Glossary of Water and Wastewater Terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z5 random terms from our glossary
grade
(1) The elevation of the invert (or bottom) of a pipeline, canal, culvert, or similar conduit. (2) The inclination or slope of a pipeline, conduit, stream channel, or natural ground surface; usually expressed in terms of the ratio or percentage of number of units of vertical rise or fall per unit of horizontal distance. A 0.5 percent grade would be a drop of 0.5 feet per 100 hundred feet (0.5 meters per 100 hundred meters) of pipe.
rodenticide (row-DENT-uh-side)
Any substance or chemical formulated to kill or control rodents.
septic tank
A system sometimes used where wastewater collection systems and treatment plants are not available. The system is a settling tank in which settled sludge and floatable scum are in intimate contact with the wastewater flowing through the tank and the organic solids are decomposed by anaerobic bacterial action. Used to treat wastewater and produce an effluent that is usually discharged to subsurface leaching. Also referred to as an interceptor; however, the preferred term is septic tank.
adsorbent (add-SORE-bent)
The material (activated carbon) that is responsible for removing the undesirable substance in the adsorption process.
confined space, permit-required
A confined space that has 1 or more of the following characteristics: contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere, contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant, has an internal configuration such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross section, and contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard. Also called permit space.
