Glossary & Water Terms
ACRE: a unit of measurement of land. It is equal to the area of land inside a square that is about 209 feet on each side( 43,560 square feet).
ACRE FOOT: the volume of water required to cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot( 43,560 cubic feet or 325,851 gallons).
AGRIBUSINESS: producers of agricultural goods and services, such as farm equipment makers, food and fiber processors, wholesalers, transporters, and retail food and fiber outlets. AGRICULTURE: the science, art and business of cultivating the soil, producing crops, raising livestock and making products available to meet the world’ s food, and much of its clothing, shelter and other needs.
ALUM: a chemical used in the water cleaning process that makes particles stick together( coagulate) so they become heavy enough to sink to the bottom of a container.
AQUIFER: consists primarily of sand, gravel and porous rock through which water may move but which is surrounded by mainly impervious materials. Aquifers may be thin or thick, may be very small or may stretch for hundreds of miles. The refilling or replacement of water in aquifers is called recharging. ATLAS: book of maps. ATMOSPHERE: the gaseous mass or envelope surrounding Earth.
BACTERIA: microscopic organisms that live in water and on land. They help break down organic materials into simpler nutrients through a process called decay. BASIN: the area of land that drains to a particular river. BIOSOLIDS: solid materials of organic origin resulting from wastewater treatment( at one time called sludge); biosolids meet federal and state standards for use as fertilizers.
CANAL: a man-made waterway.
CLIMATE: the average weather conditions of a place or region. Includes the average rainfall, temperature, humidity and wind conditions.
COAGULATION: process of combining small particles with other small particles to create larger solids.
COAGULATE: to cause small particles to combine with other small particles.
COLLAGE: an artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface.
COMMUNITIES: a group of people living in the same locality; common possession or participation.
COMPOSTING: mixing decaying organic matter( grass clippings, leaves, etc.) to form a rich soil conditioner.
COMPOUND: a combination of two or more elements or parts; atoms of two or more different elements combined.
CONDENSATION: the process of changing a gas into a liquid; for example, when steam or water vapor turns into water. CONDENSE: to undergo condensation. CONSERVATION( water): the wise use of water with methods ranging from more efficient practices in farm, home and industry to capturing water for use through water storage or conservation projects.
CONSERVATION( soil): a combination of land use and practices to protect and improve soil and to prevent soil deterioration from erosion, exhaustion of plant nutrients, accumulation of toxic salts, excessive compaction or other adverse effects. CULTIVATION: to prepare and improve land for raising crops. CYCLE: a periodically repeated sequence of events.
DAM: structure built to stop the flow of water down a stream. DENSITY: the mass per unit of volume of a substance. DIARY: a daily record, especially a personal record of events, experiences and observations. DISINFECT: to cleanse of disease-carrying microorganisms.
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DISINFECTANT: an agent that disinfects( like chlorine). DISINFECTION: the process of cleansing pathogenic microorganisms( in our case, from water). DISSOLVE: to reduce to liquid form; to break up or disperse. DIVERSION: removal of water from any body of water by canal, pipe or other conduit. DOWNSTREAM: in the direction of a stream’ s current. DRAINAGE BASIN: see Basin; see Watershed. DRIP IRRIGATION: a method of irrigating that is done by drilling holes in a hose or pipe so water flows to individual plants. DROUGHT: a long period with no rain.
ELEMENT: a substance composed of atoms.
EROSION: a natural process by which rock and soil are broken loose from the Earth’ s surface at one location and moved to another by wind, moving water, ice and landslides. ESSENTIAL: necessary. EVAPORATE: to change a liquid to vapor. EVAPORATION: the process of changing a liquid to a gas( vapor); for example, when water turns into steam or water vapor.
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION: the total moisture loss from an area controlled by climactic conditions and plant processes( evaporation and transpiration; ET).
FARMER: a person who operates or works on a farm for the purpose of producing a crop or livestock.
FERTILIZERS: materials added to soil to make it better for growing crops. Manure, composts from decayed leaves and certain chemicals are common materials used as fertilizers. FILTRATE: to put through a filter. FILTRATION: the process of putting water through filters to clean the water. FLOAT: to remain suspended on the surface of water without sinking. FLOC: a mass formed as a result of flocculation. FLOCCULATION: the process of causing particles to form lumps or masses. FLOOD: an overflowing of water onto land. FLOOD IRRIGATION: a method of irrigating that is done by causing water to overflow onto land to reach crops. FRESH WATER: salt-free water. FURROW IRRIGATION: a method of irrigation in which water flows down small ditches( furrows) between rows of crops.
GAS: a state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by very low density. GERMINATE: to begin to grow; sprout. GLACIER: a huge mass of compacted snow. GLOBE: a sphere showing a representation of Earth. GROUNDWATER: groundwater, as opposed to surface water, is water that does not runoff, and is not taken up by plants, but soaks down into an aquifer.
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O: water( 2 hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom). HAZARDOUS: dangerous. HYDROGEN: a colorless gaseous element. HYDROLOGIC CYCLE: the cycle of water movement from the atmosphere to Earth and back again through evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, percolation, runoff and storage. See Water Cycle.
ICE: frozen water. IRRIGATE: to supply with water by means of ditches, pipes, etc. IRRIGATION: the artificial distribution of water on the land surface to establish a crop or to increase crop yield where the precipitation is inadequate.