A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

A

Acid Rain

This is precipitation (rain, dew, etc) which has been become acidic due to airborne pollutants.

Activated Carbon

Particles or granules of adsorptive carbon, usually obtained by heating a carbon based product such as wood. These particles or granules have a high capacity to selectively remove certain trace and soluble materials from water and other liquids as the liquid flows over the activated carbon.

Activated Sludge

Sludge particles produced during the secondary treatment process in the wastewater by the growth of organisms (including zoogleal bacteria). This process takes place in aeration tanks in the presence of dissolved oxygen. The term "activated" comes from the fact that the particles are teeming with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Activated sludge is different from primary sludge (what would just settle out of the incoming wastewater) in that the sludge particles contain many living organisms which can feed on the incoming wastewater.

Activated Sludge Process

A biological wastewater treatment process that speeds up the decomposition of wastes in the wastewater being treated. Activated sludge is added to wastewater and the mixture, known as mixed liquor, is aerated and agitated. Afterwards, the activated sludge is allowed to settle out in the aeration tank by sedimentation and is disposed of (wasted) or reused (returned to the aeration tank) as needed. The remaining wastewater then undergoes further treatment.

Aeration

The process of adding air to water. Air can be added to water by either passing it through water or passing water through air. Air is added to freshen wastewater and to keep solids in suspension. With mixtures of wastewater and activated sludge, adding air provides mixing and oxygen for the microorganisms treating the wastewater. In our plant the "AIR" we introduce is pure oxygen to speed up the treatment process.

Aerobic

A condition in which atmospheric or dissolved molecular oxygen is present in the subject environment.

Air Gap

An open vertical drop, or vertical empty space, that separates a drinking (potable) water supply from other water systems. This open gap prevents the contamination of drinking water by backsiphonage or backflow since there is no way the "other" water or any other water can reach the drinking water.

American Water Works Association (AWWA)

A professional organization for all persons working in the water utility field. This organization develops and recommends goals, procedures and standards for water utility agencies to help them improve their performance and effectiveness.

Apparent Color

Color of the water that includes not only the color due to substances in the water but suspended matter as well. Used as a macroscopic indicator of the quality of treatment.

Appurtenance

Machinery, appliances, structures and any other parts of the main structure necessary to allow it to operate as intended, but not considered part of the main structure.

Aquifer

A natural underground layer of porous, water-bearing materials (sand, gravel, porous rock) usually capable of yielding a large amount or supply of water.

Artesian

As it pertains to groundwater, a well, or underground basin, where the water is under a pressure greater than atmospheric, and will rise above the level of its upper confining surface if given an opportunity to do so.

B

Backflow

A flow condition it hey direction reverse to the intended, that is created by a difference in water pressures. This causes water to flow back into the distribution pipes of a potable water supply from any source or sources other than an intended source.

Bacteria

Bacteria are living organisms, microscopic in size, which usually consist of a single cell. Most bacteria use organic matter for their food and produce waste products as a result of their life processes.

Bar Screen

A screen composed of parallel bars, either vertical or inclined, placed in a sewer system, or other waterway, to catch debris. The screenings are then removed either by mechanical or manual methods (like raking) and disposed.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

The rate at which organisms use the oxygen in water while stabilizing decomposable organic matter under aerobic conditions. In decomposition, organic matter serves as food for the bacteria and energy results from its oxidation. BOD measurements are used as a measure of the organic strength of wastes in water. If liquids with high BOD content enter streams, lakes, or other waterways, the biological decomposition can use up the oxygen needed by the plants and fish in that water to survive.

Biomass

A mass or clump of organic material consisting of living organisms feeding on the wastes in wastewater, dead organisms and other debris.

Biosolids

A primarily organic solid product, produced by wastewater treatment processes, that can be beneficially recycled. The word biosolids is replacing the word sludge.

C

Carcinogen

Any substance which tends to produce cancer in an organism.

Catalyst

A substance that changes the speed or yield of a chemical reaction without being consumed or chemically changed by the chemical reaction.

Catch Basin

A chamber or well used as part of a stormwater system as both a collection point, and as a means of removing grit which might otherwise enter and be deposited in the pipes.

Certification Examination

An examination taken by water and wastewater personnel to certify their ability and knowledge in the treatment field and level of professional competence. These exams are administered by the State of Florida and professional association.

Cesspool

A lined or partially lined excavation or pit for dumping raw household wastewater for natural decomposition and percolation into the soil. Unlike a properly designed Septic System, cesspools do not provide adequate treatment of the wastes and are ILLEGAL!.

Chlorination

The application of chlorine to water or wastewater, generally for the purpose of disinfection, but frequently for accomplishing other biological or chemical results.

Cistern

A small tank (usually covered) or a storage facility used to store water for a home or farm. They are often used to store rainwater.

Clarification

Any process or combination of processes where the main purpose is to reduce the concentration of suspended matter in a liquid.

Clarifier

A large circular or rectangular tank or basin in which water is held for a period of time during which the heavier suspended solids settle to the bottom. Clarifiers are also called settling or sedimentation basins.

Clean Water Act

An act (law) passed by the U.S. Congress to control water pollution. First passes as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in 1972 (Public Law [PL] 92­500), it was later amended in 1977 (the Clean Water Act, PL 95­217) and again in 1987 (the Water Quality Act, PL 100­4).

Cleanout

An opening (usually covered or capped) in a wastewater collection system for inserting tools, rods or snakes to clean a pipeline or clear a blockage.

Code Of Federal Regulations (CFR)

A publication of the United States Government which contains all of the proposed and finalized federal regulations, including safety and environmental regulations.

Coliform

A group of bacteria found in the intestines of warm­blooded animals (including humans) and also in plants, soil, air and water. Fecal coliforms are a specific class of bacteria which only inhabit the intestines of warm­blooded animals. The presence of coliform bacteria is an indication that the water is polluted and may contain pathogenic (disease­causing) organisms.

Color

The substances in water that impart a yellowish-brown color to the water. These substances are the result of iron and manganese ions, humus and peat materials, plankton, aquatic weeds, and industrial waste present in the water.

Consumer Confidence Report

An annual report to the consumers, prepared by every water utility, to communicate right-to-know information required by law. The report provides consumers with information on the source and quality of their drinking water, and is an opportunity for positive communication with consumers and to convey the importance of good quality drinking water, and how to protect the same.

Cross Connection

A connection between a drinking (potable) water system and an unapproved water supply. For example, if you have a pump moving irrigation water from a pond and hook it into the drinking water system either to augment the sprinklers, or even just to supply potable water for the irrigation pump seal, a cross connection or mixing between the two water systems can occur. This mixing may lead to contamination of the drinking water system.

Cryogenic

Very low temperature, associated with liquified gases such as liquid oxygen. While there is no universal standard as to what temperatures are considered cryogenic, many authorities accept the temperature range from -100 °C (-148 °F) and below as cryogenic. The term cryogenics, first noted about 1875, comes from the Greek words "KRYOS" (icy cold) and "GENES" (born).

Cryptosporidium

Commonly referred to as "crypto" in the water and wastewater industries, it is a waterborne intestinal parasite that causes a disease called cryptosporidiosis. Symptoms of the disease include diarrhea, cramps, and weight loss. Cryptosporidium contamination is found in most surface waters and some groundwaters.

Curb Inlet

A chamber or well built at the curbline of a street to allow water from the gutter to flow to the storm water drainage system.

Curb Stop

A water service shutoff valve located in a water service pipe prior to the water meter near the curb (property line), between the water main and the building being serviced. This valve is usually operated by a wrench or valve key and is used to start or stop flows in the water service line to a building.

D

Datum Line

A reference line from which heights and depths are calculated or measured. Also known as a datum plane or a datum level. Ground elevations associated with stormwater calculations are normally referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD).

Debt Service

The amount of money required annually to pay:
    1) Interest on outstanding debts; or
    2) Funds due on a maturing bonded debt or the redemption of bonds.

Degasification

A water treatment process which removes dissolved gases from the water. The gases may be removed by either mechanical or chemical treatment methods or a combination of both.

Disinfection

The process designed to kill or inactivate most microorganisms in water, including essentially all pathogenic (disease­causing) bacteria. There are several ways to disinfect, with chlorination being the most frequently used in water treatment.

E

EPA

United States Environmental Protection Agency. A regulatory agency established by the U.S. Congress to administer the nation's environmental laws.

Easement

The legal right to use the property of others for a specific purpose. For example, a utility company may have an easement along the property line of a home. This gives the utility the legal right to install and maintain the water and sewer lines installed within that easement.

Effluent

Water or other liquid - either raw (untreated), partially or completely treated - flowing FROM a reservoir, basin, treatment process, or treatment plant.

Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU):

An average of the horizontal impervious area of single family residential units within the city. The horizontal impervious area includes, but is not limited to, all areas covered by structures, roof extensions, patios, porches, driveways and sidewalks.

F

Finished Water

Water that has passed through a water treatment plant, where all the treatment processes are completed or "finished." This water is ready to be delivered to consumers.

Floc

Clumps of bacteria and particles or coagulants and impurities that have come together and formed a cluster. Found in aeration tanks, secondary clarifiers and chemical precipitation processes.

Fluidized

A mass of solid particles that is made to flow like a liquid by injection of water or gas is said to have been fluidized. In water treatment, a bed of filter media is fluidized by pumping water up through the filter.

Fluoridation

The addition of a chemical to increase the natural concentration of fluoride ions in drinking water up to a predetermined optimum limit. This is done to help reduce the incidence of tooth decay in children.

Flushing

A method used to clean water distribution lines. Hydrants are opened and water at a high velocity flows out the pipes, removing any deposits from the pipes, as it flows out the hydrants.

Force Main

A pipe that carries wastewater under pressure from the discharge side of a pump to a point of gravity flow downstream.

G

Grinder Pump

A small submersible centrifugal pump with an impeller designed with grinder elements installed that both serves as a pump, and grinds solids in the pumped liquid into small pieces that can pass through the pump impellers, and downstream piping.

Grit

The heavy mineral material present in wastewater such as sand, coffee grounds, eggshells, gravel and cinders. Grit tends to settle out at flow velocities drop below 2 ft/sec and accumulate on the invert or bottom.

Grit Chamber

A detention chamber or an enlargement of a collection line designed to reduce the velocity of flow of the liquid, thereby permitting the separation of mineral solids from organic solids by differential sedimentation.

Groundwater

Subsurface water in the saturation zone from which wells and springs are fed. In a strict sense the term applies only to water below the water table.

H

HTH

High Test Hypochlorite. Calcium hypochlorite or Ca(OCl)₂. Used as a disinfectant. In water and wastewater treatment, and in swimming pools.

Hard Water

Water having a high concentration of calcium and magnesium ions. Water is considered hard if it has a mineral content of minerals such as calcium carbonate greater than 100 mg/L.

Hydrogen Sulfide Gas (H₂S)

Hydrogen sulfide is a gas with a rotten egg odor. This gas is produced under anaerobic conditions. Hydrogen sulfide gas is particularly dangerous because if it is at a dangerous level it dulls the sense of smell. In high concentrations, hydrogen sulfide gas is only noticeable for a very short time. The gas is very poisonous to the respiratory system, explosive, flammable, colorless and heavier than air.

I

Impervious Area:

The area of land, measured in a horizontal plane, that has a surface that has been compacted or covered with a layer of material so that it is highly resistant to letting water soak into the ground. It includes, but is not limited to, semi-impervious surfaces such as compacted clay, as well as streets, roofs, sidewalks, parking lots and other similar surfaces.

Infiltration

The seepage of groundwater into a sewer system, including service connections. Seepage frequently occurs through defective or cracked pipes, pipe joints, connections or manhole walls.

Inflow

Water discharged into a sewer system and service connections from such sources as, but not limited to, roof leaders, cellars, yard and area drains, foundation drains, cooling water discharges, drains from springs and swampy areas, around manhole covers or through holes in the covers, cross connections from storm and combined sewer systems, catch basins, storm waters, surface runoff, street wash waters or drainage. Inflow differs from infiltration in that it is a direct discharge into the sewer rather than a leak in the sewer itself.

Influent

Water or other liquid - raw (untreated) or partially treated - flowing INTO a reservoir, basin, treatment process, or treatment plant.

K

Kjeldahl Nitrogen

Nitrogen in the form of organic proteins or their decomposition product ammonia, as measured by the Kjeldahl Method.

L

Lift Station

A wastewater pumping station that lifts the wastewater to a higher elevation when continuing the sewer at reasonable slopes would involve excessive depths of trench. Also, an installation of pumps that raise wastewater from areas too low to drain into available sewers. Sometimes called a PUMP STATION, but this term is usually reserved for a similar type of facility that is discharging into a long FORCE MAIN, while a lift station has a discharge line or force main only up to the downstream gravity sewer.

M

MGD

Initials for "Million Gallons Per Day."

Milligrams Per Liter, mg/L

A measure of the concentration by weight of a substance per unit volume. For practical purposes, one mg/L of a substance in fresh water is equal to one part per million parts (ppm). Thus a liter of water with a specific gravity of 1.0 weighs one million milligrams. If water contains 10 milligrams of calcium, the concentration is 10 milligrams per million milligrams, or 10 milligrams per liter (10 mg/L), or 10 parts of calcium per million parts of water, or 10 parts per million (10 ppm).

N

NPDES Permit

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit is the regulatory agency document issued by either a federal or state agency which is designed to control all discharges of pollutants from point sources and stormwater runoff into U.S. waterways. NPDES permits regulate discharges into navigable waters from all point sources of pollution, including industries, municipal wastewater treatment plants, sanitary landfills, large agricultural feedlots and return irrigation flows.

Nonpoint Source

A runoff or discharge from a field or similar source. A point source refers to a discharge that comes out the end of a pipe or other clearly identifiable conveyance.

O

Osmosis

The passage of a liquid from a weak solution to a more concentrated solution across a semipermeable membrane. The membrane allows the passage of the water (solvent) but not the dissolved solids (solutes). This process tends to equalize the conditions on either side of the membrane.

P

POTW

Publicly Owned Treatment Works. A treatment facility which is owned by a state, municipality, city, town, special sewer district or other publicly owned and financed entity as opposed to a privately (industrial) owned treatment facility. This definition includes any devices and systems used in the storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage (wastewater) or industrial wastes of a liquid nature. It also includes sewers, pipes and other conveyances only if they carry wastewater to a POTW treatment plant. The term also means the municipality (public entity) which has jurisdiction over the indirect discharges to and the discharges from such a treatment works.

Pathogenic Organisms

Bacteria, viruses, or cysts which can cause disease (giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, typhoid, cholera, dysentery) in a host (such as a person). Note, there are also many types of organisms which do NOT cause disease and which are NOT called pathogenic. Many beneficial bacteria are found in wastewater treatment processes actively cleaning up organic wastes.

Potable Water

Water that does not contain objectionable pollution, contamination, minerals, or infective agents and is considered satisfactory for drinking.

Q

Quicklime

A material that is mostly calcium oxide (CaO). Quicklime is used in the treatment process to stabilize and freshen the final product.

R

Return Activated Sludge (RAS)

Settled activated sludge that is collected in the secondary clarifier and returned to the aeration basin to mix with incoming raw or primary settled wastewater.

Raw Water

Water in its natural state, prior to any treatment.

Reverse Osmosis

The application of pressure to a concentrated solution which causes the passage of a liquid from the concentrated solution to a weaker solution across a semipermeable membrane. The membrane allows the passage of the water (solvent) but not the dissolved solids (solutes). In the reverse osmosis process two liquids are produced:
    1) the reject (contains high concentrations of dissolved solids), and
    2) the permeate, or treated water.

S

SCADA System

Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition System. A computer-monitored alarm, response, control and data acquisition system used to monitor and control the operation of the utilities facilities.

Sanitary Sewer

A pipe or conduit (sewer) intended to carry wastewater or waterborne wastes from homes, businesses, and industries to the POTW (Publicly Owned Treatment Works). Storm water runoff or unpolluted water should be collected and transported in a separate system of pipes or conduits (storm sewers) to natural watercourses.

Septic Tank

A system used where wastewater collection systems and treatment plants are not available. The system is a settling tank in which settled sludge is in intimate contact with the wastewater flowing through the tank and the organic solids are decomposed by anaerobic bacterial action. Used to treat wastewater and produce an effluent that is usually disposed of by subsurface leaching.

Soft Water

Water having a low concentration of calcium and magnesium ions. According to U.S. Geological Survey guidelines, soft water is water having a hardness of 60 milligrams per liter or less.

Stormwater:

Water that directly results from a rainfall event.

Stormwater System:

Includes all natural and man made drainage elements used to convey stormwater from the first point of impact with the surface of the earth to a suitable outlet location internal or external to the boundaries of the city. The stormwater system includes but is not limited to pipes, channels, catch basins, curbs, gutters, streams, ditches, wetlands, sinkholes, pub stations, roadways, detention/retention basins, swales, ponds and other stormwater conveyance and treatment facilities whether public or private.

Surface Water:

All surface natural and man-made water bodies, including but not limited to all lakes, rivers, canals, wetlands, sloughs, streams, territorial waters and the ocean into which stormwater runoff directly or indirectly discharges.

T

Turbidity

The cloudy appearance of water caused by the presence of suspended and colloidal material. In water treatment, the measurement of turbidity is used to indicate the clarity of water. Technically, turbidity is only an optical property of the water based on the amount of light reflected by suspended particles. Turbidity cannot be directly equated to suspended solids because white particles reflect more light than dark­colored particles and many small particles will reflect more light than an equivalent large particle.

W

Waste Activated Sludge (WAS)

The excess growth of microorganisms which must be removed from the process to keep the biological system in balance.

Wastewater

A community's used water and water-carried solids (including used water from industrial processes) that flow to a treatment plant. Storm water, surface water, and groundwater infiltration also may be included in the wastewater that enters a wastewater treatment plant. The term "sewage" usually refers to household wastes, but this word is being replaced by the term "wastewater."