Glossary:W Words

washover fan noun

A fan-like landform of sand washed over a barrier island or spit during a storm and deposited on the inland-side.

wastewater ( waste·wa·ter / ˈwāstwôdər,ˈwāstwädər ) noun

The combination of liquid and pollutants from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions, together with any ground water, surface runoff, or leachate that may be present.

wastewater treatment facility noun

a place that treats waste water from homes and businesses, such as toilet or sewage water.

water ( wa·ter / ˈwôdər,ˈwädər ) noun

a molecule-composed compound of hydrogen and oxygen.

water column noun

the area of water from the seafloor up to the water surface. The water column contains free swimming, or pelagic, organisms and plankton (tiny drifting and floating organisms). The water column is a part of all bays, sloughs, lagoons and coastal areas; and is therefore part of an estuary.

water cycle noun

the recycling of water between the earth and the atmosphere.

water quality criteria noun

A set of enforceable requirements under the Clean Water Act that establish measurable limits for specific pollutants based on the designated use(s) of the receiving water body. Water quality criteria can be expressed as numeric limits (e.g., pollutant concentrations or mass loads) or narrative descriptions of desired conditions (e.g., no visible scum, sludge, sheens, or odors).

watershed noun

Topographic area that contributes or may contribute runoff to specific surface waters or an area of recharge.

watershed management approach noun

The process of addressing water quality concerns within their natural boundaries, rather than political or regulatory boundaries. The process draws together all the participants and stakeholders in each basin to decide what problems affect the water quality in the basin, which are most important, and how they will be addressed.

wetland ( wet·land / ˈwetˌland,ˈwetˌlənd ) noun

areas inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support , and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.”

wrack line noun

a string of debris stranded by last high tide; cast ashore seaweeds, isolated sources of food and shade support an important community of isopods and amphipods as well as providing food for birds.