| A | B |
|---|
| watershed | area of land drained by a river |
| Colorado River | subject of controversy due to unequal sharing of water |
| aquifer | large body of stored underground water |
| groundwater | water that seeps down underground |
| recharge zone | area around an aquifer that provides more water |
| Ogallala | aquifer under the midwestern states |
| desalinization | removing salt to make drinkable water |
| towing | moving an iceberg to be melted for drinkable water |
| water pollution | introduction of foreign objects that mess up water quality |
| agricultural runoff | fertilizers, etc. that gets into to water supply from farming |
| pathogens | disease causing organisms found in polluted water |
| point pollution | pollution from a single source |
| nonpoint pollution | pollution from any source rather than a specific site. |
| biodegradable | breaks down naturally |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| alum | chemical added to water to purify it |
| flocs | clumps of alum and waste that settle out during water treatment |
| biomagnification | accumulation of toxins in a food web |
| Escherichia Coil | bacteria usually in your intestine that can be fatal if ingested. |
| eutrophication | over abundance of nutrients in the water |
| algae blooms | explosive growth of algae due to eutrophication |
| thermal pollution | excessive amount of heat added to water |
| sludge | solid product of water treatment |
| synergy | effect of combining two non toxic chemicals and producing a toxic environment |
| Exxon Valdez | HUGE spill in Alaska that decimated the coastline and ecosystems |
