid again.

confined aquifer: an aquifer found between two impermeable layers.

conservation: saving water and other natural resources.

D
dam: a structure used to hold back the flow of water.

desalination: a process that removes dissolved salts from salty or brackish water.

dike: a structure used to confine or control water.

disinfection: a process in which chlorine and other chemicals are added to water to kill harmful microorganisms.

diversion canal: a structure used to change the directional flow of water.

desalination: Salt removal from sea or brackish water.

E
estuary: an area where a river empties into an ocean or sea.

evaporation: water turned into a vapor or gas and rising into the atmosphere.

F
filtration: a process that separates small particles from water by using a porous barrier to trap the particles and allowing the water through.

fish: a vertebrate (animal with a spine) that lives in water.

flocculation: a process in which a chemical such as alum or ferric chloride is added to water to cause dirt and other small particles to join together into “floc” or large clumps.

G
groundwater: Water that is stored in aquifers. Aquifers are replenished naturally with rainfall or snowpack or artificially through recharge basins with imported or recycled water.

H
hydrologic cycle: a three-step process by which Earth is continuously able to recycle its water.

I
imported water: Water transported to our region from Northern California or the Colorado River Aqueduct.

J

K

L
levee: a raised structure used to contain water and prevent flooding.

Los Angeles Aqueduct: a 335-mile structure that transports water from the eastern Sierra Nevada to the City of Los Angeles.

M
mangrove swamp: tropical and subtropical saltwater swamp that contains a species of saltwater tolerant tree or shrub.

marsh: a wetland that is wet throughout the year and found at the edge of a river, lake or pond.

N
non-potable water: Water not suitable for drinking. Can be used for landscaping, irrigation and industrial uses.

non-point pollution source: pollution that comes from various sources not easily identified.

O
Ogalla Aquifer: the largest aquifer in the United States, located in the Midwest.

organism: a living plant or animal.

oxygen: a gas upon which most life depends.

P
potable water: Water that is suitable for drinking.

peak flow: highest flow level of a body of water.

permeability: a measurement of how freely water moves between pieces of soil and rock.

phytoplankton: microscopic free-floating green plants.

point pollution source: pollution that comes from an easily identified source.

porosity: a measurement of the amount of water held between pieces of soil and rock.

Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act: a California law that gives the State Water Resources Control Board ultimate authority over water rights and water control policy.

precipitation: water falling to Earth as rain, sleet, snow or hail.

pretreatment: a process in wastewater treatment where metal screens are used to remove large objects and chunks of debris.

primary treatment: the first process in wastewater treatment where solid matter is removed.

Q

R
reclaimed or recycled water: cleaned wastewater that can be reused for non-drinking purposes.

recycled water: Domestic wastewater purified through primary, secondary and tertiary treatment. Recycled water is ideal for most non-drinking water purposes such as landscaping, irrigation and industrial uses.

S
Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974: a law enacted by the federal government that regulates the nation's drinking water.

saltwater marsh: a wetland that is wet throughout the year and found at the edge of a saltwater body.

secondary treatment: the second process in wastewater treatment where microorganisms are used to digest organic particles.

sediment: mud, sand or gravel that has settled to the bottom of a body of water.

sedimentation: a process in which gravity causes small particles to settle to the bottom of a tank or basin.

semi-arid: a mostly dry region that gets a small amount of precipitation.

Superfund: see Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.

surface water: a body of water easily seen as it flows downhill to where it collects.

swamp: a wetland that can alternate between being wet and dry for periods of time throughout the year.

T
tertiary treatment: the third process in wastewater treatment where remaining small particles are filtered out of the water before disinfection.
turbidity: cloudy or muddy looking water caused by suspended or stirred up particles in the water.

U
Ultra-Low-Flush Toilet: Often referred to as ULFTs, these fixtures require only 1.6 gallons of water per flush. These conservation devices save a typical household 7,900 to 21,700 gallons of water each year.

unconfined aquifer: an aquifer found close to Earth's surface that allows water to seep into it.

V

W
water conservation: The best tool for stretching water supplies without making unnecessary investments in infrastructure, shifting available water resources or negatively impacting the environment.

watershed: an area of land where water drains from the higher elevation points into a larger body of water or into the soil.

water table: the top surface of a body of groundwater.

well: a hole dug into the ground that begins at the surface and ends where it reaches the water.

West Coast Basin Aquifer: an aquifer that underlies the Southern California communities of West Basin Municipal Water District within its territories.

wetland: an area of land that is wet for a period of time during the year.

X

Y

Z
zooplankton: microscopic free-floating animals.