| A | B |
|---|
| Transpiration | The process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves |
| Precipitation | Water that falls to Earth as rain, snow, sleet or hail |
| Potential energy | The energy stored in the position of an object or material due to gravity |
| Kinetic energy | The energy of a moving object or substance related to its mass and speed |
| Penstocks | Tubes that direct water towards the generator in a hydroelectric powerplant |
| Turbine | The large structure turned by moving water on a hydroelectric powerplant |
| Generator | A spinning magnet in side a coil of wires that creates an electric current |
| Pathogen | A disease causing organism |
| Hardness | The amount of dissolved minerals in the water |
| Coagulation | The process by which particles in a liquid clump together: a step in drinking water treatment |
| Sedimentation | The process of slowing water down in the treatment process to allow sediments to settle out |
| Filtration | The process of passing water through layers of sand, gravel and charcoal to remove impurities from water |
| Aeration basin | Where large amounts of oxygen are mixed with the effluent from Primary Treatment |
| Anaerobic digester | Facility were sludge from previous treatment processes is decomposed in the absence of oxygen, producing methane and biosolids |
| Reclaimed water | Water produced by tertiary treatment |
| Biosolids | Organic material left over after sludge passes through anaerobic digester that can be used as a soil amendment |
| Discharge pipe | Long pipeline that releases treated wastewater offshore |
| Fuel cell | Converts methane, a byproduct of wastewater treatment into electricity |
| Point source pollution | A specific source of pollution that can be identified, such as a pipe |
| Non-point source pollution | Awidely spread source of pollution that is difficult to link to a specific point of origin |
| Phosphates or nitrates | A nutrient needed by living things. High levels in water can cause excessive algae growth. |
| pH | A measure of how reactive a substance is |
| Turbidity | A measure of the clarity of the water |
| Dissolved oxygen | Oxygen that is dissolved in water |
| Thermal pollution | Pollution caused by discharging warm or hot water into bodies of water |
