Ch 11 Key Terms

Question 1

Surface water

Answer 1

water that collects on the surface of the ground.

Question 2

river system

Answer 2

A river system is also called a drainage basin or watershed. A river’s watershed includes the river, all its tributaries, and any groundwater resources in the area. The end of a river is its mouth. Here, the river empties into another body of water—a larger river, a lake, or the ocean

Question 3

watershed

Answer 3

an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.

Question 4

groundwater

Answer 4

water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock

Question 5

aquifer

Answer 5

a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater

Question 6

porosity

Answer 6

he quality or state of being porous. b : the ratio of the volume of interstices of a material to the volume of its mass. 2 : pore.

Question 7

permeability

Answer 7

the state or quality of a material or membrane that causes it to allow liquids or gases to pass through it.

Question 8

recharge zone

Answer 8

a 1,250 square mile area where highly faulted and fractured Edwards limestones outcrop at the land surface, allowing large quantities of water to flow into the Aquifer

Question 9

potable

Answer 9

safe to drink

Question 10

pathagon

Answer 10

a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.

Question 11

dam

Answer 11

a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply.

Question 12

reservoir

Answer 12

a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.

Question 13

desalination

Answer 13

the process of removing salt from seawater.

Question 14

water pollution

Answer 14

water becoming unusable or drinkable

Question 15

point source pollution

Answer 15

ny single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged

Question 16

nonpoint source pollution

Answer 16

diffuse contamination (or pollution) of water or air that does not originate from a single discrete source.

Question 17

wastewater

Answer 17

water that has been used in the home, in a business, or as part of an industrial process.

Question 18

artificial eutrophication

Answer 18

occurs when human activity introduces increased amounts of these nutrients

Question 19

thermal pollution

Answer 19

the discharge of heated liquid (such as wastewater from a factory) into natural waters at a temperature harmful to the environment.