Question | Answer |
Tributary | A stream that flows into a larger stream or body of water. Although small in size compared to the main body of a major river, small tributaries make up more than 80 percent of the total stream and river miles in the nation. |
Water Cycle | Continuous recycling of water on Earth through evaporation, condensation, and percipitation. Thewater currently found on Earth is the same water that was on Earth millions of years ago.Yes, T-Rex drank the same water you drink. |
Evaporation | When a liquid changes to a gas. |
Condensation | When a gas changes to a liquid. |
Precipitation | moisture that falls from the sky. |
Watershed | The land from which surface runoff drains into a stream channel, Lake Reservoir or other body of water, also called a drainage basin. |
Non point source pollution | pollution that cannot be tied to a single identifiable source. This pollution reaches our waterways when raifall washes over the land and picks up pollutants. |
Erosion | wearing away of land by wind, water, or ice. |
Sediment | Sand, clay, silt, pebbles and organic material carried and deposited by water or wind. Sediment is currentl the leading cause of water pollution in GA. |
Sedimentation | the process by which sediment is deposited e.g. waterways. |
Point Source Pollution | pollution originating from a single source, such as a pipe from a waste water treatment facility. Once leading cause to water pollution in the country, point source pollution has been corrected to a large degree ovr the past 30 yrs because clean water act |
Interbasin transfer | physical transfer of water from one river basin to another. In the Coosa River Basin, water is taken from the Etowah River and transferred to the Chattahoochee River Basin for use in Metro Atlanta Communities. |
Confluence | the point at which rivers or streams meet ex. Heritage park where the Oostanaula and Etowah meet to form the Coosa. |
Dissolved Oxygen | amount of oxygen measured in the water, adequate levels of dissolved oxygen are eeded to support aquatic life. This is an important water quality measurement that helps determine the health of a stream or river. |
Phosphorous | a nutrient that can cause high levels of bacteria and algea if high amounts are in the water, caused by agricultural runoff or wastewater. |
Nitrogen | another nutrient that can cause high levels of plant growth if high amounts are in the water, gets into water mainly from fertilizers. |
Biological oxygen demand (BOD) | amount of oxygen consumed by microorganisms and chemicals in breaking down organic matter. |
Fecal Coliform | group of bacteria that may indicte the presence of human fecal matter in the water. |
PCB's | Polychlorinated Biphenyls-a toxic compound found in industrial waste. |
stream buffers | areas along streams that cannot be disturbed, they are designed to keep sediment and other water pollutants from reaching the stream. In GA all streams are protected by a 25-foot buffer which means that plants and trees within this 25ft buffer. |