GLOSSARY

A
Absorption: The uptake of water, other fluids, or dissolved chemicals by a cell or
an organism example: as tree roots absorb dissolved nutrients in soil.
Accident Site: The location of an unexpected occurrence, failure or loss, resulting
in a unwanted incident or release of hazardous materials.
Acclimatization: The physiological and behavioral adjustments of an organism or
a substance to changes in its environment.
Acid: A corrosive solution with a pH less than 7.
Acid Neutralizing Capacity: Measure of ability of a base (e.g. water or soil) to
resist changes in pH.
Activated sludge: An active population of microorganisms
wastewater, or the process in which the organisms are employed.
Adsorption: A surface phenomena in which a
concentrates or collects at a surface (the adsorbent).

solute

used

(soluble

to

treat

material)

Aeration: Intimate contact of the atmosphere and water to add air (oxygen) to the
water. The term is also applied to gas stripping where an undesirable gas is
removed from the water.
Aeration Tank: A chamber used to inject air into water.
Aerobes: Organisms which require molecular oxygen as an electron acceptor for
energy production.
Aerobic process: A process which requires molecular oxygen.
Aerobic: A condition in which free or DO is present in an aquatic environment.
Alkalinity: The capacity of water to neutralize acids.
Anaerobic: A condition in which free or DO is not present in an aquatic
environment.
Anaerobes: A group of organisms that do not require molecular oxygen. These
organisms, as well as all known life forms, require oxygen. These organisms obtain
their oxygen from inorganic ions such as nitrate or sulfate or from protein.

Anaerobic process:
oxygen.

A process which only occurs in the absence of molecular

Aqueous: Something made up of water.

Aqueous Solubility: The maximum concentration of a chemical that will dissolve
in pure water at a reference temperature.
Available Chlorine: A measure of the amount of chlorine available in chlorinated
lime, hypochlorite compounds, and other materials used as a source of chlorine
when compared with that of liquid or gaseous chlorines.
B
Bacteria: One celled microorganisms which do not have a nuclear membrane.
Bioavailability: Degree of ability to be absorbed and ready to interact in organism
metabolism.
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD): The amount of oxygen required to oxidize
any organic matter present in water during a specified period of time, usually 5
days. It is an indirect measure of the amount of organic matter present in water.
Breakpoint Chlorination: Addition of chlorine to water until the chlorine demand
has been satisfied.
Buffer: A solution or liquid whose chemical makeup is such that it with stands
changes in pH when acids or bases are added to it.
C
Carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD): The amount of oxygen
required to oxidize any carbon containing matter present in water.
Chemical fixation (or stabilization/solidification): A term for several different
methods of chemically immobilizing hazardous materials into a cement, plastic, or
other matrix.
Chemical oxygen demand (COD): The amount of oxygen required to oxidize any
organic matter in the water using harsh chemical conditions.
Chlorine Demand: The amount of chlorine used
that oxidize in the water before chlorine residual
difference between the amount of chlorine added to
chlorine residual remaining after a given contact

by reactions with substances

can be measured. It is the
wastewater and the amount of
time. Chlorine demand may

change with dosage, time, temperature, pH, and the type and amount of pollutants
in the water.
Chlorine Dosage: The amount of chlorine which must be added to produce a
desired result (disinfection of the effluent, control of filter flies, ponding and odor).
Chlorine Residual: The amount of available chlorine present in wastewater after
a given contact time (20 minutes at peak flow; 30 minutes at average flow), and
under specific conditions including pH and temperature.
Combined Available Chlorine Residual: The residual consisting of chlorine that
is combined with ammonia, nitrogen, or nitrogenous compounds (chloramines).
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons: Chemicals containing only chlorine, carbon, and
hydrogen. These include a class of persistent, broad-spectrum insecticides that
linger in the environment and accumulate in the food chain. Among them are DDT,
aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, chlordane, lindane, endrin, Mirex, hexachloride, and
toxaphene. Other examples include TCE, used as an industrial solvent.
Chlorinated Solvent: An organic solvent containing chlorine atoms (e.g.
Methylene chloride and 1,1,1-trichloromethane). Uses of chlorinated solvents are
including aerosol spray containers, in highway paint, and dry cleaning fluids.
Chlorination: The application of chlorine to drinking water, sewage, or industrial
waste to disinfect
Coagulation: Particle destabilization to enhance agglomeration.
Coastal Zone: Lands and waters adjacent to the coast that exert an influence on
the uses of the sea and its ecology, or whose uses and ecology are affected by the
sea.
Colloids: Small particles which have a negligible settling velocity. These particles
have a very small mass so gravitational force is low compared to surface frictional
forces. Typical colloidal sizes range from 10-3 mm to 1 mm.
Complexation: The ionic bonding of one or more central ions or molecules by one
or more surrounding ions or molecules.
Component: A part of a mixture or solution.
Composting: The controlled aerobic degradation of organic wastes into a material
which can be used for landscaping, landfill cover, or soil conditioning
Compound: A substance composed of two or more elements.

Conductance: A rapid method of estimating the dissolved solids content of water

supply by determining the capacity of a water sample to carry an electrical current.
Conductivity is a measure of the ability of a solution to carry and electrical current.
Conductivity: A measure of the ability of a solution to carry an electrical current.
Corrosion: The dissolution and wearing away of metal caused by a chemical
reaction such as between water and the pipes, chemicals touching a metal surface,
or contact between two metals.
Corrosive: A chemical agent that reacts with the surface of a material causing it to
deteriorate or wear away.
Covalent bond: A bond in which electrons are shared equally by two atoms.
D
Dechlorination: Removal of chlorine from a substance.
Decomposition: The breakdown of matter by bacteria and fungi, changing the
chemical makeup and physical appearance of materials.
Decomposers: Organisms which utilise energy from wastes or dead organisms.
Decomposers complete the cycle by returning nutrients to the soil or water and
carbon dioxide to the air or water.
Decontamination: Removal of harmful substances such as noxious chemicals,
harmful bacteria or other organisms, or radioactive material from exposed
individuals, rooms and furnishings in buildings, or the exterior environment.
Denitrification: The anoxic biological conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas. It
occurs naturally in surface waters low in oxygen, and it can be engineered in
wastewater treatment systems.
Deoxygenation: The consumption of oxygen by the different aquatic organisms as
they oxidized materials in the aquatic environment.
Desalination: Removing salts from ocean or brackish water by using various
technologies.
Detection Limit: The lowest concentration of a chemical that can be readily
analysed.

Diffusion: The movement of suspended or dissolved particles (or molecules) from

a more concentrated to a less concentrated area. The process tends to distribute
the particles or molecules more uniformly.
Digester: In wastewater treatment, a closed tank; in solid-waste conversion, a unit
in which bacterial action is induced and accelerated in order to break down organic
matter and establish the proper carbon to nitrogen ratio.
Digestion: The biochemical decomposition of organic matter, resulting in partial
gasification, liquefaction, and mineralization of pollutants.
Diluent: Any liquid or solid material used to dilute or carry an active ingredient.
Disinfection: The destruction or inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms.
Disinfectant: A chemical or physical process that kills pathogenic organisms in
water, air, or on surfaces. Chlorine is often used to disinfect sewage treatment
effluent, water supplies, wells, and swimming pools.
Disinfectant By-Product: A compound formed by the reaction of a disinfectant
such as chlorine with organic material in the water supply; a chemical byproduct of
the disinfection process.
Disinfectant Time: The time it takes water to move from the point of disinfectant
application (or the previous point of residual disinfectant measurement) to a point
before or at the point where the residual disinfectant is measured. In pipelines, the
time is calculated by dividing the internal volume of the pipe by the maximum
hourly flow rate; within mixing basins and storage reservoirs it is determined by
tracer studies of an equivalent demonstration.
Dispersion: A stable mixture of particles suspended in a fluid medium.
Dissolved oxygen (DO): The amount of molecular oxygen dissolved in water.
Dissolved Solids: Disintegrated organic and inorganic material in water. Excessive
amounts make water unfit to drink or use in industrial processes.
Distillation: The act of purifying liquids through boiling, so that the steam or
gaseous vapors condense to a pure liquid. Pollutants and contaminants may remain
in a concentrated residue.

Dump: An illegal and uncontrolled area where wastes have been placed on or in
the ground.
E
Ecology: The study of living organisms and their environment or habitat.
Ecosystem: An organism or group of organisms and their surroundings. The
boundary of an ecosystem may be arbitrarily chosen to suit the area of interest or
study.
Effluent: The fluid exiting a system, process, tank, etc. An effluent from one
process can be an influent to another process.
Equivalent: The mass of the compound which will produce one mole of available
reacting substance. Thus, for an acid, this would be the mass of acid which will
produce one mole of H+, for a base, one mole of OH_.
Evaporation: The conversion of liquid water to water vapor. It occurs on the
surface of water bodies such as lakes and rivers and immediately after precipitation
events in small depressions and other storage areas.
Evapotranspiration: The sum of evaporation and transpiration. Since it is difficult
to measure the two terms independently, they are often grouped as one value.
F
Fermentation: Energy production without the benefit of oxygen as a terminal
electron acceptor, i.e. oxidation in which the net effect is one organic compound
oxidizing another.
Fixed Solids: Those solids (total, suspended or dissolved) which remain after
ignition for 15-20 minutes at 550 50C. These are also commonly referred to as
ash. In general, fixed solids are made up of inorganic material.
Filtration: A treatment process, under the control of qualified operators, for
removing solid (particulate) matter from water by means of porous media such as
sand or a man-made filter; often used to remove particles that contain pathogens.
Fixed suspended solids: It is the matter remaining from the suspended solids
analysis which will not burn at 550C. It represents the non-filterable inorganic
residue in a sample.
Floc: A clump of solids formed in sewage by biological or chemical action and they
can be separated from water or sewage.

Flocculation: Process by which clumps of solids in water or sewage aggregate

through biological or chemical action so they can be separated from water or
sewage.
Flocculant settling: Settling in which particle concentrations are sufficiently high
that particle agglomeration occurs. This results in a reduction in the number of
particles and an increase in average particle mass. As agglomeration occurs higher
settling velocities result.
Flux: The movement of a mass past a surface, plane, or boundary. The units are
mass per unit area per unit time or [Kg/m2-hour].
Free Available Chlorine Residual: The residual consisting of hypochlorite ions
(OCl-), hypochlorous acid (HOCl) or a combination of the two. These are the most
effective in killing bacteria.
G
Global warming: The long-term warming of the plant due to increases in
greenhouse gases which trap reflected light preventing it from exiting to space.
Greenhouse gases: Gases which trap solar radiation. Of the solar energy entering
the earth's atmosphere a portion is reflected back and a portion penetrates onto the
earth's surface. The portion reflected back from the earth's surface is at a different
wavelength that when it entered. Carbon dioxide and other gases, which pass solar
radiation, absorb this reflected radiation, increasing the earth's temperature. This is
much like a greenhouse, hence the name.
Groundwater: The supply of fresh water found beneath the Earth's surface,
usually in aquifers, which supply wells and springs. Because ground water is a
major source of drinking water, there is growing concern over contamination from
leaching agricultural or industrial pollutants or leaking underground storage tanks.
Ground-Water Discharge: Ground water entering near coastal waters which has
been contaminated by landfill leachate, deep well injection of hazardous wastes,
septic tanks, etc.

H
Hardness: The sum of the divalent cation concentrations expressed as meq/L or
mg calcium carbonate per liter [mg CaCO3/L]. It is important because hard waters
require increased amounts of soap for bathing or washing clothes and because of
scale formation on piping, cooking vessels, water heaters, boilers, heat exchangers,
etc.

Heavy Metals: Metallic elements with high atomic weights; (e.g. mercury,
chromium, cadmium, arsenic, and lead); can damage living things at low
concentrations and tend to accumulate in the food chain.
Heterotrophic: A group of organisms which obtain carbon for synthesis from other
organic matter or proteins.
Hydrocarbon: Any organic compound composed entirely of carbon and hydrogen.
Two examples are methane gas and octane.
I
Ignitable: Capable of burning or causing a fire.
Impermeable: Not easily penetrated. The property of materials that does not
allows or allows only with great difficulty, the movement or passage of water or any
other substance.
Incineration: A treatment technology involving destruction of waste by controlled
burning at high temperatures; e.g., burning sludge to remove the water and reduce
the remaining residues to a safe, non-burnable ash that can be disposed of safely
on land, in some waters, or in underground locations.
Indicator: A substance that shows a visible change, usually of colour, at a desired
point when the chemical reaction is finished.
Industrial Sludge: Semi-liquid residue or slurry remaining from treatment of
industrial water and wastewater.
Industrial Waste: Unwanted materials from an industrial operation; may be
liquid, sludge, solid, or hazardous waste.
Infectious disease: A disease caused by pathogenic organisms.
Infiltration: The movement of water from the surface of the land through the
unsaturated zone and into the groundwater. This occurs during and immediately
after precipitation events. It can also occur at the bottom of lakes and rivers.
Influent: The fluid entering a system, process, tank, etc. An effluent from one
process can be an influent to another process.
Inorganic Chemicals: Chemical substances of mineral origin, not of basically
carbon structure.
Ion exchange: An adsorption process in which one ion is exchanged for another
ion of like charge. There is an equivalence of exchanged charge.

Irreversible reaction: A reaction in which the reactant(s) proceed to product(s),

but the products react at an appreciable rate to reform reactant(s).
Irritant: A substance that can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, or respiratory
system. Effects may be acute from a single high level exposure, or chronic from
repeated low-level exposures to such compounds as chlorine, nitrogen dioxide, and
nitric acid.
Isomers: Two or more different compounds with the same chemical formula but
different structure and characteristics.
J
Jar Test: A laboratory procedure that simulates a water treatment plant's
coagulation/flocculation units with differing chemical doses, mix speeds, and
settling times to estimate the minimum or ideal coagulant dose required to achieve
certain water quality goals.
K
Kinetic Energy: Energy possessed by a moving object or water body.
L
Landfill: A legal and controlled area for the placement of wastes into the ground.
Leachate: A liquid generated in landfills. It is the result of water seeping into and
through the wastes. As the water contacts the waste materials it dissolves part of
the organic and inorganic matter contained in the landfill. If this leachate is allowed
to exit the bottom of the landfill, it will carry contaminants to the groundwater
and/or adjoining surface water.
Leaching: The act of dissolving the soluble portion of a solid mixture by some
solvent. An example is the dissolving of inorganic or organic contaminants from
refuse in a landfill by infiltrating rain water.
Ligand: The ion or molecule which surrounds or complexes with the central atom
or ion.
Liquefaction: Changing a solid into a liquid.
Lower Detection Limit: The
instrument can reliably detect.

smallest

signal

above

background

noise

an

M
Mass balance: An organized accounting of all inputs and outputs to an arbitrary
but defined system. Stated in other terms, the rate of mass accumulation within a
system is equal to the rate of mass input less the rate of mass output plus the rate
of mass generation within the system.
Maximum Contaminant Level: The maximum permissible level of a contaminant
in water delivered to any user of a public system. MCLs are enforceable standards.
Mechanical Aeration: Use of mechanical energy to inject air into water to cause a
waste stream to absorb oxygen.
Mechanical Separation: Using mechanical means to separate waste into various
components.
Metabolism: The processes which sustain an organism,
production, synthesis of proteins for repair and replication.

including

energy

Meteorology: The study of the atmosphere and weather of the lower atmosphere,
below 100 km.
Mixed
liquor
suspended
solids (MLSS): The
concentration in the activated sludge tank.

total

suspended

solids

Mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS): The volatile suspended solids
concentration in the activated sludge tank.
Molarity:
solution.

Molarity is the number of moles of a solute dissolved in a liter of

N

Nephelometric: Method of measuring turbidity in a water sample by passing light

through the sample and measuring the amount of the light that is deflected.
Neutralization: Decreasing the acidity or alkalinity of a substance by adding
alkaline or acidic materials, respectively.
Nitrate: A compound containing nitrogen that can exist in the atmosphere or as a
dissolved gas in water and which can have harmful effects on humans and animals.
Nitrates in water can cause severe illness in infants and domestic animals. A plant
nutrient and inorganic fertilizer, nitrate is found in septic systems, animal feed lots,
agricultural fertilizers, manure, industrial waste waters, sanitary landfills, and
garbage dumps.

Nitrification: The biological oxidation of ammonia and ammonium sequentially to

nitrite and then nitrate. It occurs naturally in surface waters, and can be engineered
in wastewater treatment systems. The purpose of nitrification in wastewater
treatment systems is a reduction in the oxygen demand resulting from the
ammonia.
Nitrogen fixation: The conversion of atmospheric (or dissolved) nitrogen gas into
nitrate by microorganisms.
Nitrogenous oxygen demand (NOD): The amount of oxygen required to oxidize
any ammonia present in a water.
Non point source pollution (NPSP): Any pollution from a source which cannot be
attributed to a particular discharge point, e.g. from agricultural crops, city streets,
construction sites, etc.
Non-potable: Water that is unsafe or unpalatable to drink because it contains
pollutants, contaminants, minerals, or infective agents.
Normality: normality is the number of gram equivalents of solute dissolved in a
liter of solution
Nutrient: Any substance assimilated by living things that promotes growth. The
term is generally applied to nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater, but is also
applied to other essential and trace elements.
O
Operating Conditions: Conditions specified in a RCRA permit that dictate how an
incinerator must operate as it burns different waste types. A trial burn is used to
identify operating conditions needed to meet specified performance standards.
Organic compound: Any compound containing carbon except for the carbonates
(carbon dioxide, the carbonates and bicarbonates), the cyanides, and cyanates.
Organic nitrogen: Nitrogen contained as amines in organic compounds such as
amino acids and proteins.
Organic: 1. Referring to or derived from living organisms. 2. In chemistry, any
compound containing carbon.
Organic Chemicals/Compounds: Naturally occurring (animal or plant-produced
or synthetic) substances containing mainly carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and
oxygen.

Organic Matter: Carbonaceous waste contained in plant or animal matter and

originating from domestic or industrial sources.
Organism: Any form of animal or plant life.
Organophosphates: Pesticides that contain phosphorus; short-lived, but some
can be toxic when first applied.
Oxidation: The chemical addition of oxygen to break down pollutants or organize
waste; e.g., destruction of chemicals such as cyanides, phenols, and organic sulfur
compounds in sewage by bacterial and chemical means.
Oxidation-Reduction Potential: The electric potential required to transfer
electrons from one compound or element (the oxidant) to another compound (the
reductant); used as a qualitative measure of the state of oxidation in water
treatment systems.
Oxidative phosphorylation: The synthesis of the energy storage compound
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) using a chemical
substrate and molecular oxygen.
Oxidizing agent: Oxidizing agent(also called an oxidant or oxidiser) can be
defined as chemical compound that readily transfers oxygen atoms
P
Parameter: A variable, measurable property whose value is a determinant of the
characteristics of a system; e.g. temperature, pressure, and density are parameters
of the atmosphere.
Parts Per Million (ppm): Units commonly used to express contamination ratios,
as in establishing the maximum permissible amount of a contaminant in water,
land, or air. It is equal to milligram / litre
Pathogens: An organism capable of causing infection.
Permeability: The rate at which liquids pass through soil or other materials in a
specified direction.
Permissible Limit: Limits for workplace exposure to contaminants
pH: An expression of the intensity of the basic or acid condition of a liquid; may
range from 0 to 14, where 0 is the most acid and 7 is neutral. Natural waters
usually have a pH between 6.5 and 8.5.

Phenolphthalein Alkalinity: The alkalinity in a water sample measured by the

amount of standard acid needed to lower the pH to a level of 8.3 as indicated by
the change of color of the phenolphthalein from pink to clear.
Phosphorylation: The synthesis of the energy storage compound adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP).
Photochemical pollutants: Chemicals which react photochemically (in the
presence of sunlight) to destroy ozone in the stratosphere.
Photophosphorylation: The synthesis of the energy storage compound adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) using solar energy.
Pollution: Any man made condition which adversely affects the quality of the
environment.
Potable water: Water that has does not contain harmful or objectionable
impurities and is aesthetically pleasing to drink. Water that is safe for drinking and
cooking.
Potential Dose: The amount of a compound contained in material swallowed,
breathed, or applied to the skin.
Prechlorination: The addition of chlorine at the headworks of a treatment plant
prior to other treatment processes. Done mainly for disinfection and control of
tastes, odors, and aquatic growths, and to aid in coagulation and settling,
Precipitate: A substance separated from a solution or suspension by chemical or
physical change.
Precipitation: Removal of hazardous solids from liquid waste to permit safe
disposal; removal of particles from airborne emissions as in rain (e.g. acid
precipitation).
Primary standards: Required drinking water quality standards related directly to
human health.
Primary treatment: Treatment which includes all operation prior to and including
primary treatment, e.g., bar screening, grit removal, comminution, and primary
sedimentation.
Protocol: A series of formal steps for conducting a test.

Q
Qualitative Analysis: analysis to find whether a substance or a pollutant is
present are not
Quantitative Analysis: analysis to find the exact amount of a substance or a
pollutant present
Quality Control: A system of procedures, checks, audits, and corrective actions to
ensure that all EPA research design and performance, environmental monitoring
and sampling, and other technical and reporting activities are of the highest
achievable quality.
R
Raw Sewage: Untreated wastewater and its contents.
Raw Water: Intake water prior to any treatment or use.
Reactive waste: A waste which; 1) reacts violently with water, 2) forms
potentially explosive mixtures with water, 3) is normally unstable, 4) contains
cyanide or sulfide in sufficient quantity to evolve toxic fumes at high or low pH, 5)
is capable of exploding if heated under pressure, or 6) is an explosive compound
listed in Department of Transportation (DoT) regulations. One of EPA's four
hazardous waste properties.
Reactivity: Refers to those hazardous wastes that are normally unstable and
readily undergo violent chemical change but do not explode.
Reaeration: Introduction of air into the lower layers of a reservoir. As the air
bubbles form and rise through the water, the oxygen dissolves into the water and
replenishes the dissolved oxygen. The rising bubbles also cause the lower waters to
rise to the surface where they take on oxygen from the atmosphere.
Receiving water: water which receives
discharges.

wastewater (treated or otherwise)

Receiving water quality standards: Standards which require a discharger to

maintain a certain quality level in the receiving water.
Recycling: The recovery and reuse of a product which would otherwise be thrown
away.
Regeneration: Manipulation of cells to cause them to develop into whole plants.

Residual: Amount of a pollutant remaining in the environment after a natural or

technological process has taken place; e.g., the sludge remaining after initial
wastewater treatment, or particulates remaining in air after it passes through a
scrubbing or other process.
Residue: The dry solids remaining after the evaporation of a sample of water or
sludge.
Respiration: Energy production in which oxygen is the terminal electron acceptor,
i.e. oxidation to produce energy where oxygen is the oxidizing agent.
Reverse Osmosis: A treatment process used in water systems by adding pressure
to force water through a semi-permeable membrane. Reverse osmosis removes
most drinking water contaminants. Also used in wastewater treatment. Large-scale
reverse osmosis plants are being developed.
Reversible reactions: A reaction in which the reactant (s) proceed to product(s),
but the products react at an appreciable rate to reform reactant(s).
Runoff: The water that flows overland to lakes or streams during and shortly after
a precipitation event.
S
Safe: Condition of exposure under which there is a practical certainty that no harm
will result to exposed individuals.
Safe Water: Water that does not contain harmful bacteria, toxic materials, or
chemicals, and is considered safe for drinking even if it may have taste, odor, color,
and certain mineral problems.
Salinity: The percentage of salt in water.
Salt Water Intrusion: The invasion of fresh surface or ground water by salt water.
If it comes from the ocean it may be called sea water intrusion. The gradual
replacement of freshwater by saltwater in coastal areas where excessive pumping
of groundwater occurs.
Salts: Minerals that water picks up as it passes through the air, over and under the
ground, or from households and industry.
Saturation: The condition of a liquid when it has taken into solution the maximum
possible quantity of a given substance at a given temperature and pressure.

Secondary standards: Recommended drinking water quality standards which

relate to aesthetics and/or health. These standards are recommended, not required.
Secondary treatment: In wastewater treatment, the conversion of the
suspended, colloidal and dissolved organics remaining after primary treatment into
a microbial mass with is then removed in a second sedimentation process.
Secondary treatment included both the biological process and the associated
sedimentation process.
Secured landfill: A landfill which has containment measures such as liners and a
leachate collection system so that materials placed in the landfill will not migrate
into the surrounding soil, air and water.
Sedimentation: The gravity settling, and thus removal, of materials more dense
than the suspending fluid.
Settleable Solids: Material heavy enough to sink to the bottom of a wastewater
treatment tank. The term applied to the material settling out of a sample within a
one hour period. Settleable solids may include floating material depending on the
technique used in the test.
Sludge: A mixture of solid waste material and water. Sludges result from the
concentration of contaminants in water and wastewater treatment processes.
Typical wastewater sludges contain from 0.5 to 10 percent solid matter. Typical
water treatment sludges contain 8 to 10 percent solids.
Softening: The removal of divalent cations by precipitation or ion exchange.
Source reduction: The elimination or reduction of the waste at the source by
modification of the actual process which produces the waste.
Sterilization: The destruction or inactivation of all microorganisms.
Storage: The short term retention of water after a precipitation event.
Strong acid: An acid that, for practical purposes, ionizes completely under the
conditions of interest. Common strong acids are hydrochloric, nitric, and sulfuric.
Substrate level phosphorylation: The synthesis of the energy storage compound
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) using organic
substrates without molecular oxygen.
Surface water: Water which is contained in lakes, rivers, and oceans.
Suspended Solids: Small particles of solid pollutants that float on the surface of,
or are suspended in, sewage or other liquids. They resist removal by conventional
means.

Suspension: Suspending the use of a pesticide when EPA deems it necessary to

prevent an imminent hazard resulting from its continued use. An emergency
suspension takes effect immediately; under an ordinary suspension a registrant can
request a hearing before the suspension goes into effect. Such a hearing process
might take six months.
Supernatant: Liquid removal from settled sludge. Supernatant commonly refers
to the liquid between the sludge on the bottom and the scum on the surface of a
settling beaker.
Synergism: is the act of working together. Two chemicals which are synergistic
have a greater effect together than the sum of their individual effects. The effect
can be either positive or negative.
System: An arbitrarily defined area or volume surrounded by a boundary and
possessing specific inputs, outputs, and reactions.
T
Total Chlorine Residual: The total amount of chlorine present in a sample. This
is the sum of the free chlorine residual and the combined available chlorine
residual.
Total Dissolved Solids: This term refers to those solids which will pass through a
standard glass fiber filter.
Total Solids: The term applied to the material left in a dish after evaporation of a
sample and its subsequent drying in an oven at a defined temperature. Total solids
include Total Suspended Solids and Total Dissolved Solids.
Total Suspended Solids: Those solids which will not pass through a standard
glass fiber filter. This includes both those solids that will settle or float in the
clarifier and the lighter non-settleable (colloidal) solids.
Toxicity: The degree to which a substance or mixture of substances can harm
humans or animals. Acute toxicity involves harmful effects in an organism through
a single or short-term exposure. Chronic toxicity is the ability of a substance or
mixture of substances to cause harmful effects over an extended period, usually
upon repeated or continuous exposure sometimes lasting for the entire life of the
exposed organism.
Trace contaminants: Contamination found in trace (very low) levels.
Transpiration: The loss of water from plants through leaves and other parts. This
loss can be a significant amount of water during very dry periods.

Treated Wastewater: Wastewater that has been subjected to one or more

physical, chemical, and biological processes to reduce its potential of being health
hazard.
Trickling filter: An attached growth biological process in which the microbial film is
attached to non-moving rock or plastic media.
Turbidimeter: A device that measures the cloudiness of suspended solids in a
liquid; a measure of the quantity of suspended solids.
Turbidity: A cloudy condition in water due to suspended silt or organic matter.
U
Ultimate biochemical oxygen demand (BODu): The total amount of oxygen
required to oxidize any organic matter present in water, i.e. after an extended
period, such as 20 or 30 days.
Ultimate disposal: The process of returning residuals back to the environment in
a form which will have the minimal or reduced negative environmental impacts.
Upper Detection Limit: The largest concentration that an instrument can reliably
detect.
V
Virus: A submicroscopic genetic constituent which can alternate between two
distinct phases. As a virus particle, or virion, it is DNA or RNA enveloped in an
organic capsule. As an intracellular virus, it is viral DNA or RNA inserted into the
host organisms DNA or RNA.
Volatile: A material which will vaporize easily.
Volatile Liquids: Liquids which easily vaporize or evaporate at room temperature.
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC): Any organic compound that participates in
atmospheric photochemical reactions except those designated by EPA as having
negligible photochemical reactivity.
Volatile Solids: Those solids in water or other liquids that are lost on ignition of
the dry solids at 550 centigrade.
Volatile Synthetic Organic Chemicals: Chemicals that tend to volatilize or
evaporate.

Volume Reduction: Processing waste materials to decrease the amount of space

they occupy, usually by compacting, shredding, incineration, or composting.
Volatile solids: (VS) is the amount of matter which volatilizes (or burns) when a
water sample is heated to 55050C. In general, volatile solids are made up of
organic material.
Volatile suspended solids: (VSS) is the non-filterable residue remaining after
firing the total suspended solids at 550C. See total suspended solids and fixed
suspended solids.
W
Waste minimization: The elimination or reduction of a waste prior to its
generation. This is accomplished by process changes rather than waste treatment
methods.
Waste Treatment Plant: A facility containing a series of tanks, screens, filters and
other processes by which pollutants are removed from water.
Wastewater: Consumed or used water from a municipality or industry that
contains dissolved and/or suspended matter. The spent or used water from a home,
community, farm, or industry that contains dissolved or suspended matter. Water
Pollution: The presence in water of enough harmful or objectionable material to
damage the water's quality.
Weak acid: An acid that does not ionize completely under the conditions of
interest. Examples include acetic acid, carbonic acid, and hypochlorous acid.
X
Xenobiota: Any biotum displaced from its normal habitat; a chemical foreign to a
biological system.
Y
Yield: The quantity of water (expressed as a rate of flow or total quantity per year)
that can be collected for a given use from surface or groundwater sources.
Z
Zooplankton: Small (often microscopic) free-floating aquatic plants or animals.