Glossary of Water and Wastewater Terms

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5 random terms from our glossary

downstream

The direction of the flow of water. In the lower part of a wastewater or stormwater collection system or in that direction.

filter aid

A chemical (usually a polymer) added to water to help remove fine colloidal suspended solids.

wastewater

Water that has been used in homes, businesses, communities, and industriess. Also called sewage.

monomictic (mah-no-MICK-tick)

Lakes and reservoirs that are relatively deep, do not freeze over during the winter months, and undergo a single stratification and mixing cycle during the year. These lakes and reservoirs usually become destratified during the mixing cycle, usually in the fall of the year.

temporary groundwater table

(1) During and for a period following heavy rainfall or snow melt, the soil is saturated at elevations above the normal, stabilized, or seasonal groundwater table, often from the surface of the soil downward. This is referred to as a temporary condition and thus is a temporary groundwater table. (2) When a collection system serves agricultural areas in its vicinity, irrigation of these areas can cause a temporary rise in the elevation of the groundwater table.