Glossary

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WASTEWATER:

Spent or used water from an individual home, a community, a farm, or an industry that contains dissolved or suspended matter.

WATER CYCLE:

(See HYDROLOGIC CYCLE.)

WATER LEVEL INDICATOR:

Device to measure the elevation of water in a well.

WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLAN:

Defines beneficial water uses, establishes water quality objectives to protect those uses, identifies water quality threats and outlines corrective measures. It is used to develop discharge limits and guide Regional Board decisions on specific cases. There is a plan for each of California's 16 major watersheds. 

WATER QUALITY:

A term used to describe the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water, usually in respect to its suitability for a particular purpose. 

WATER TABLE:

The top of the water surface in the saturated part of an aquifer.

WATERSHED:

The land area that drains water to a particular stream, river, or lake. It is a land feature that can be identified by tracing a line along the highest elevations between two areas on a map, often a ridge. Large watersheds, like the Mississippi River basin contain thousands of smaller watersheds.  Synonymous with drainage area, drainage basin and catchment.

WELL COVERS:

 Cover over wells which provide a water tight security structure and adequate well protection to prevent entry of surface waters, accidental damage, unauthorized access, and vandalism.

WELLHEAD:

 The area immediately surrounding the top of a well, or the top of a well casing.

WELLS:

 A monitoring well is different from a water supply well in that it is designed specifically for sampling groundwater. For this reason, domestic, municipal, or agricultural wells can rarely be used for groundwater monitoring, and when they are, supplementary monitoring wells are usually located nearby.

WORKPLANS:

Description of work to be performed that is submitted to local agency for approval.