| W
WADE—To walk in or through water or something else that similarly impedes normal movement. WADI, also Wady —A ravine or watercourse, dry except in the rainy season and some are permanently dry. Also see Arroyo.WAFT —(1) To cause to go gently and smoothly through the air or over water. (2) To convey or send floating through the air or over water.WAKE —The visible track of turbulence left by something moving through water.WALLOW —A pool of water or mud where animals go to wallow; the depression, pool, or pit produced by wallowing animals.WARM SPRING —A spring that brings warm water to the surface. A thermal spring. Temperatures typically are 15°F (9.5°C) or more above the mean air temperature.WARNING STAGE —The Stage (or Gage Height) at which a general state of readiness must be maintained by concerned river interests in the event of further rises above Flood Stage (similar to a Watch). In some cases, initial action must be taken by concerned interests, such as livestock and equipment removal from the lowest overflow areas. This level may produce overbank flows sufficient to cause minor flooding of low-lying areas and local roads.WASH —(1) To carry, erode, remove, or destroy by the action of moving water. To be carried away, removed, or drawn by the action of water. Removal or erosion of soil by the action of moving water. (2) A deposit of recently eroded debris. (3) Low or marshy ground washed by tidal waters. A stretch of shallow water. (4) (Western United States) The dry bed of a stream, particularly a watercourse associated with an alluvial fan, stream, or river channel. Washes are often associated with arid environments and are characterized by large, high energy discharges with high bed-material load transport. Washes are often intermittent and their beds sparsely vegetated. (5) Turbulence in air or water caused by the motion or action of an oar, propeller, jet, or airfoil.WASH LOAD —In a stream system, the relatively fine material in near-permanent suspension which is transported entirely through the system without deposition.WASHOFF —Materials transported from a land or soil surface by overland flow, often used to describe soil materials transported off runoff test plots.WASHOUT —(1) Erosion of a relatively soft surface, such as a roadbed, by a sudden gush of water, as from a downpour or floods. (2) A channel produced by such erosion.WASTELOAD ALLOCATION (WLA) —A system designed to limit the total discharge of pollutant materials into a receiving body of water. Each Point Source (PS) of pollutants is allowed to release a specific fraction of the total amount of pollutant materials that can be expected to be assimilated by the stream. Pollution from Non-Point Sources (NPS) comprises the steam's Load Allocation.WASTE PIPE —A pipe that carries off liquid waste.WASTE TREATMENT LAGOON —An impoundment made by excavation or earth fill for biological treatment of wastewater. Also see Constructed Wetland and Lagoon.WASTE TREATMENT PLANT—A facility containing a series of tanks, screens, filters and other processes by which pollutants are removed from water. More commonly referred to as Wastewater Treatment Plant. WASTEWATER —(1) A combination of liquid and water-carried pollutants from homes, businesses, industries, or farms; a mixture of water and dissolved or suspended solids. (2) That water for which, because of quality, quantity, or time of occurrence, disposal is more economical than use at the time and point of its occurrence. Waste water to one user may be a desirable supply to the same or another user at a different location. Also referred to as Domestic Wastewater.WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE —The plant or network for the collection, treatment, and disposal of sewage in a community. The level of treatment will depend on the size of the community, the type of discharges, and the designated use of the receiving water.WASTEWATER OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE —Actions taken after the construction of a Wastewater Treatment Plant to assure that the facilities will be operated, maintained, and managed to reach prescribed effluent levels in an optimum manner.WASTEWATER RECLAMATION —The planned reuse of waste water for specific beneficial purposes.WASTEWATER TREATMENT —Any of the mechanical or chemical processes used to modify the quality of waste water in order to make it more compatible or acceptable to man and his environment.WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT —A water effluent treatment facility containing a series of tanks, screens, filters and other mechanical, biological, and chemical processes by which pollutants are removed from water. Less frequently referred to as Waste Treatment Plant.WASTEWAY —(1) Channel for conveying or discharging excess water or wastewater. (2) (Irrigation) Structure used to divert surplus flow from the main canal into a natural or constructed drainage channel.WASTE UTILIZATION —Using an agricultural or other waste on land in an environmentally acceptable manner while maintaining or improving soil and plant resources.
WATER (H2O)—The liquid that descends from the clouds in rain and which forms streams, lakes, and seas, and is a major constituent of all living matter. Pure water consists of Hydrogen (11.188 percent by weight) and Oxygen (88.812 percent by weight) in the proportion of two atoms of hydrogen to one of oxygen (H2O), and is an odorless, tasteless, transparent liquid which is very slightly compressible. It has a slightly blue color which is observable only in thick layers of the liquid. At its maximum density, 39.2°F (or 4°C), it is the standard for specific gravities, one cubic centimeter weighing one gram. Water's weight per gallon (at 15°C or 59°F) is 8.337 pounds (3.772 kilograms). It is also the standard for specific heats. Its own specific heat is very great. It freezes at 32°F (0°C) and boils at 212°F (100°C) under atmospheric pressure at sea level. Pure water is an extremely poor conductor of electric current, although many Aqueous (water-based) solutions are conductors. Water is the most important of solvents, dissolving many gases, liquids, and solids. Natural waters of the earth, as those of springs, rivers, or the oceans, contain more or less dissolved matter, which is mostly removed by distillation. Rain water is nearly pure. Water is important chemically as a solvent and dissociating agent, as a catalytic agent, and often as one of the substances taking part in a chemical reaction. Ordinary water, described above, is a mixture of molecules containing hydrogen of atomic weight 1, with a small proportion (about 0.015 per cent) of molecules containing hydrogen of atomic weight 2. This later kind of water, termed Heavy Water or Deuterium Oxide, D2O, can be separated by fractional electrolysis or distillation and in other ways and is used as a moderator in certain nuclear reactors. WATER —(1) To pour or sprinkle on, make wet. (2) To dilute or weaken by adding water. (3) To irrigate land. (4) To take on a supply of water, as a ship. (5) To drink water, as an animal. (6) Any of various forms of water, for example, fresh water, waste water, etc.; often waters, as naturally occurring mineral water, such as those at a spa. (7) A body of water such as a sea, lake, river, or stream; waters, as a particular stretch of sea or ocean, especially that of a state or country, for example, U.S. waters.WATER ALLIANCES FOR VOLUNTARY EFFICIENCY (WAVE) —A water conservation program conceived by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December 1992 and designed to help increase water efficiency in U.S. lodging facilities. The program encourages participating hotels to install water efficient technologies for bathroom fixtures, dish washing and laundry facilities, cooling towers, and landscaping. The program's goal is to reduce water use and associated energy consumption, help inform hotel guests and employees about the importance of water conservation, and help hotels realize a monetary savings for their efforts. Program components consist of technical assistance, research material availability, computer software programs to survey water use and evaluate options, and public recognition of participation.WATER ALLOCATION —In a hydrologic system in which there are multiple uses or demands for water, the process of measuring a specific amount of water devoted to a given purpose or use.WATER ANALYSIS —The determination of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water. Such analysis usually involves four kinds of examination: bacterial, chemical, microscopic, and physical.WATER APPLICATION EFFICIENCY —The ratio of the volume of water stored in the root zone of a soil during irrigation to the volume of water applied.WATER AUDIT —A procedure that combines flow measurements and listening surveys (leak detection) in an attempt to give a reasonably accurate accounting of all water entering and leaving a system.WATER BALANCE —(1) A measure of the amount of water entering and the amount of water leaving a system. Also referred to as Hydrologic Budget. Also see Hydrologic Equation. (2) The ratio between the water assimilated into the body and that lost from the body; also, the condition of the body when this ratio approximates unity.WATER BALLET —A synchronized sequence of movements performed by a group of swimmers.WATER BANKING —A water conservation and use optimization system whereby water is reallocated for current use or stored for later use. Water banking may be a means of handling surplus water resources and may involve aquifer recharge or similar means of storage. Typically, under such arrangements, an agency is created with the authority to purchase, sell, hold, and transfer water and water rights in addition to serving as a negotiator between buyers and sellers. In its broadest sense, all water rights would be covered under such water banking arrangements to include surface water, groundwater, treated wastewater effluent, and irrigation tailwater. Generally, participants in water banking arrangements will have their water rights protected from cancellation (non-beneficial use) for a specific period so long as their water is "deposited" in the water bank. Also see Water Marketing.
WATER-BASED RECREATION —Those activities which require water for participation such as boating, swimming, sailing and canoeing.WATER BLOOM —An accumulation of algae and especially of blue-green algae at or near the surface of a body of water. Also referred to as Algal Bloom.WATERBORNE—(1) Floating on or supported by water, as, for example, afloat. (2) Transported or carried by water, for example, a disease transmitted by water contaminated by a disease-causing microorganism. (3) Transmitted in water. WATERBORNE DISEASE OUTBREAK —The significant occurrence of acute infection illness associated with drinking water from a Public Water System (PWS) that is deficient in treatment, as determined by appropriate local or state agencies, or from untreated water sources.WATER, BOTTLED —See Bottled Water.WATER BUDGET —(1) (Hydrology) An accounting of the inflows to, the outflows from, and the storage changes of water in a hydrologic unit or system. Also see Water Balance. (2) (Conservation and Planning) The calculated amount of water a household should use based on the type and number of fixtures, landscape requirements, and size of family.WATER CLASSIFICATION —The separation of water in an area into classes according to usage, such as domestic consumption, fisheries, recreation, industrial, agricultural, navigation, power production, waste disposal, etc. Also see Water Use, Types.WATER CLOCK —The water clock, or Clepsydra, has been reliably dated to 1600 BC in Egypt. It functioned by water dripping through a hole in the base of a container, which lowered the water level past markings on the container sides. These markings were spaced to indicate fixed periods of time. Many variations were based on this design. Ctesibius of Alexandria made a clepsydra in which a figure floating on the water surface pointed to the time scale. In another type, dripping water turned a wheel that was connected to pointers on a dial face similar to a modern clock. Before the third century BC the clepsydra was used by the Greeks to indicate intervals of time, especially in law court; later it functioned as a clock. Clepsydras were later used in Rome, the Arab world, and China.WATER COLUMN —A hypothetical cylinder of water from the surface to the bottom of a stream, lake, or ocean within which the physical and/or chemical properties can be measured.WATER COMMITMENT —A commitment from a water purveyor to provide water service to a particular parcel of land and/or a specific development.WATER CONSERVATION —The physical control, protection, management, and use of water resources in such a way as to maintain crop, grazing, and forest lands, vegetative cover, wildlife, and wildlife habitat for maximum sustained benefits to people, agriculture, industry, commerce, and other segments of the national economy. Water conservation measures result in a reduction in applied water due to more efficient water use such as the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMP)—Urban Water Use, or Efficient Water Management Practices (EWMP)—Agricultural Water Use. The extent to which these actions actually create a savings in water supply depends on how they affect new water use and depletion.WATER CONSERVING IRRIGATION SYSTEM —Irrigation systems including a combination of drip irrigation, soaker hoses, bubblers, and low-trajectory spray heads for water distribution; zoning irrigation for different water-demand plant types; electronic timers with five-day programming and rain override devices, irrigation schedules for early morning watering every five to seven days; and soil moisture sensors.WATER CONTAMINATION —Impairment of water quality to a degree which reduces the usability of the water for ordinary purposes, or which creates a hazard to public health through poisoning or spread of disease.WATER CONTENT OF SNOW —The amount of liquid water contained in a snowpack. Also referred to as the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) and is measured in inches of water.WATER CONTROL —(Soil and Water Conservation) The physical control of water by such measures as conservation practices on land, channel improvements, and installation of structures for water retardation and sediment detention. As defined, this concept does not refer to the legal control of water rights.WATER-COOLED REACTOR —A nuclear reactor that employs water to cool the reactor core. A nuclear reactor is a device designed to promote the fission of an appropriate fuel (such as uranium-235) in a controlled manner. The heat produced during the fission event must be removed from the device to prevent an excessive buildup. Water is usually used as the heat transfer agent. Other coolants used in nuclear reactors of other designs are liquid sodium and inert gases. Also see Light Water Reactor (LWR).WATERCOURSE—A depression formed by runoff moving over the surface of the earth; any natural or artificial channel through which water flows; a lake, river, creek, stream, wash, arroyo, channel or other topographic feature on or over which waters flow at least periodically. Watercourses include specifically designated areas in which substantial flood damage may occur. WATERCOURSE BED —That portion of the watercourse which carries water at ordinary stages.WATERCRAFT —(Nautical) A boat or ship; water vehicles considered as a group.WATER CROSSING —A commonly used route for crossing a river or stream.
WATER CUSHION—A pool of water maintained to absorb the impact of water flowing from an overfall structure. WATER CYCLE —The cycle of evaporation and condensation that controls the distribution of the earth's water as it evaporates from bodies of water, condenses, precipitates, and returns to those bodies of water. Also referred to as the Hydrologic Cycle.WATER DATING —To date groundwater, scientists determine how much of an isotope (such as carbon-14) is still present. An isotope is an element, such as carbon or chlorine, with one or more extra neutrons in its nucleus. By knowing the precise rate of decay of a radioactive isotope, scientists can then determine how long the water has been in the soil or an aquifer. Dating is also accomplished by analyzing the concentration of isotopes like carbon-14 and chlorine-36 in the groundwater, since such concentrations have varied over time due to changes in the earth's magnetic field. Scientists can also determine when a particular sample of groundwater fell as rainwater based upon the ratio of simple hydrogen (H1) to its isotope, deuterium (H2). The presence of deuterium is strongly influenced by the atmospheric temperature; during colder periods, for example, the last glacial period, rainfall contained less deuterium than today.WATER DEDICATIONS —A controversial water rights policy that involves a trade-off in which a user can begin pumping groundwater in exchange for a guarantee to buy and retire a like amount of surface water in the future. Critics of the policy argue that dedications are often difficult to enforce and can lead to overuse of groundwater when a user fails to fulfill on the guarantee.WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM —Reservoirs, canals, ditches, pumps, and other facilities to move water.WATER DEMAND —The water requirements for a particular purpose, such as irrigation, power production, municipal supply, plant transpiration, or storage.WATER DEMAND SCHEDULE —A time distribution of the demand for prescribed quantities of water for specified purposes. It is usually a monthly tabulation of the total quantity of water that a particular water user intends to use during a specified year.WATER DESALINATION —The removal of salts, such as from a saline water supply, usually by Electrodialysis or Reverse Osmosis.WATER DILUTION VOLUME (WDV) —The volume of water required to dilute radioactive waste to a concentration meeting drinking water standards. Typically expressed in cubic meters of water per metric ton of radioactive waste.WATER DISCHARGE —The amount of water and sediment flowing in a channel, expressed as volume per unit of time. The water contains both dissolved solids (Dissolved Load) and suspended sediment (Suspended Load).WATER DISPOSAL SYSTEM —The complete system for removing excess water from land with minimum erosion. For sloping land, this may encompass a terrace system, terrace outlet channels, dams, and grassed waterways. For level land, it may include only surface drains or both surface and subsurface drains.WATER DUTY —The total volume of irrigation water required to mature a particular type of crop. In stating the duty, the crop, and usually the location of the land in question, as well as the type of soil, should be specified. It also includes consumptive use, evaporation and seepage from on-farm ditches and canals, and the water that is eventually returned to streams by percolation and surface runoff. Also see Alpine Decree [California and Nevada], Orr Ditch Decree [California and Nevada], Bench Lands [Nevada], and Bottom Lands [Nevada], for additional information and examples of specific water duties.WATER DUTY [Nevada] —The Alpine Decree and Orr Ditch Decree provide the basis for virtually all irrigation water duties relating to water diversions from the Truckee, Carson, and Walker rivers in Northern Nevada. These decrees provide for an annual maximum irrigation duty of 4.5 acre-feet per acre for water-righted Bench Lands and 3.5 acre-feet per acre for water-righted Bottom Lands delivered to farm headgates. These duties are based on the Crop Water Requirement on the irrigation of alfalfa, as it is the most prominent crop and the highest water-using crop grown in the Newlands (Irrigation) Project in west-central Nevada. However, neither decree identifies lands as to bottom or bench. This has created considerable controversy, particularly within the Newlands Project, which constitutes a principal water user of both Carson River waters and Truckee River (diverted) waters. Also see Alpine Decree [California and Nevada], Orr Ditch Decree [Nevada and California], Bench Lands [Nevada], and Bottom Lands [Nevada].WATER EDUCATION FOR TEACHERS (PROJECT WET) [Nevada] —A statewide supplementary, interdisciplinary water education program with components for the education community (K-12) and the general public. The goal of Nevada Project WET is to facilitate and promote the awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of Nevada's water resources through the development and dissemination of classroom ready teaching aides, teacher training, learning materials, and demonstration models as well as the maintenance of a resource bureau. The program is designed to provide useful, unbiased information in a straight-forward, neutral fashion addressing a wide variety of water-related topics to include: atmospheric water, surface water, ground water, water conservation, water pollution, water laws, water users, and competition for limited water resources. The International Office for Water Education (IOWE) was established at Utah State University in 1983 to promote water/science education. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information Clearinghouse (NWIC) has been established to serve as a focus for the dissemination of water resource information to all levels of government, academia, the private sector, and the general public. National Project WET at Montana State University coordinates the individual state WET programs. The Nevada Division of Water Planning (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources), along with the Nevada Cooperative Extension, National Project WET, and the International Office for Water Education sponsor the Nevada Project WET program for the State of Nevada.WATER EQUIVALENT (OF SNOW)—The depth or amount of water that would result from the complete melting of a sample of deposited snow, measured in inches of water. WATERER —(1) A person who obtains or supplies drinking water. (2) A device used for supplying water to livestock and poultry. Also referred to as Drinker.WATER EXPORTS—The artificial transfer (pipes, canals, aqueducts, etc.) of water to one region or subregion from another region. Also see Interbasin Transfers, Water Importation, and Water Imports. WATERFALL —A sudden, nearly vertical drop in a stream, as it flows over rock.WATERFLOOD —The process of waterflooding an oil well; to pump water into the ground around an oil well nearing depletion in order to loosen and force out additional oil.WATER FLOW —The rate of flow of water measured in volume and time (e.g., cubic feet per second, or cfs).WATERFRONT —(1) Land abutting a body of water. (2) The part of a town or city that abuts water, especially a district of wharves where ships dock.WATER GAP —A traverse cleft in a mountain ridge through which a stream flows; the gap cut through a resistant ridge by a superimposed or Antecedent Stream.WATER GARDEN —(1) A garden in which aquatic plants predominate. (2) A garden built about a stream or pool as a central feature.WATER GATE —A gate that provides access to a body of water; a Floodgate.WATER GAUGE—An instrument indicating the level of water, as in a boiler, tank, reservoir, or stream. WATER GLASS —An open tube or box having a glass bottom for making observations below the surface of the water.WATER HAMMER —(1) Very rapid pressure wave in a conduit due to a sudden change in flow; the potentially damaging slam, bang, or shudder that occurs in a pipe when a sudden change in water velocity (usually as a result of too-rapidly starting a pump or operating a valve) creates a great change in water pressure. (2) A banging noise in steam pipes, caused by steam bubbles entering a cold pipe partially filled with water.WATER HOLE —A small natural depression in which water collects, especially a pool where animals come to drink.WATER HYACINTH —A floating freshwater plant belonging to the genus Eichhornia. The plant was introduced into the United States in the late nineteenth century and has become a prolific nuisance weed that clogs waterways in the southern part of the country.WATER ICE —A dessert made of finely crushed ice that has been sweetened and flavored.
WATER IMPORTATION —The act or process whereby water is brought into an area or region which would not naturally receive such waters. Typically, it refers to the artificial transport of water through aqueducts, canals, or pipelines from one water basin, drainage area, or Hydrographic Area to another, thereby affecting the natural surface and groundwater drainage and flow patterns in both the water exporting and importing areas. In terms of a Water Banking or Water Marketing concept, such actions to move water from areas of low use to areas of high use place a more realistic monetary value on water as a scarce economic commodity and result in enhanced economic efficiency by putting existing water resources, wherever located, to more productive economic use. However, considerable public concern and controversy surround this practice. These concerns deal primarily with issues relating to altering the natural flows of both surface and ground waters, adverse environmental and habitat impacts on water exporting areas, the limitations placed on the long-term growth and development of the water exporting region or hydrographic area, the potentially adverse hydrologic effects on groundwater (water table and aquifer) conditions in the exporting area as well as the generally unknown effects on surrounding hydrographic areas and aquifer conditions, and the dependency acquired by the water importing area to continued diversions and water importations. The concept of a public policy limiting an area's development to its natural ability to support population growth only through existing and readily available natural resources, particularly water, is referred to as an Antediluvian Policy. Also see Water Transfer.WATER IMPORTS —The artificial transfer (pipes, canals, aqueducts, etc.) of water into one region or subregion from another region. Also see Water Importation, Water Exports, and Interbasin Transfers.WATER IMPOUNDMENT —A body of water created or stored by impoundment structures such as dams, dikes, and levees.WATERING PLACE —(1) A place where animals find water to drink; a watering hole. (2) A health resort with mineral springs; a spa.WATERISH —Resembling water; watery.WATER JACKET —A casing containing water circulated by a pump, used around a part to be cooled, especially in water-cooled internal-combustion engines.WATER LAW —A law that has been instigated to control the right to the use of water. See (Prior) Appropriation Doctrine and Riparian Doctrine.WATER LAW [California] —The keystone to California's water law and policy, as spelled out in the California Constitution, requires that all uses of the State's waters be both reasonable and beneficial. It places a significant limitation on water rights by prohibiting the waste, unreasonable use, unreasonable method of use, or unreasonable method of diversion of water. California operates under a dual system of water rights for surface water which recognizes both the doctrine of Riparian Water Rights and Appropriative Water Rights. Under the Riparian Doctrine, the owner of land has the right to divert a portion of the natural flow of water flowing by his land for reasonable and beneficial use upon his land adjacent to the stream and within its watershed, subject to certain limitations. Under the (Prior) Appropriation Doctrine, a person has a right to divert, store, and use water regardless of whether the land on which it is used is adjacent to a stream or within its watershed, provided that the water is used for reasonable and beneficial uses and is surplus to water from the same stream used by earlier appropriators. The rule of priority between appropriators is "First in Time, First in Right". Unlike Nevada which administers both surface and groundwater rights, there exists no statewide system for the administration of ground water rights in California, except for groundwater that is actually flowing in underground streams or water that flows in known and definite underground channels. Consequently, use of most ground water in California is unregulated, except in certain circumstances where individual basins have undergone special adjudications or where a local ground water management district has been established. Water rights in California are administered by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). Also see California Doctrine.WATER LAW [Federal] —Except when provided by federal law, e.g., Federal Reserved (Water) Rights, federal water rights must satisfy the administration and permitting process of the state in which the federal project is located. An important 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case (California v. United States) held that unless state law conflicted with clear Congressional directives, the federal government must obtain water rights under state law for reclamation purposes. Under the federal reserved rights concept, the federal government reserves sufficient water rights when it withdraws land from the public domain to establish a federal reservation such as a national park or Indian reservation. Also see Reservation Doctrine, Reserved Rights Doctrine, and Winters Doctrine and Winters Rights (Decision).WATER LAW [Nevada] —Nevada's water law is based on the Prior Appropriation Doctrine. Furthermore, unlike some other states, Nevada has a statewide system for the administration of both ground water and surface water. Appropriative Water Rights are based on the concept of applying water to Beneficial Use and "First in Time, First in Right". Appropriative water rights can be lost through nonuse and they may be sold or transferred apart from the land. Due in large part to the relative scarcity of water in Nevada and numerous competing uses, Nevada has had a thriving market for water transfers for a number of years. Water rights in Nevada are administered by the State Engineer. Also see Application, Water Right, Riparian Doctrine, Riparian Water Rights, Littoral Water Rights, Prescribed Water Rights, and Reserved Water Rights.WATERLESS —(1) Lacking water; dry. (2) Not requiring water, as a cooling system.
WATER LEVEL —(1) An instrument to show the level by means of the surface of water in a trough or in a U-shaped tube. (2) The surface of still water. (3) The level assumed by the surface of a particular body or column of water. (4) (Hydrology) Synonymous with the Water Table. (5) The Water Line of a ship.WATER-LEVEL GAGE —A gage which indicates the water level in a reservoir, stilling well, or other receptacle.WATER LEVEL PIVOT POINT —A location along the water surface in a canal reach where the water level remains essentially constant during changes in flow.WATER LINE —(Nautical) (1) The line on the hull of a ship to which the surface of the water rises. (2) Any of several lines parallel to this line, marked on the hull of a ship, and indicating the depth to which the ship sinks under various loads. (3) A pipeline carrying water. (4) A line marked on a structure or gage to indicate water depth. May be more specifically referred to as a high water line or a low water line when measuring water depths.WATERLOG, also Waterlogging —(1) To soak or saturate with water. (2) A soil condition in which a high or perched water table is detrimental to plant growth, resulting from over-irrigation, seepage, or inadequate drainage. Also, the replacement of most of the soil air by water. (3) (Nautical) To make heavy and sluggish in the water because of flooding, as in the hold of a ship.WATER LOSS —(1) The sum of water lost from a given land area during a specified time period by transpiration, evaporation, and interception. (2) In irrigation, seepage and evaporation from land and ditches; excess water drained from the land surfaces and the deep percolation. The basic concept is that water loss is equal to Evapotranspiration, that is, water that returns to the atmosphere and thus is no longer available for use. However, the term is also applied to differences between measured inflow and outflow even where part of the difference may be Seepage.WATER LOSSES —Water which is unavailable or lost from a particular containment system.WATER MAIN —A principal pipe in a system of pipes for conveying water, especially one installed underground.WATERMAN —(1) A man who makes his living from the water (as by fishing). (2) A boatman who plies for hire, usually on inland waters or harbors.WATER MANAGEMENT —Also referred to as Watershed Management, it is the analysis, protection, development, operation, or maintenance of the land, vegetation, and water resources of a drainage basin for the conservation of all its resources for the benefit of its residents. Watershed management for water production is concerned with the quality, quantity, and timing of the water which is produced. Also see Watershed Management and Basin Management.WATERMARK —(1) A mark showing the greatest height to which water has risen. (2) A line indicating the heights of high and low tide.WATER MARKETING —A concept of water use borne out of increased demand by urban populations for water whereby a holder of water rights is allowed to sell or lease those rights in an open market to the highest bidder. As an example, in the United States an acre-foot of water typically yields only about $400 on a farm versus $400,000 in manufacturing (National Geographic Special Edition, WATER: The Power, Promise, and Turmoil of North America's Fresh Water, November 1993). Such water marketing arrangements, however, can only succeed where necessary water transport and delivery systems exist between supply points and demand points. Also see Water Banking.WATER MASS—(Oceanography) An oceanographic term that refers to a large body of water whose density characteristics are distinct from the surrounding aquatic environment because of inherent temperature or salinity differences. Water masses are present in all oceans and are formed where water flows from one type of climatic or physiographic region into another. The North Atlantic Current is an example of a water mass distinguished by a difference in temperature. It is a relatively warm water body that retains its identity as far north as the Arctic Circle. The huge freshwater volume expelled by the Amazon River into the southern Atlantic Ocean is an example of a water mass distinguished by a difference in salinity. WATERMASTER —Often an employee of a court hired to administer a court decree. Also may be an employee of a water department who distributes available water supplies at the request of water rights holders and collects hydrographic data. Also refers to a position within an irrigation project that is responsible for the internal distribution of project water.WATERMASTER-REPORTED HEADGATE DELIVERIES —The watermaster-reported, measured and/or estimated farm headgate deliveries.WATER METER —An instrument for recording the quantity of water passing through a particular outlet.WATER MILL —A mill whose machinery is moved by water.WATER MOLECULE —The smallest unit of water (chemical symbol H2O); consists of two atoms of Hydrogen (chemical symbol H) and one atom of Oxygen (chemical symbol O).WATER OF CRYSTALLIZATION —Water in chemical combination with a crystal, necessary for the maintenance of crystalline properties but capable of being removed by sufficient heat.WATER OF HYDRATION —Water chemically combined with a substance in such a way that it can be removed, as by heating, without substantially changing the chemical composition of the substance.WATER PENETRATION —The depth to which irrigation water or rain penetrates the soil before the rate of downward movement becomes negligible.WATER PIPE —(1) A pipe that is a conduit for water. (2) An apparatus for smoking, such as a Hookah, in which the smoke if drawn through a container of water or ice and cooled before inhaling.WATER PLAN —A document of issues, policies, strategies and action plans intended to effectively and economically execute a Water Planning process. Also see Water Policy.WATER PLANNING —Water planning is an analytical planning process developed and continually modified to address the physical, economic, and sociological dimensions of water use. As a planning process it must assess and quantify the available supply of water resources and the future demands anticipated to be levied upon those resources. Based upon this continuous supply and demand evaluation, water planning must also give direction for moving water supplies to points of use while encouraging users to be good and effective stewards of available water resources. The water planning process requires constant re-evaluation and updating to address changing social, political, economic, and environmental parameters. While the ultimate objective of such efforts is typically the development of a comprehensive, publicly-supported Water Plan, it is also critical to develop and maintain a comprehensive and viable water planning process that covers various aspects of water resource development, transport, water treatment, allocation among various competing uses, conservation, waste-water treatment, re-use, and disposal. Also see Water Policy.WATER POLICY —Those actions governing the management, administration, and procedures used to implement and direct a formal Water Planning process by which water rights, water uses, and water diversions are evaluated, ranked, and allocated on the basis of specific public policy goals and objectives and designated, either by legislative mandate, regulation, or fiat, Preferred Uses. Similar in scope and purpose to water planning, a water policy approach to water planning is also inherently concerned with various aspects of water resource development, transport, water treatment, allocation among various competing uses, conservation, waste-water treatment, re-use, and disposal. However, unique to the water policy approach is that water-related actions are specifically governed by pre-determined, publicly-approved water-related stipulations such as environmental impacts, quality of life values, "Highest and Best Use" concepts and criteria, water quality standards, conservation issues, industry sector water allocations, economic diversity goals, etc. To effect such a policy approach to water planning, a Public Scoping process is essential to ascertain, quantify, and rank the specific policy goals used to allocate limited water resources among competing uses. Also see Water Plan.WATER POLLUTION —Generally, the presence in water of enough harmful or objectionable material to damage the water's quality. More specifically, pollution shall be construed to mean contamination of any waters such as will create or is likely to create a nuisance or to render such waters harmful, detrimental or injurious to public health, safety or welfare, or to domestic, municipal, commercial, industrial, agricultural, recreational, or other legitimate uses, or to livestock, wild animals, birds, fish or other aquatic life, including but not limited to such contamination by alteration of the physical, chemical or biological properties of such waters, or change in temperature, taste, color or order thereof, or the discharge of any liquid, gaseous, radioactive, solid or other substances into such waters. More simply, it refers to quality levels resulting from man's activities that interfere with or prevent water use or uses.WATER POLO —A goal game similar to soccer that is played in water by teams of swimmers using a ball resembling a soccer ball.WATER POTENTIAL —The capability of soil water to do work as compared with free water.
WATERPOWER —(1a) The energy produced by running or falling water that is used for driving machinery, especially for generating electricity; (1b) A source of such energy, as a waterfall. (2) A water right owned by a mill.WATER PRIVILEGE —The right to use water especially as a source of mechanical power.WATERPROOF —(1) Impervious to or unaffected by water. (2) Made of or coated or treated with rubber, plastic, or a sealing agent to prevent penetration by water. Also see Water-Repellent.WATER PURIFICATION —See Purification (Water) and Purification Process (Water).WATER PURVEYOR —Anyone who sells drinking water to the public, usually the owner of a Public Water Supply System (PWSS); a public utility, mutual water company, county water district, or municipality that delivers drinking water to customers.WATER QUALITY —A term used to describe the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water, usually in respect to its suitability for a particular purpose. Also see Drinking Water Standards and Drinking Water Standards [Nevada]. [See Appendix W-1 for principal threats to water quality.]WATER QUALITY-BASED LIMITATIONS —Effluent limitations applied to dischargers when mere technology-based limitations would cause violations of Water Quality Standards. Usually applied to dischargers into small streams.WATER QUALITY-BASED PERMIT —A permit with an effluent limit more stringent than one based on technology performance. Such limits may be necessary to protect the designated use of receiving waters (e.g., drinking, recreation, industrial, irrigation, etc.).WATER QUALITY CRITERIA —A specific level or range of levels of water quality necessary for the protection of a water use; levels of water quality expected to render a body of water suitable for its designated use. The criteria are set for individual pollutants and are based on different water uses, such as a public water supply, an aquatic habitat, and industrial supply, or for recreation.WATER QUALITY INDICATORS —Constituents or characteristics of water that can be measured to determine its suitability for use.WATER QUALITY LIMITED SEGMENT —A portion of a stream where the condition of the water does not meet water quality standards and/or where standards are not expected to be achieved after Effluent Limitations on all Point Sources (PS) of water pollution are applied. Therefore, controls beyond the technology-based discharge limits will be required for the stream segment to meet the Ambient Water Quality Standards.WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT —Planning for the protection of a water's quality for various Beneficial Uses, for the provision of adequate wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal for municipalities and industries, and for activities that might create water quality problems, and regulating and enforcing programs to accomplish the planning goals and laws and regulations dealing with water pollution control.WATER QUALITY STANDARDS —(1) A plan for water quality management containing four major elements: water use; criteria to protect uses; implementation plans, and enforcement plans. An anti-degradation statement is sometimes prepared to protect existing high quality water sources. (2) State-adopted and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved ambient standards for water bodies. The standards prescribe the use of the water body and establish the water quality criteria that must be met to protect designated uses.WATER RANCHING —The purchase of agricultural lands solely for the purpose of acquiring associated water rights or underlying groundwater.WATER REACTIVE —Describing any substance that reacts spontaneously with water to release a flammable or toxic gas, such as sodium metal.WATER RECLAMATION —The treatment of water of impaired quality, including brackish water and sea water, to produce a water of suitable quality for the intended use.WATER RECYCLING —The treatment of urban waste water to a level rendering it suitable for a specific, direct, beneficial use.WATER-RELATED DISASTER —A cyclic event involving water during which there is threat to or loss of human life or property (e.g., flood, hurricane, tsunami, etc.).WATER-RELATED DISEASE —An epidemic event caused by Waterborne virus or bacteria. Also see Waterborne Disease Outbreak.WATER-RELATED ISSUE —An allocation, use, rights, or environmental problem involving water that is complicated by the disagreement of two or more parties over the cause, effect, and/or resolution of the problem.WATER-RELATED LAND —Land on which projected use and/or management practices may significantly affect the runoff pattern or quality of the water resources to which it relates and land that is significantly affected by existing or proposed measures for management or use of the water resources to which it relates.WATER-RELATED ORGANIZATIONS —See Appendix W-1 for a listing of organizations directly involved in water-related issues.WATER-RELATED RECREATION ACTIVITY —A recreation activity dependent upon on enhanced by water, including swimming, boating, water skiing, fishing, picnicking, camping, sightseeing, hiking, and nature walks.WATER-REPELLENT —Resistant to penetration by water but not entirely Waterproof. Synonymous with Water-Resistant.WATER REQUIREMENT —The total quantity of water, regardless of its source, required for a specified use under a predetermined or prescribed situation.WATER REQUIREMENT (AGRICULTURE) —The total quantity of water, regardless of its source, required for production of crops at their normal growth under field conditions. It includes applied water, subsurface irrigation, and precipitation needed by the crops.WATER-RESISTANT —Synonymous with Water-Repellent.WATER RESOURCE DISTRICT —A legal entity established by state statute to facilitate local administration in all phases of water development, utilization, and control.WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT —The decision-making, manipulative, and non-manipulative processes by which water is protected, allocated, or developed.WATER RESOURCE PLAN —A planning document or process which assesses both sources and uses of water and develops strategies for their most effective and efficient use according to public needs and criteria. Also see Water Plan, Water Planning, and Water Policy.WATER RESOURCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (WRRI)—Research institutes found in each state which conducts basic and applied research to solve water problems unique to their area. The bulk of Institute funding comes from non-federal sources. The Water Resources Research Institute for each state is located at a college or university designated by the Governor or State Legislature.
WATER RESOURCES—The supply of groundwater and surface water in a given area. WATER RESOURCES REGION [United States]—A designated natural Drainage Basin or Hydrologic Area that contains either the drainage area of a major river or the combined drainage areas of two or more rivers. Of the 21 designated water-resources regions, delineated by the Water Resources Council in 1970, 18 are in the conterminous United States, and one each are in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The following represents a listing of U.S. water-resources regions and the states primarily and partly included:
WATER RESOURCES SUB-REGION [United States] —The 21 Water Resources Regions of the United States as designated by the Water Resources Council are further subdivided into 222 sub-regions. Each sub-region includes that area drained by a river system, a reach of a river and its tributaries in that reach, a closed basin(s), or a group of streams forming a coastal drainage system.WATER RESOURCES SUB-AREA —An approximation of a Water Resources Sub-Region using county boundaries. Also see Water Resources Region [United States].WATER RIGHT —A legally protected right, granted by law, to take possession of water occurring in a water supply and to put it to Beneficial Use.WATER RIGHTS —The legal rights to the use of water. They consist of Riparian Water Rights, Appropriative Water Rights, Prescribed Water Rights, and Reserved Water Rights. Also see Water Law, Water Law [California], Water Law (Federal), and Water Law [Nevada].WATER RIGHTS, CORRELATIVE DOCTRINE —When a source of water does not provide enough for all users, the water is reapportioned proportionately on the basis of prior water rights held by each user.WATER SAMPLE —A representative part of a portion used to determine quality of a larger body of water.WATER SERVICE AGENCY —An agency organized, founded, or established to produce and distribute water directly or indirectly to customers. The two major types are privately owned companies which consist of commercial companies and mutual water groups; and public companies which include water districts and municipally-owned water departments.WATER SERVICE RELIABILITY —The degree to which a water service system can successfully manage water shortages.WATERSHED —(1) All lands enclosed by a continuous hydrologic drainage divide and lying upslope from a specified point on a stream. Also referred to as Water Basin or Drainage Basin. (2) A ridge of relatively high land dividing two areas that are drained by different river systems. Also referred to as Water Parting.WATERSHED AREA (DRAINAGE AREA)—The watershed area at a point in the stream refers to the area of the earth from which the water concentrates toward that point, through the drainage system. WATERSHED LAG —The time from the center of mass of effective rainfall to peak of hydrograph.WATERSHED MANAGEMENT —The analysis, protection, development, operation or maintenance of the land, vegetation and water resources of a drainage basin for the conservation of all its resources for the benefit of its residents. Watershed management for water production is concerned with the quality and timing of the water which is produced. Also referred to as Water Management and Basin Management.WATERSHED PLANNING—The formulation of a plan, based on the concept of a Watershed, a Water Basin, a Hydrologic Region, or a Hydrologic Study Area (HSA), with the intent to assess climatological conditions, inventory existing ground and surface water resources, determine current water uses, project future socioeconomic and environmental demands for those resources, and explore feasible water-balancing options, so as to maximize the benefits to the inhabitants of a study area while simultaneously preserving and protecting the region's wildlife, habitat, and environmental conditions. WATERSHED PROJECT —A comprehensive program of structural and nonstructural measures to preserve or restore a water shed to good hydrologic condition. These measures may include detention reservoirs, dikes, channels, contour trenches, terraces, furrows, gully plugs, revegetation, and possibly other practices to reduce flood peaks and sediment production.WATERSHED PROTECTION —The treatment of watershed lands in accordance with such predetermined objectives as the control of erosion, stream flow, silting floods, and water, forage, or timber yield. Also see Watershed Planning.WATERSHED PROTECTION APPROACH (WPA) —A type of pollution management program supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as being the most effective mechanism for achieving clean water and healthy, sustainable ecosystems throughout the United States. The WPA is a "placed-based" strategy that integrates water quality management activities within hydrologically defined drainage basins or watersheds as opposed to using conventional, politically-defined boundaries. The WPA allows stakeholders to tailor corrective actions to local concerns within the coordinated framework of a state, Tribal, and national water program. In addition, an emphasis on public participation provides the opportunity to incorporate environmental justice issues into watershed management.WATER-SICK —Land rendered unproductive because of excessive irrigation.WATERSIDE —(1) Land bordering a body of water; a bank or shore. (2) The margin of a body of water; a Waterfront.WATER SOFTENER —An apparatus designed to remove divalent metal ions (the most important of these being calcium, magnesium, and iron) from water, often replacing the divalent or trivalent ions with the monovalent sodium ion. See Ion Exchange.WATER SOFTENING —Any process, but most usually involving ion exchange, for removing from water, in whole or in part, those Cations which produce hardness (primarily calcium and magnesium). Also see Hard Water and Hardness.WATER SOLUBILITY—The maximum possible concentration of a chemical compound dissolved in water. If a substance is Water Soluble it can very readily disperse through the environment. WATER SOLUBLE —Of a material that dissolves in water.WATERSPOUT —(1) A tornado or lesser whirlwind occurring over water and resulting in a funnel-shaped whirling column of air and spray. (2) A hole or pipe from which water is discharged.WATER SPREADING —(1) (General) Diverting runoff from natural channels or gullies by means of a system of dams, dikes, or ditches, and spreading it over relatively flat areas. The purpose is to increase the growth of natural vegetation or to infiltrate and recharge the groundwater for subsequent withdrawal by pumps for irrigation. Also see Artificial Recharge. (2) (Reclamation Projects) A controversial practice of using surface water from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) irrigation projects to grow crops outside district boundaries. As of 1995, it was estimated that across the 17 Western states water spreading occurred on at least 1.8 million irrigated acres.WATER SPREADING METHODS —Refers to surface irrigation by border or furrow.WATERSTOP —A strip of metal, rubber, or other material used to prevent leakage through joints between adjacent sections of concrete.WATER STORAGE POND —An impound for liquid wastes designed to accomplish some degree of biochemical treatment. Also see Waste Treatment Lagoon.WATER SUPPLIER—One who owns or operates a Public Water System (PWS).
WATER SUPPLY —(1) Any quantity of available water; a Water System. (2) The water available for a community or region. (3) The source and delivery system of such water.WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM —Includes the works and auxiliaries for collection, treatment, storage, and distribution of the water from the sources of supply to the free-flowing outlet of the ultimate consumer. Also see Public Water System (PWS).WATER SURFACE ELEVATION —(1) Generally, the elevation of a water surface above or below an established reference level, such as (mean) seal level. (2) The height, in relation to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929, or other datum, of a body of water or, for flood determination, for the specification of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains or coastal or riverine areas. Also see Mean Sea Level (MSL).WATER SYSTEM —(1) A river and all its tributaries. (2) A Water Supply.WATER TABLE —The level of groundwater; the upper surface of the Zone of Saturation for underground water. It is an irregular surface with a slope or shape determined by the quantity of ground water and the permeability of the earth material. In general, it is highest beneath hills and mountains and lowest beneath valleys. Also referred to as Ground Water Table.WATER-TABLE AQUIFER —An unconfined Aquifer.WATER TABLE, PERCHED —The surface of a local zone of saturation held above the main body of groundwater by an impermeable layer or stratum, usually clay, and separated from the main body of groundwater by an unsaturated zone.WATERTIGHT —So tightly made that water cannot enter or escape.WATER TOWER —A standpipe or elevated tank used as a reservoir or for maintaining equal pressure in a water system.WATER TRANSFER —Artificial conveyance of water from one area to another across a political or hydrological boundary. This is referred to as an import or export of water from one basin or county to another. Also see Water Importation.WATER TREATMENT —Processes undertaken to purifier water acceptable to some specific use, e.g., drinking. Most water treatment processes include some form, or combination of forms, of sedimentation, filtration, and chlorination.WATER TREATMENT, COMBINED TECHNIQUE —A relatively new water disinfection technique greatly reducing the need for chlorination while effectively destroying up to 99.9 percent of coliphage (intestinal bacteria) in raw water. The method combines two purification techniques that have been previously used separately for water purification—potassium permanganate and copper/silver ions—but in combination the processes kill bacteria up to 10 times faster than metal ions alone and up to 5 times faster than potassium permanganate alone.WATER TREATMENT LAGOON —An impound for liquid wastes designed to accomplish some degree of biochemical treatment. Also referred to as Waste Treatment Lagoon and Water Storage Pond.WATER TREATMENT PLANTS —Facilities that treat water to remove contaminants so that it can be safely used.WATER USE —The amount of water needed or used for a variety of purposes including drinking, irrigation, processing of goods, power generation, and other uses. The amount of water used may not equal the amount of water withdrawn due to water transfers or the recirculation or recycling of the same water. For example, a power plant may use the same water a multiple of times but withdraw a significantly different amount. Also see Water Use, Types, below.WATER USE EFFICIENCY —A measure of the crop production per unit of water used, irrespective of water source, expressed in units of weight per unit of water depth per unit area. The concept of utilization applies to both Dryland Farming and irrigated agriculture.WATER USE PRACTICES —Direct, indirect, consumptive, and nonconsumptive uses of water. These include domestic practices (e.g., washing, bathing, cooking, drinking), navigation, wildlife habitat management, irrigation practices, recreation activities, industrial uses, and hydroelectric power generation.
WATER USE, TYPES —The use of water may be classified by specific types according to distinctive uses, such as the following:
WATER VAPOR —Water in a gaseous state, especially when diffused as a vapor in the atmosphere and at a temperature below boiling point.WATERWALL INCINERATOR —An energy recovery system used in some municipal waste incinerators. The combustion chamber of the incinerator is lined with steel tubes containing circulating water. The heat from the combustion boils the water, and the steam can be sold or used to turn turbines in an electric generator.WATER WAVE —Water waves provide one of the most important mechanisms for transporting energy from one point to another on the sea surface. They are produced when the air-sea interface is distorted by a disturbing force such as the wind. A restoring force such as gravity, surface tension, or the Coriolis Effect (force) then acts to return the surface to its equilibrium position. The disturbance propagates on the surface of the water as a wave. Surface water waves may be classified according to the period (frequency) of the wave, and the nature of the disturbing and restoring forces at different periods determines the characteristics of the wave. See Wave Period.WATERWAY —(Nautical) A navigable body of water, such as a river, channel, or canal.WATER WELL —An excavation where the intended use is for location, acquisition, development, or artificial recharge of ground water.WATER WELL REPORT (Permitting) —A report which a water well contractor or landowner who is constructing his own well submits to a water resources department. It includes the location and dimensions of the well, its flow, a record of geologic materials encountered in drilling, the temperature of the ground water, possible chemical analysis of the water, constituent levels, and other relevant data.WATER WHEEL —(1) A device such as a turbine or similar engine to transform the energy of flowing water into mechanical power. (2) A wheel with buckets attached to its rim for raising water.WATER WINGS —A device consisting of a pair of joined inflatable waterproof bags that fit under the arms of a person, especially a child learning to swim, and provides buoyancy.WATER WITCH —A person who predicts the presence of underground water with hand-held tools such as forked twigs (Divining Rod) or metal rods. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Water Well Association do not advise against using a water witch to search for ground water, but say that there is no scientific basis for the belief in water witchery. Also see Douse (also Dowse or Dowsing).WATERWORN —Worn, smoothed, or polished by the action of water.WATERWORKS —(1) The water system, including reservoirs, tanks, buildings, pumps, and pipes, that supplies water to a city, town, or other municipality. A single unit, such as a pumping station, within such a system. (2) An exhibition of moving water, such as a fountain or cascade.WATERY —(1) Filled with, consisting of, or soaked with water; wet or soggy. (2) Containing too much water.WATER YEAR —The 12-month period, October 1 through September 30. The water year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Therefore, the 1996 water year ends on September 30, 1996.WATER YIELD —Runoff, including ground water outflow that appears in the stream, plus ground water outflow that leaves the basin underground. Water yield is the precipitation minus the Evapotranspiration.WATT —A unit of power or the rate of energy use or conversion when one joule of energy (0.0238 calories) is used or converted per second.WATT-HOUR (Wh) —An electrical energy unit of measure equal to one watt of power supplied to, or taken from, an electrical circuit steadily for one hour.
WAVE —A regular movement on a surface or within a material when energy travels through it. On the surface of an ocean or body of water, it is usually in the form of a curving swell or ridge.WAVE —See Water Alliances for Voluntary Efficiency.WAVE CELERITY —The velocity of propagation of a wave through a liquid, relative to the rate of movement of the liquid through which the disturbance is propagated.WAVE CUT PLATFORM —A gently sloping surface produced by wave erosion, extending far into the sea or lake from the base of the wave cut cliff.WAVE MACHINE —A device used for converting the energy of ocean waves into electrical energy. It can also make waves at a water recreation site for swimming or surfing.WAVE PERIODS —(Oceanography) Wind generates waves that have a wide range of periods; it is responsible for pure capillary waves (ripples), which have periods less than 0.1 second, and for most gravity waves, which have periods from 0.1 second to approximately 30 seconds. Wind-driven gravity waves contain, on the average, more energy than waves of any other period. Seas (waves being actively generated by the wind during a storm) have periods of 4-10 seconds, and swells (waves that have radiated from the wind storm) have periods of 10-30 seconds. Wind storms are also responsible for waves with periods longer than 30 seconds; these storms excite Seiches (standing waves that do not move forward but instead move up and down) whose typical periods range from 5-10 minutes, and storm surges (large waves having periods from 1-100 hours).WEATHER —The composite condition of the near earth atmosphere, which includes temperature, barometric pressure, wind, humidity, clouds, and precipitation. Weather variations over a long period create the Climate.WEATHERING —The response of materials that were once in equilibrium within the earth's crust to new conditions at or near contact with water, air, or living matter. The breakdown of rock through a combination of chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes. The ultimate outcome is the generation of soil.WEATHER MODIFICATION —The intentional or inadvertent alteration of clouds for the benefit of man. Also referred to as Cloud Modification. Also see Cloud Seeding.WEDGE STORAGE —The volume of water contained between two different water surface profiles within a canal pool.WEEP-HOLES —(Engineering) Openings left in retaining walls, aprons, linings, or foundations to permit drainage and reduce pressure. A hole (as in a wall or foundation) that is designed to drain off accumulated water. Also referred to as Weeper.WEEPER—A hole or pipe in a wall to allow water to run off. WEEPING —Dropping rain as in weeping clouds.WEIGHTED AVERAGE —(Data Analysis) For a series of recorded observations, the sum of the products of the frequency of certain values and the value of the observation, divided by the total number of observations. For example, for one measurement of 5 grams, three measurements of 7 grams, and two measurements of 2 grams, the weighted average is [1(5) + 3(7) + 2(2)]/6 = 5 grams.WEIR —(1) A dam in a river to stop and raise the water, for the purpose of conducting it to a mill, forming a fishpond, or the like. When uncontrolled, the weir is termed a fixed-crest weir. (2) A fence of stakes, brushwood, or the like, set in a stream, tideway, or inlet of the sea, for taking fish. (3) A device for determining the quantity of water flowing over it from measurements of the depth of water over the crest or sill and known dimensions of the device. (4) A bank or levee built to hold a river in its bed, or to direct it into a new bed. (5) (Water Quality) A wall or obstruction used to control the flow from settling tanks and clarifiers to assure a uniform flow rate and avoid Short-Circuiting. Types of weirs include:
WEIR BASIN —(Irrigation) The wide, basinlike approach to the upstream side of a weir, being constructed so as to reduce to a minimum the effect of the momentum of the approaching water on the flow over the weir.WEIR BOX —(Irrigation) A wooden or concrete box oblong in shape and open at both ends, set lengthwise in a canal and in which a weir for measurement of irrigation water is set cross-wise.WEIR LOADING RATE —An expression of the flow over a weir calculated by dividing the flow by the total effluent weir length. Typical units are gallons per day per foot (gpd/ft).WEIR NOTCH —The opening in a weir for the passage of water.WELL (WATER) —An artificial excavation put down by any method for the purposes of withdrawing water from the underground aquifers. A bored, drilled, or driven shaft, or a dug hole whose depth is greater than the largest surface dimension and whose purpose is to reach underground water supplies or oil, or to store or bury fluids below ground.WELL CAPACITY (or POTENTIAL YIELD) —The maximum rate at which a well will yield water under a stipulated set of conditions, such as a given drawdown, pump, and motor or engine size. Well capacity may be expressed in terms of gallons per minute, cubic feet per second, or other similar units.WELL DEVELOPMENT —The application of a surging or brushing process to a well in order to draw fine material from the aquifer next to the well and increase its discharge capacity.WELL DRILLERS —Individuals who have the equipment an ability to drill or dig wells. Typically, such individuals must be licensed by state water resource agencies and are required to submit certain documents (Water Well Reports or Well Logs) pertaining to their operations.WELL FIELD —(1) One or more wells producing water from a subsurface source. (2) A tract of land which contains a number of wells for supplying a large municipality or irrigation district.WELL, FULLY PENETRATING —A well drilled to the bottom of an aquifer, constructed in such a way that it withdraws water from the entire thickness of the aquifer.WELL FUNCTION —The mathematical function by means of which the unsteady drawdown can be computed at a given point in an aquifer at a given time due to a given constant rate of pumping from a well.WELLHEAD —(1) The source of a well or stream. (2) A principal source; a Fountainhead. (3) The physical structure, facility, or device at the land surface from or through which ground water flows or is pumped from subsurface, water-bearing formations.WELLHEAD PROTECTION AREA (WHPA) —The surface and subsurface area surrounding a water well or well field, supplying a public water system, through which contaminants are reasonably likely to move toward and reach such water well or well field.WELLHEAD PROTECTION (PROGRAM)—Programs intended to protect and preserve the quality of ground water used as a source of drinking water. A typical wellhead protection program will have a number of critical elements to include: (1) delineating the roles and responsibilities of state agencies, local governments, and water purveyors; (2) delineation of wellhead protection areas; (3) contaminant source inventories; (4) management options; (5) siting of new wells; (6) contingency and emergency planning; and (7) public participation. Typically, steps taken to protect and preserve the quality of a well are far less costly than actions necessary to restore a contaminated well. WELL HYDROGRAPH —A graphic representation of the fluctuations of the water surface in a well, plotted as Ordinate, against time, plotted as Abscissa.WELL INJECTION—The subsurface emplacement of fluids into a well. WELL INTERFERENCE —The effects of neighboring pumping wells on the discharge and drawdown at a particular pumping well.WELL LOGS —A record that is kept during well drilling of the various formations and rock materials and the depths at which they are encountered. Synonymous with Water Well Report.WELL MONITORING —Measurement by on-site instruments or laboratory methods of well water quality.
WELL PLUG —Any watertight or gastight seal installed in a well to prevent the flow of fluids or gases.WELL RIG —Any power-driven percussion, rotary, boring, digging, jetting or auguring machine used in the construction of a well.WELL SCREEN —A filtering device used to keep sediment from entering a water well.WELLSPRING —The source of a stream or spring.WELL STIMULATION —Cleaning, enlarging, or increasing the pore space of a well used for the Injection of fluids into subsurface geological strata.WELL YIELD —The volume of water discharged from a well in gallons per minute or cubic meters per day.WESTSIDE (USBR) —The 17 Western States in which Reclamation projects are located, namely, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.WET —Consisting of, containing, covered with, or soaked with, water or other liquid; soaked with moisture; having water or other liquid upon the surface.WET ADIABATIC LAPSE RATE —The rate of temperature decrease as a parcel of air saturated with water rises and the pressure decreases, given by:
where:
Because moisture is condensing in the rising parcel of air and releasing latent heat, the temperature drop with increasing altitude is less than the (dry) adiabatic lapse rate, or about 0.6C per 100 meters (3.3F per 1,000 feet). The rate assumes that there is no exchange of heat between the parcel and the surrounding air by conduction or mixing. WET COOLING —A type of cooling system which uses the evaporation of water to help dissipate excess heat. The devices used to effect this are more commonly referred to as "swamp coolers."WET DEPOSITION —The introduction of acidic material to the ground or to surface waters by sulfuric and nitric acids dissolved in rainfall or snow. Compare to Dry Deposition.WET DIGESTION —A solid waste stabilization process in which mixed solid organic wastes are placed in an open digestion pond to decompose anaerobically.WETLAND —See Wetlands.WETLAND BANKING —A term used to describe actions required to be taken on the part of developers to mitigate and replace the loss of wetlands. Through various federal and state regulations governing land use on wetlands, when impacts to wetlands cannot be avoided or minimized, wetlands must be replaced. The replacement process allows for the creation or restoration of any number of wetlands to provide replacement credit for future wetlands impacts or debits, i.e., reductions in existing wetlands. Wetland banking not only insures successful wetland restoration, but also typically requires that replacement occurs before targeted wetlands are removed, thereby at least temporarily increasing the overall amount of wetlands. Also, wetland banking credits may frequently be sold in an open market arrangement thereby facilitating both more efficient land use planning and habitat preservation. Wetland creation under the wetland banking process also allows planners to target wetland construction in precisely those areas and watersheds which have the greatest need for the benefits of wetlands, e.g., flood storage, water quality improvement, habitat creation or preservation, etc. Also see Wetland "Clumping" (Aggregation), Wetland Mitigation, Wetland Mitigation Bank, Wetlands (General Definition), Wetlands (COE and EPA), Wetlands (NRCS), Wetlands (USFWS), Wetlands [California], Wetlands [Nevada], Wetlands, Benefits, and Wetlands, Palustrine.WETLAND "CLUMPING" (AGGREGATION) —The concept of wetland "clumping", or wetland aggregation, constitutes a fundamental issue of Wetland Banking programs and generally occurs when several small, fragmented wetlands, providing unique and specific benefits to a localized ecosystem, are destroyed and then, through the wetland banking process, their removal is compensated for by the creation of a single larger wetland, perhaps at some distance from those wetland which were removed. This concept of wetland aggregation does not take into account the relatively unique geographic functions that localized wetlands provide to a watershed and the needs of both plant and animal life specific to that habitat. Studies have shown that increasing the distances between the destroyed wetlands and the newly created wetlands has been a major reason for population declines in certain species. Currently, wetland rules are being considered to encourage the development of smaller, more numerous wetlands as part of a more responsive wetland banking mitigation and replacement program. Also see Wetlands (General Definition), Wetlands (COE and EPA), Wetlands (NRCS), Wetlands (USFWS), Wetlands [California], Wetlands [Nevada], Wetlands, Benefits, and Wetlands, Palustrine.WETLAND MITIGATION —Unlike Wetland Banking or Wetland "Clumping" (Aggregation), Wetland Mitigation deals with those actions taken to avoid, minimize, or deter the need to adversely affect existing Wetlands and similar habitats. Wetland mitigation deals in three fundamental areas:
Wetland banking and clumping (aggregation) concepts are only involved in the compensatory mitigation stage, and possibly the minimization of impacts stage, when all other actions have failed to prevent substantive impacts on existing wetlands. Also see Wetland Mitigation Bank. WETLAND MITIGATION BANK —An arrangement whereby private developers buy credits of an acre or so each for the right to drain and build on Wetlands on their own property. The practice is generally permitted under Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), which requires developers to provide an equal amount of Constructed Wetlands for each acre of wetland destroyed. As an additional requirement, the mitigating wetlands must be created on land that historically was a wetland at one time or another. Developers are also required to both restore and maintain the mitigating wetlands. In states without enabling legislation for such banks, jurisdiction falls under the authority of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE). Also see Wetland Banking, Wetland Clumping (Aggregation), and Wetland Mitigation.WETLANDER —A person who lives in proximity to Wetlands and whose culture is linked to them.WETLANDS, also Wetland (General) —Wetlands are those areas where water saturation is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the surrounding environment. The identification of wetlands and associated habitats is regulated by complex federal legislation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (formerly the Soil Conservation Service—SCS), and the (Department of the Interior) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), have developed definitions of wetlands in response to their regulatory responsibilities. The single feature that all wetlands have in common is a soil or substrate that is saturated with water during at least a part of the growing season. These saturated conditions control the types of plants and animals that live in these areas. Other common names for wetlands are Sloughs, Ponds, Swamps, Bogs, and Marshes. Basically, all definitions of wetlands require that one or more attributes be met:
WETLANDS (COE and EPA) —(Regulatory) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have adopted a regulatory definition for administering the Section 404 permit program of the Clean Water Act (CWA) as follows: [Wetlands are] those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.WETLANDS (NRCS) —(Technical) The (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (formerly the Soil Conservation Service—SCS) uses the following definition for identifying wetlands on agricultural land in assessing farmer eligibility for U.S. Department of Agriculture program benefits under the "Swampbuster" provision of the Food Security Act (FSA) of 1985. As amended in 1990, the FSA states that the term "wetland," except when such term is part of the term "converted wetland," means land that
For purposes of the 1990 amended FSA, and any other act, this term shall not include lands in Alaska identified as having high potential for agricultural development which have a predominance of permafrost soils. WETLANDS (USFWS) —(Regulatory and Environmental) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has defined wetlands as follows: Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface, or the land is covered by shallow water. For purposes of this classification, wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes:
The term wetland includes a variety of areas that fall into one of five categories:
While Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats are defined separately, the USFWS approach to a definition views these two regimes as a continuum of an ecological classification system, and therefore both must be considered in an ecological approach to classification. The deepwater habitat/wetland classification includes five major systems:
The first four of these classifications include both wetland and deepwater habitats, but only the Palustrine System [see Wetlands, Palustrine] includes only wetland habitats. Wetlands have been found to provide many valuable functions to include groundwater recharge and discharge, flood flow alteration, sediment stabilization, sediment and toxicant retention, nutrient removal and/or transformation, diverse wildlife and aquatic habitats, and recreation [see Wetlands, Benefits]. Also see Deepwater Habitat. [See Appendix W-2 for an explanation of the Wetland and Deepwater Habitat Classification System and more detailed information on these systems.] WETLANDS [California] —Wetlands are transitional lands between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is often covered by shallow water during some parts of the year. Wetlands can be categorized according to specific habitat and type of vegetation. In general, wetlands are divided into:
WETLANDS [Nevada] —(State Wildlife Management Areas) Wetlands are those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency or duration sufficient to support, and that under normal conditions do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands typically include swamps, marshes, bogs, playas, springs, seeps, and similar areas. Wetlands are land transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface, or the land is covered by shallow water. For the purpose of this classification wetlands must have one or more of the following attributes:
Frequently in Nevada, wetlands within the state's Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are only wet during a portion of the year, and sometimes they are dry for more than a year at a time. Because of this, Nevada's regional differences in climate and hydrology must be considered for the purpose of wetland identification, inventory, and classification. WETLANDS, BENEFITS —Since colonial times, an estimated 54 percent of the total wetland areas in the United States have vanished. In a major study by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), during the 20 years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, such losses averaged 458,000 acres each year. More recent studies have clearly demonstrated that wetlands are precious ecological resources that nurture wildlife, purify polluted waters, check the destructive power of floods and storms, and provide a variety of recreational activities. The following constitutes a listing of some of the major benefits of these ecological systems:
WETLANDS, CONSTRUCTED —(1) Wetlands constructed by man either as part of a Wetland Banking, Wetland Clumping (Aggregation), or Wetland Mitigation program, or to achieve some other environmental preservation or restoration program. (2) (Water Quality) Wetlands constructed specifically for the purpose of treating waste water effluent before re-entering a stream or other body of water or being allowed to percolate into the groundwater. Also see Lagoon.WETLANDS MANAGEMENT —The maintenance or modification of Wetlands to achieve desired functions.WETLANDS, PALUSTRINE —Wetlands dominated by plants that persist throughout the year or the growing season. These areas are what most people think of when they see the term "wetland", and include marshes, swamps, bogs, and wet meadows. Palustrine wetlands may be dominated by subtidal, permanently and intermittently flood areas (Rock Bottom, Unconsolidated Bottom, Aquatic Bed, and Unconsolidated Shore), mosses and lichens (Moss-Lichen Wetlands), erect, rooted, herbaceous hydrophytes such as sedges, rushes, grasses, cattails, and bulrushes (Emergent Wetlands), woody vegetation less than 6 meters (20 feet) tall (Scrub-Shrub Wetlands), or woody vegetation that is 6 meters (20 feet) or taller (Forested Wetlands). Palustrine wetlands may occur in the vicinity of springs, seeps, and flowing wells, on the floodplains of streams and creeks, around the shores of some lakes and reservoirs, adjacent to irrigation canals, and in areas influenced by irrigation or irrigation runoff. The following presents a more detailed description of these wetland classes:
[Also see Appendix W-2 for an explanation of the Wetland and Deepwater Habitat Classification System and more detailed information on these Ecosystems.]
WETLANDS, SEASONAL —Wetland areas flooded or taking on the characteristics of a wetland only during specific periods of the year or seasons. Also see Playa, Pan, and Prairie Potholes.WET LINE —The length of sounding line below the water surface.WET MEADOW —Grassland with waterlogged soil near the surface but without standing water for most of the year.WET MILLING —The mechanical size reduction of solid wastes that have been wetted to soften the paper and cardboard constituents.WET, NEVADA PROJECT —See Water Education for Teachers (Project WET) [Nevada].WET PACK —A therapeutic pack moistened in hot or cold water.WET SCRUBBER —An air cleaning device that literally washes out the dust. Exhaust air is forced into a spray chamber, where fine water particles cause the dust to drop from the air stream. The dust-laden water is then treated to remove the solid material and is often recirculated.WET SCRUBBING —A process that removes particles, gases, or vapors from an exhaust gas by passing the exhaust through a shower of water or water that contains an agent to react with the material to be removed.WET SUIT —A tight-fitting permeable suit worn in cold water, as by skin divers, to retain body heat.WETTED PERIMETER —The length of the wetted contact between a stream of flowing water and its containing conduit or channel, measured in a plane at right angles to the direction of flow.WETTING AGENT —A chemical that reduces the surface tension of water and enables it to soak into porous material more readily.(WATER) WHEELING [Colorado River Basin] —Smaller bodies of water entering into the Colorado River are considered Colorado River water upon contact. This water is then subject to the laws of the Colorado River Compact. If the water is diverted prior to reaching the Colorado River, it can be separately developed and put to use outside the limitations of the Colorado River Compact. If "wheeling" is approved by the United States federal government, this additional water source could be transferred from one state to another, or within a state, using the Colorado River as a conveyance system.WHELM —To cover with water; submerge.WHEY —The clear fluid that separates from the solid curd when milk is allowed to coagulate, or sour. The curd contains most of the protein solids from the milk (casein), and the whey contains most of the small, soluble compounds found in milk. Whey represents a waste liquid produced in the manufacture of some cheeses, and has a high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).WHIRLPOOL —A rapidly rotating current of water; a Vortex. Also see Coriolis Effect.(LAKE) WHITENING —A phenomenon which occurs in moderately productive lakes when photosynthetic uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) causes the precipitation of small particles of calcite (mostly calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Since small particles have a greater effect on water transparency and typical calcite particles are only 1-2 micrometers (µm) in diameter, the lake's water takes on a milky appearance, hence lending to its name.WHITEOUT —A polar weather condition caused by a heavy cloud cover over the snow, in which the light coming from above is approximately equal to the light reflected from below, and which is characterized by absence of shadow, invisibility of the horizon, and ability to discern only very dark objects.WHITE SQUALL —A sudden squall occurring in tropical or subtropical waters, characterized by the absence of a dark cloud and the presence of white-capped waves or broken water.WHITE WATER —Turbulent or frothy water, as in rapids or surf.WICKET —A sluice gate for regulating the amount of water in a millrace or a canal or for emptying a lock.
WILDERNESS —Undeveloped land and associated water resources retaining their primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural condition and that (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable; (2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation; (3) is of sufficient size so as to make practical its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and (4) may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value.WILDERNESS ACT —A 1964 Act of Congress which established federal Wilderness Areas. As defined under this act, wilderness is undeveloped federal land without permanent improvements or human habitation; is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions; has outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive recreation; has at least 5,000 acres or is of sufficient size to make practical its condition; and may contain features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value as well as ecologic and geologic interest.WILDERNESS AREA —Land where the effects of man are not apparent. Large tracts of land that are set aside and allowed to develop without the intervention of man. Such activities as the construction of roads, development of recreational facilities, removal of trees, or hunting are prohibited. The 1964 Wilderness Act allows the U.S. government to set aside sections within the national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges as wilderness areas. Currently there are about 450 such areas within the United States totaling 90 million acres, two-thirds of which are in Alaska.(THE) WILDERNESS SOCIETY —An American environmental organization concerned with the protection of wildlife habitat and wildlife refuges as well as the preservation of public lands.WILDERNESS STUDY AREA (WSA) —An area possessing wilderness characteristics as defined in the Wilderness Act, an identified pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. These areas are maintained in their original condition and evaluated for possible inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System.WILDERNESS VALUES —Values established in the Wilderness Act, such as solitude and naturalness.WILDLAND —A non-urban, natural area which contains uncultivated land, timber, range, watershed, brush or grassland.WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS (WMAs) [Nevada] —Nevada's Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are lands and waters which have been acquired to effectuate a coordinated and balanced program resulting in the maximum revival of fish and wildlife and in the maximum recreational advantages to the people of the State of Nevada. Lands in Nevada set aside as WMAs currently total almost 275,000 acres (429 square miles). State WMAs are subject to supervision by the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners. The following areas have been so designated and are identified by Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW) geographic region:
|
