Water Words Glossary

Acid Rain

Rainfall containing dissolved toxic industrial gases, maily sulphur and nitrogen oxides. With a pH balance of 5 or less, acid rain becomes damaging for aquatic ecosystems (Pielou, 1998)

Acidic

A pH below 7; soil normally has a pH of about 6.5 (Rubin, 1989).

Airshed

Geographical areas in which air quality is a function of the same sources, weather and geography (Ministry of Environment).

Alkaline

A pH about 7 (Rubin, 1989)

Alluvial Deposits

Any sediment, including clay, silt, sand, gravel or similar unconsolidated material deposited in a sorted or semi-sorted condition by a watercourse (Humphrey 2000).

Ambient Groundwater Flow

The rate of flow and direction of flow of groundwater under unpumped, natural conditions.

Alluvial Fans

A fan shaped accumulation of alluvium deposited at the mouth of a ravine or at juncture of a tributary stream with the main stream (Humphrey 2000).

Aquifer

A body of rock or sediment that holds enough water to serve as a natural underground reservoir. Aquifers vay in size and capacity and may be confined by an almost impereable layer or unconfined so that water rises to the level of the water table (Pielou, 1998).

Aquifer Classification System

Classifies aquifers on the basis of their level of development and vulnerability to contamination. It is map-based and provides a ranking value for aquifers using hydrogeology and water use criteria (Humphrey, 2000).

Aquifer Conductivity

The rate of groundwater flow in an aquifer. Rapid groundwater flow in an qaquiferallows for the rapid spread of a contaminant (Piscopo, 2001).

Aquifer Media

The character of the groundwater flow system. The path length and travel time of groundwater within an aquifer will determine how quickly a contaminant will spread through an aquifer (Piscopo, 2001).

Aquifer Vulnerability Index

A methodology that can be applied to determine the vulnerability of an aquifer. It is quantitative and based on the thickness of differing overburden types. A numerical index score is generated that can be used to compare groundwater formations (Humphrey, 2000).

Aquifer Vulnerability Mapping

To map the vulnerability of an aquifer to contamination from sources. Bulnerability mapping does not consider the type of land use abouve an aquifer, only the intrinsic vulnerability of the aquifer, typically based on the type, thickness, and extent of geologic materials overlying an aquifer, depth to water, and type of aquifer materials (Humphrey, 2000).

Artesian

An aquifer and the water in it. It can refer to the release of water to the surface from an aquifer without the aid of a pump (Pielou, 1998).

Bed Rock

Rock underlying soil and other consolidated material.

Best Management Practices

Now referred to as guidelines (Ministry of Environment, 2006).

Biodiversity

The diversity of plants, animals, and other living organisms in all their forms and levels of organization, including genes, species, ecosystems, and the evluntionary and functional processes that link them (BC Watersheds, 2007).

Buffers

A zone or strip of forest land that separates two areas, usually to protect a sensitive area from the impacts of the adjacent development activities (BE Watersheds, 2007).

Catchment Area

Also referred to as drainage basin. A drainage basin is a region of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, dam, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean. The drainage basin includes both the streams and rivers that convey the water as well as the land surfaces from which water drains into those channels. The drainage basin acts like a funnel - collecting all the water within the area covered by the basin and channeling it into a waterway. Each drainage basin is separated topographically from adjacent basins by a ridge, hill or mountain, which is known as a water divide or a watershed. Especially in North American usage however, watershed refers to the drainage basin itself. Other terms that can be used to describe the same concept are catchment, catchment area, catchment basin, drainage area, river basin and water basin (Wikipedia, 2007).

Cistern

Cisterns are commonly used in areas where water is scarce, either because it is rare or because it has been depleted due to heavy use. Early on the water was used for many purposes, including cooking, irrigation, and washing. Present day cisterns are often only used for irrigation, due to concerns over water quality. Cisterns today can also be outfitted with filters or other water purification methods when the water is meant for consumption. Some leave their cisterns open to catch rain or have more elaborate rain-catching systems. It is recommended in these cases to have a system that does not leave the water open to mosquitoes or algae, which are attracted to the water and then carry desease to nearby humans. Some cisterns sit on the top of houses or on the ground highter than the house, and supply the running water needs for the house. They are often supplied not by rainwater harvesting, but by wells with electric pumps, or are filled by manual labor or by truck delivery (Wikipedia, 2007).

Climate Change

Due to an increase in global temperature, evapotranspiration, changes in snowfall and rainfall patterns, and changes in intensity, severity, and timing of storms will occur, which will result in alternations in soil moisture, water runoff, and regional hydrological cycles. The supply of water and the subsequent demand will change, along with water quality. Climate change will have an impact on water resources, hydroelectric generation, human health, navigation and shipping, agriculture, and water quality (Boberg, 2005).

Clear Cut

A silviculture system that removes the entire stand of trees in a single harvesting operation from an area that is one hectare or greater and at least two tree heights in width. A clear-cut is designed to be managed as a even-aged stand where only one ageclass is present (BC Watersheds, 2007).

Coal Bed Methane Gas

A natural gas found in underground coal deposits contained within the coal seam where it is absorbed or attached to coal particles. During extraction, water is pumped out of the coal seams, which lowers the pressure enough to release the gas for collection and sale (Ministry of Environment, 1999).

Coli Form Bacteria

A large group of bacteria, commonly found in topsoil, bodies of water and animal (fecal) matter (Provincial Health Officer, 2006).

1. Total Coli Forms - In drinking water, the level of total coli form indicates whether water has been cantaminated from an unsanitary source. It is an indicator or water quality.
2. Fecal Coli forms - A sub-group of coli forms found almost exclusively in the intestinal wates of humans and animals but capable of growing elsewhere in the environment. If found in water, they are an indicator that it has been contaminated with sewage or other intestinal wastes and may be a potential risk, if containing disease-causing organisms. Water containing fecal coli forms is generally unsafe to drink.
3. A type of fecal coli form bacteria whose presence in water indicates recent animal contamination and the possible presence of pathogenic micro-organisms.

Community Watershed

Confined Aquifer

An aquifer bound both below and above by beds of considerably lower permeability than that existing in the aquifer itself. The groundwater in a confined aquifer is under pressure that is significantly greater than that existing in the atmosphere (Humphrey, 2000).

Contaminant

Solute which through human action intrudes into the hydrologic cycle (Humphrey, 2000)

Contamination

Cryptosporidium

Protozoan that is resistant to chlorine disinfection (Hrudey et. al, 2002). It is a parasite approximately 4-6 micrometers in diameter, most commonly found in mammals. The illness, cryptosporidiosis, consists of watery diarrhea and vomiting. No treatment is available (Provincial Health Officer, 2006).

Demand Management

Depth To Water Table

Desalination

Discharge Area

Disinfection By-products

Drainage Basin

Drilled Well

Dug Well

Ecosystem

Erosion

Evaporation

Evapotranspiration

Filtration

Finished Water

Floodplain

Fractured Media

Fresh Water

Giardia

Protozoan parasite present in fresh water, most commonly referred to as beaver fever (Emery, 1994). Giardia can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea or vomiting, weight loss and fatigue lasting weeks. Giardia can be carried by humans as well as certain domestic and wild animals (Provincial Health Officer, 2006).

Greenhouse Gases

Gases that play a part in the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide (CO2 is the most significant greenhouse gas), methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, water vapour, CFCs and other trace gases (Ministry of Environment).

Grey Water

Waste water that is recycled for re-use (Emery, 1994).

Groundwater

Water that saturates the ground filling all available spaces also known as the saturation zone. There are three types of groundwater: 1. meteoric water that circulates as part of the water cycle; 2. fossil water that is trapped in ancient sediments; and 3. juvenile water that is given off by magna rock. Fossil and juvenile water are not a part of the water cycle but will at some point become released and join the water cycle (Pielou, 1998).

Groundwater Table

It is the surface of a body of unconfined grundwater at which the pressure is atmospheric and where rock, gravel, and sand are saturated (Humphrey, 2000).

Groundwater Vulnerability

Benerated by concerns about groundwater contamination, the vulnerability of groundwater is relative and not directly measurable. It can be assessed through a measure known as DRASTIC:

Diagram 1. Groundwater Cycle (Piscopo, 2001).

Hard Water

Water containing dissolved minerals (Emery, 1994). As water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves very small amounts of minerals. Calcium and magnesium are the two most common minerals that produce hard water; hard water is regarded as healthier to drink than soft water but causes mineral build-up on fixtures and dissolves laundry detergents poorly (Stauffer, 2004, www.hardwater.org).

Humidity

The amount of water vapour present in the air. Absolute humidity is measured in grams of water per cubic meter of air (Pielou, 1998).

Hydraulic Gradient

The slope of the groundwater level or water table (Humphrey, 2000).

Hydraulic Head

The level to which water rises in a well with reference to a datum such as sea level (Humphrey, 2000).

Hydro-fracturing

Hydro-fracturing originated in the oil drilling business with its popularity in the water well drilling industry having grown over the past few years. When a drilled well is hydro-fractured high pressure water is injected through a pipe to expand, clear, or fracture the fissures with the expectation that well production will increase. Hydro-fracturing is not legislated. There are no requirements for the distances from the ocean or neighbouring wells if one wants to hydro-fracture a well to increase groundwater access. This practice can redirect or increase flows, which may affect neighbouring wells via reduced production or a higher salinity count (Mayne Island Integrated Water Systems Society).

Hydrogeology

Study of groundwater in its geological context (Humprhey, 2000).

Hydrologic Cycle

Also known as the water cycle, water is constantly circulating. Fresh water falls as rain or snow on land and sea flowing seaward on the land surface or below it. Water vapours rise into the air from land and sea condensing into clouds and repeating the first step again by falling as rain or snow.

Hydrologist

Practitioners who studies the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, and thus addresses both the hydrologic cycle and wter resources (Wikipedia, 2007).

Hydrology

The science of water, its properties and movement over and under land surfaces (BC Watersheds, 2007).

Impermeable

Impervious to flow of fluids (Humphrey, 2000).

Infiltration Gallery

Irrigation

Water that is directed in order to supply water for vegetation (Emery, 1994)..

Limnologist

Practitioners who study inland, fresh waters (Wikipedia, 2007).

Limnology

The study of inland waters (fresh), including their biological, physical, chemical, geological and hydrological aspects. This includes the study of (natural and man-made) lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, wetlands and groundwater (Wikipedia, 2007).

Lithology

All the physical properties, the visible characterristics of mineral composition, structure, grain size, etc. that give individuality to a rock (Humphrey, 2000).

Membrane Filtration

A technique that permits removal of particles from a drinking water source on the basisof their molecular size and shape with the use of pressure and specially designed semi-permeable membranes (Provincial Health Officer, 2006).

Multi-barrier Approach

An integrated system of procedures, processes and tools that collectively prevent or reduce the contamination of drinking water from source to tap (Provincial Health Officer, 2006).

Nitrate

An essential plant nutrient found in fertilizers produced during the breakdown of organic waste. Excessive fertilizer application, improper agricultural waste management or underground septic tanks may increase nitrate levels in groundwater. Nitrates reduce the ability of blood to carry oxygen. Infants under six months are particularly at risk from drinking well-water containing excessive nitrates (Ministry of Environment).

Non-point Source Pollution

Water pollution caused by one or more activities taking place over a broad area. Agriculture, forestry and urban development are examples of activities that contribute to NPS pollution. Non-point source pollution in aquatic ecosystems can be grouped into five main categories (Ministry of Environment, 1999):

1. Pathogens
These microorganisms - bacteria, viruses, and protozoa - can cause waterborne illneses. While most pathogens come from human sewage (primarily leaking or agin sewage collection systems, onsite sewate systems, stormwater runoff, and combined sewer overflows), manure from livestock and wild animal droppings are also common sources.

2. Oxygen Depleting Substances
When organic wastes (e.g., manure, sewage, pulp and paper mill effluent) decay in water, bacteria oxidize the waste, using up oxygen dissolved in the water, If the oxygen is consumed beyond a safe threshold, fish are stressed and will die when lethal levels are reached. Anaerobic decomposition (without oxygen) produces gases, such as hydrogen sulphide, that are lethal to many organisms.

3. Nutrients
Organic wastes and fertilizers introduce plant-feeding nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, into runoff. When onsite sewage effluent or runoff enters a water body, nutrients can cause algal blooms and dense weed growth that disrupt the balance of aquatic ecosystems and interfere with recreation such as swimming and boating. When an algal bloom occurs, oxygen in the water is depleted, which can cause odour problems as well as kill fish and orther organisms.

4. Sediments
Suspended soil particles make water turbid and unpleasant to drink, and increase water treatment requirements. Sediments also reduce light available to algae and aquatic plants, kill or injure fish by damaging their gills, cover spawning gravel and smother fish eggs, and reduce the quality of recreational activities such as swimming and boating.

5. Toxins
Substances as ammonia, nitrate, metals, pesitcides and a variety of organic toxins can poison humans, livestock, wildlife, and aquatic organisms. Some toxins cause cancer. In addition, chloramines - a comparatively persistent drinking water treatment chemical - can be very harmful to aquatic life when dishcharged in fisheries-sensitive areas.

Observation Well

A well constructed for the objective of undertaking observatioins such as water levels, pressure readings and groundwater quality (Humphrey, 2000).

Perched Water Table

A separate continuous body of groundwater lying (perched) above the main water table. Clay beds located within a sedimentary sequence, if of limited aerial extent, may have a shallow perched groundwater body overlying them (Humphrey, 2000).

Permeability

The property of a porous rock, sediment or soil for transmitting a fluid, it is a test of relative ease of fluid floe in a porous medium (Humphrey, 2000).

Precautionary Principle

Where there is the possibility that a practice may cause serious or irreversible damage to the environment that practice should be modified or curtailed (Ministry of Environment, 1999). This principle recognized the dynamic nature of ecosystems and humanity's current limited understanding abou the interrelationships between parts of the system and how they function (BC Watersheds, 2007).

Point Source Pollution

Water pollution caused from a single, identifiable source, such as a pipe through which an industrial or municipal treatment plant releases wastewater and pollutants into a water body. Point sources are often controlled through effluent standards, water quality guidelines, permitting programs and liquid waste management plans (Ministry of Environment, 1999).

Potable Water

Water provided by a domestic water system that meets the standards prescribed by regulation and is safe to drink and fit for domestic purposes without further treatment (Ministry of Health, 2001).

Prescribed Water Supply System

A water supply system that is of a class prescribed by regulation or is prescribed by regulation (Ministry of Health, 2001).

Primary Treatment

To physically remove settled solids and most discrete suspended and floating solids from the wastewater stream by neutralization, filtration, and sedimentation. This wastewater influent is divided into three output pathways: primary effluent, primary sludge, and aerosols (Spulber and Sabbaghi, 1998).

Raw Water

Water that is untreated or unfiltered (Davies and Mazumder, 2003).

Recharge Area

This reflectes the amount of water that percolates from the surface to the water table. The greater the flow of water the more likely that contaminants will pollute the groundwater below the water table from the water flow (Piscope, 2001).

Recycled Water

See grey water.

Regulation

A law which is passed by the provincial or federal Cabinet, the executive branch of government. Cabinet may only pass regulations where the legislature or parliament has delegated the power to do so through an enactment (BC Watersheds, 2007).

Reservoirs

A human produced surface body of water created when a dam in constructed. The creation of a reservoir entails the flooding of land and the submergence of vegetation, which increases the introduction of mercury into the food chain, and carbon dioxide, and methane in the atmosphere (Pielou, 1998).

Riparian

Area adjacent to a stream that may be subject to temporary, frequent, or seasonal inundation and supports plant species that are typical of an area inundated or saturated soil conditions that are distinct from plant species on freely drained adjacent upland sites due to the presence of water (Ministry of Environment, 1999).

Runoff

The amount of water that leaves a watershed. The formula used to measure this is [Runnoff = (Precipitation - Evapotranspiration)] (Pielou, 1998).

Salt Water Intrusion

Movement of salty or brackish groundwater into wells and into aquifers previously occupied by fresh or less mineralized groundwater either through upcoming or sea water encroachment (Humphrey, 2000).

Sandstone

A sedimentary rock composed of mostly sand-sized particles (Humphrey, 2000).

Saturated Zone

The subsurface zone in which all voids are ideally filled with water under pressure greater than atmospheric (Humphrey, 2000).

Sea Water Encroachment

The lateral landwater movement of sea water into wells and freshwater aquifers (Humphrey, 2000).

Secondary Treatment

To remove biodegradable organic materials by the precipitation of metal hydroxides and the absorpiton of elemental contaminants (Spulber and Sabbaghi, 1998).

Sedimentation

The process of subsidence and deposition by gravity of suspended matter carried in water; usually the result of the reduction of water velocity below the point at which it can transport the material in suspended form (BC Watersheds, 2007).

Sensitive Ecosystem

Particular to the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Gult Islands, the Ministry of Environment and Environment Canada have mapped out sensitive ecosystems to include: wetlands, reparian, older forest, woodland, coastal bluff, terrestrial herbaceous, sparsely vegated. Human activity has modified 80% of this area (MOE, 2006).

Sewer

An artificial conduct or system of conduits used to remove human sewage and to provide drainage. Sewers are generally gravity powered (Wikipedia, 2007).

Shale

A fine-grained sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation of clay, silt, or mud characterized by finely laminating structure and is sufficiently hardened so that it will not fall part on wetting (Humphrey, 2000).

Soft Path

A planning approach for fresh water that views water as a means t accomplish certain tasks rather than viewing water as the end product. 'Why use water in this application at all' is the driving philosophy. The soft path works within ecological limits and promotes public participation. It is called the soft path partly because it requires less steel and concrete, ie., less infrastructure, better on the environment, and also because it relies on solving society's water problems by working with nature rather than trying to overcome it (Brandes and Brooks, 2005).

Soil Erosion

The wearing away of the earth's surface by water, gravity, wind, and ice (BC Watersheds, 2007).

Soil Media

The effectiveness of the sol to act as a barrier to surface contaminants depends on its physical properties. For example, thin, permeable soils are ineffective barriers (Piscopo, 2001).

Solar Aquatics

Sun-based method of purifying waste without hazardous chemicals; this water treatment process mimics the natural cycle at an increased rate (Todd, 1990).

Source to Tap

A way of looking at the entire water supply system, from the source water in a watershed through to the treatment and distribution systems to where water reaches the consumer (Provincial Health Officer, 2006).

Source Water

The body of water from which a drinking water supply originates. Source water can be surface water or goundwater (Provincial Health Officer, 2006).

Specific Capacity

The rate of discharge from a well per unit drawn (Humphrey, 2000).

Specific Conductance (groundwater)

The ability of a water sample to conduct an electric current related to the concentration of dissolved solids in a water sample (Humphrey, 2000).

Spring

Natural appearance of groundwater that comes to the surface (Emery, 1994).

Static Water Level

The level of water in a well that is not being influenced by groundwater withdrawals. The distance to water in a well is measured with respect to some datum, usually the top of the well casing or ground level (Humphrey, 2000).

Stewardship

Stewardship refers to the concept of responsibly managing natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations and encouraging the active participation of persons or groups, including citizens, communities, government and industry (Ministry of Environment, 1999).

Stormwater

Water that originates during pecipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt or runoff water from over-watering that enters the stormwater system. Stormwater that does not soak into the ground becomes surface runoff, which either flows into surface waterways or is channeled into storm sewers.

Stormwater is of concern for two main issues - one related to the volume and timing of runoff water (flood control and water supplies ) and the other ralted to potential contaminants that the water is carrying (water pollution).

Because impervious surfaces (parking lots, roads, buildings) do not allow rain to infiltrate into the ground, more runoff is generated than in the undeveloped condition. This additional runoff can erode watercourses (streams and rivers) as well as cause flooding when the water is flushed out of the watershed during the storm event, little infiltrates the soil, replenishes groundwater, or supplies stream base flow in dry weather (Wikipedia, 2007).

Storm Sewers

Large pipes that transport storm water runoff from streets to natural bodies of bodies to avoid street flooding (Widipedia, 2007).

Statigraphy

The study of rock strata, especially the distribution, deposition and age of sedimentary rocks (Humphrey, 2000).

Supply Management

A water management philosophy that strives to meet the water demands of the consumers in contrast to demand management. Policies are based on the presumed need for new infrastructure and how to best meet projected water needs given current trends in water use and population growth (Brandes and Brooks, 2005).

Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs is the most widely used definition from the Brundtland commission. this is a compelx term that could refer to the goal of establishing a balance between environmental, social, and economic interactions. The concept of sustainable water development is now widely considered essential in most countries in the world albeit sustainable water management is inherenlty impossible to achieve (Tortajada, 2005).

Sustained Yield

Rate at which groundwater can be withdrawn from an aquifer without long-term depletion of the supply (Humphrey, 2000).

Swale

A low tract of land that is moist or marshy. The term can refer to a natural landscape feature or a human-created one. When created by humans, this open drain sstem is designed to manage water runoff (Wikipedia, 2007).

Tertiary Treamtnet

This type of treatment is divided into three processes: sludge treatment, nitrification, and de-nitrification; single or mulit-media filtration; and granular carbon absorption and ion exchange (Spulber and Sabbaghi, 1998).

Topography Slope

The slope of the land and changes in the slope can influence the proportion of rainfall that stays on the surface as runoff versus how much infiltrates into the soil. Flatter ground at the base of steeper slopes can be important areas of water infiltration (Piscopo, 2001).

Transpiration

When plants absorb water from the ground and exhale it into the air as water vapour (Pielou, 1998).

Transmissivity

Groundwater flow (Piscopo, 2001). Values expressed in square metres per day (m²/day) or as square meters per second (m²/s).

Turbidity

Is commonly known as cloudy water and is a measure of the interference of the passage of light through water. Turbidity in the water can interfere with: disinfection by creating a potential shield for disease-causing organisms; maintenance of an effective chloring residual; and bacterial testing of water (Spulber and Sabbaghi, 1998).

Turbidity is measured in units called nephelometric turbidity units (NTUs); the Greater Vancouver Regional Districk measures turbidity levels daily (GVRD, 2007).

Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection

A physical process rather than a chemical one that decreases the use of chemicals in water treatment. A superior way to protect against pathogens such as giardia and cryptosporidium (GVRD, 2007).

Unconfined Aquifer

An aquifer in which the water table is free to fluctuate under atmospheric pressure (Humphrey, 2000)

Vadose Zone

The texture of the partly-saturated soil and rock above the water table. It determines how quickly water and also contaminants can infiltrate to the water table (Piscopo, 2001).

Wastewater Collection System

The portion of a wastewater system including pumping stations in which wastewater is conveyed from the property line in the instance of a residential or commercial connection or the perimeter of a unit process in the case of an industrial connection to the wastewater treatment plant or the receiving water (EOCP, 2006).

Wastewater Treatment Plant

The portion of a wastewater system that improves or alters the physical, chemical, microbiological quality of the wastewater other than through the process of screening and/or disinfection prior to discharge to the receiving environment (EOCP, 2006).

Water Balance

A record of the outflow from, inflow to, and storage in a hydrologic unit like an aquifer or drainage basin (Humphrey, 2000).

Water Distribution System

The portion of a potable and/or process water system in which water is conveyed from the water treatment plant or point of supply to the point of consumption (EOCP, 2006).

Water Management

Water supply, water treatment, water distribution, wastewater collection and processing, flood control, navigation, hydropower production, and aquatic recreation, all of which interact with one another and through government policies (Spulber and Sabbaghi, 1998).

Water Quality

Comprised of selected physical, chemical, biological, and microbiological indicators that classify water according to their quality (Spulber and Sabbaghi, 1998).

Water Rights

Rights to a claim on water that include formal rights embodied in permits and legislation, less formal rights based on customary patterns, and rights that are implicit in social norms and local practices. For example, it is our customary pattern to receive water twenty-four hours a day whereas this is not uniform practice globally. In Canada, the right to access water is based on riparian law and prior allocation. There are federal, provincial, and regional laws regulating one's right to water making water allocation not a singular legal process but a negotiated process that involves many stakeholders, laws, history, and practices (Meinzen-Dick and Bruns, 2000).

Water Scarcity

When the demand for water exceeds the available supply. Demographic variables stronly influence demand for water, thus, water-scarcity is also economically and socially driven. Scacity can be classified into three different causes: absolute scarcity is limited by technology and is a function of the hydrological climate; economic scarcity is limited by economic choices and while there may be plenty of water in an area it is located far from where it is needed; and induced scarcity is from the political choices that cause to procure scarcity acerbated by human behaviour (Boberg, 2005).

Water Supplier

A person who is the owner of a water supply system (Ministry of Health, 2001).

Water Supply System

Two plus hook-ups are considered a water system; a water operator is someone certified to maintain this system, and a water purveyor is a combination of the engineering, technical, and staff that provide water to people connected on the water system (Ministry of Health, 2001).

Water Table

Also known as water-table aquifer, a water table is the upper surface of groundwater. Below the water table is an unsaturated zone where pores and cracks are only partially filed with water containing air as well. Only swamps and marshes do not have an unsaturated zone (Pielou, 1998).

Water Treatment Plant

The portion of the water system, exclusive of the act of disinfection or fluoridation, which improves or alters the physical, chemical, or microbiological quality of the water being treated (EOCP, 2006).

Water Users

Classified by the type of water one needs and the economic capabilities linked to those decisions. Different water users include: households, industry, public utilities, agriculture, and tourism (Spulber and Sabbaghi, 19998). Regions vary in their water demands and vary dependent on the geography, the amount of time, quantity used relative to which economic sector exists in the region, seasonal fluctuations, population size, migration, urbanization, but generally on a global scale agriculture uses 70%, industry uses 20%, and domestic uses 10% (Boberg, 2000).

Water Vapour

An invisible gas that is evaporated water from its liquid state. Water molecules that are a part of water vapour in the atmosphere tend to return quite quickly as they are in constant motion (Pielou, 1998).

Watershed

A drainage basin containing the land that drains into the entire watershed where streams and tributaries contribute to a larger network of the river's watershed. Each watershed in a region is biologically isolated from the others, and the plants and animals have mutually adapted to living in a self-contained community (Pielou, 1998). Water systems in a watershed include: interception (forest canopy), surface run-off (top soil), interflow (soil), and groundwater (aquifer) (Marsh, 2006).

Wells

A hole dug in the ground to access groundwater (Emery, 1994).

Well Interference

When an area of influence, or the cone of depression around water well comes into contact with or overlaps that of a neighbouring well pumping from the same aquifer and thereby causing additional drawdown or drawdown interference in the wells (Humphrey, 2000).

Well Recharge Zone

The area of land from which water percolates into an aquifer and is transmitted into one or more wells that are used or are intended to be used to provide drinking water (Ministry of Health, 2001).

Wetland

Land that is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and under normal conditions does support, vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions including swamps, marshes, bogs, and estuaries (Fish Protection Act).