Water Pollution Flashcards
Water pollution
The addition of any substance to a body of water that might degrade its quality.
Stormwater runoff
Water from precipitation that flows over the surface of the land.
Point source pollution
Pollution from discharge pipes (or smoke stacks) such as that from wastewater treatment plants or industrial sites
nonpoint source pollution
Runoff that enters the water from overland flow.
Dissolved oxygen
The amount of oxygen in the water.
hypoxia
A situation in which a body of water contains inadequate levels of oxygen, compromising the health of many aquatic organisms.
eutrophication
A process in which excess nutrients in aquatic ecosystems feed biological productivity, ultimately lowering the oxygen content in the water.
watershed
The land area surrounding a body of water over which water such as rain can flow and potentially enter that body of water.
aquifer
An underground, permeable region of soil or rock that is saturated with water.
biological assessment
The process of sampling an area to see what lives there as a tool to determine how healthy the area is.
benthic macroinvertebrates
Easy-to-see (not microscopic) arthropods such as insects that live on the stream bottom.
Clean Water Act
U.S. federal legislation that regulates the release of point source pollution into surface waters and sets water quality standards for those waters. It also supports best management practices to reduce nonpoint source pollution.
pollution standards
Allowable levels of a pollutant that can be present in environmental waters or released over a certain time period.
watershed management
Management of what goes on in an area around streams and rivers.
riparian areas
The land areas close enough to a body of water to be affected by the water’s presence (for example, areas where water-tolerant plants grow) and that affect the water itself (for example, provide shade).
