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Algal bloom: a large, visible mass of algae found in water bodies during warm weather.
Ammonia: a form of inorganic nitrogen which is usable for plant growth.
Aquifer: an underground area saturated with water that yields usable amounts of water to a well or spring.
Best management practice (BMP): a structural or management technique recognized as the most effective and practical means of controlling pollution. A set of practices that work together to reduce or control pollution is a best management system (BMS).
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD): a laboratory measurement of the amount of oxygen consumed by microorganisms while decomposing organic matter in a product.
Coliform bacteria: microorganisms which typically inhabit the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Drinking water quality assessments commonly include tests for coliform bacteria to determine if water has been polluted by human or animal waste.
Ecosystem: a community of animals and plants and the physical environment in which they live.
Erosion: the natural breakdown and movement of soil and rock by water, wind or ice. The process may be accelerated by human activities.
Eutrophication: degradation of water quality due to enrichment by nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. This enrichment causes excessive aquatic plant growth. When large numbers of aquatic plants die and decompose, dissolved oxygen in the water is depleted, often resulting in the death of fish and other aquatic organisms.
Hydrology: the science dealing with the properties, distribution and flow of water on or in the Earth.
Leaching: the movement of water carrying dissolved or suspended substances through soil.
Nitrate: a form of inorganic nitrogen that is usable for plant growth.
Nitrification: bacterial processes that convert ammonia or atmospheric nitrogen to nitrate or nitrite.
Non-point source (NPS) pollution: pollution from large areas such as construction sites, agricultural fields and cities.
Nutrient: an element essential for plant or animal growth. Major plant nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, oxygen, sulfur and potassium.
Pathogen: a disease-causing biological agent such as a bacterium, parasite, virus or fungus.
pH: a numerical measure of acidity with a scale of 0 to 14. Neutral is pH 7. Values below 7 are acidic. Values above 7 are alkaline.
Phosphorus: an essential plant nutrient. It is the key nutrient limiting growth of aquatic plants such as algae. Excess phosphorus in water promotes the growth of algae.
Point source pollution: pollution derived from a localized, single source such as a ditch, pipe, leaking underground storage tank, or feedlot.
Pollutant: any unwanted chemical or change in physical property that makes a water supply unfit for its intended use.
Riparian area: the area of water-loving vegetation beside a stream, river, lake or pond. It is also known as a flood plain, buffer strip, vegetated filter or streamside forest. Riparian areas are critical in reducing the negative effects of various land-uses on adjacent waters.
Sediment: eroded soil, rock and plant debris, transported and deposited by water.
Total dissolved solids: the concentration of all substances dissolved in water (solids remaining after evaporation of a water sample). For example, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, sulfate, chloride and silica are dissolved solids.
Turbidity: a measure of the cloudiness of water due to suspended sediment.
Water quality: the physical, chemical and biological integrity of water resources.
Water quality guidelines: the allowable contaminant concentration in water. Guidelines are used to define water quality according to the use of the water source. For example, water quality guidelines are developed for drinking water, agricultural, industrial, and recreational use and for the protection of aquatic life.
Water quality standard: the allowable contaminant concentration in a water supply that is enforceable under environmental control laws set by provincial or federal governments. Water quality standards are site specific. For example, the quality of an industrial effluent that is emptied into a body of water must maintain a certain standard so that it does not significantly change the receiving water body's quality.
Watershed: the land that drains runoff to a point on a stream or other surface water body. It is also called a drainage basin.
Water table: the top of the saturated zone in the ground, where water fills the spaces in the soil and rock.
Wetlands: areas that are regularly wet or flooded and have a water table that stands at or above the land surface for a least part of the year. In the prairies, small temporary wetlands are called potholes, and wetlands that exist year-round are called sloughs.
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