10 Wastewater Environmental Term Glossary
10 Wastewater Environmental Term Glossary
10 Wastewater Environmental Term Glossary
Glossary
Absorption: the movement of ions and water into an organism as a result of
metabolic processes, frequently against an electrochemical potential gradient
(active) or as a result of diffusion along an activity gradient (passive).
Acidophile: organism that grows best under acid conditions (down to a pH of 1).
Acre-foot: the amount of water required to cover one acre [4047m²] to a depth
of one foot [30.48cm]. An acre-foot equals 325,850 gallons, or 43,560 cubic feet
or 1,233.34m3. A flow of 1 cubic feet per second [1,699L/minute] produce 1.98
acre-feet [2,442m3] per day.
Algae: any of a large group of simple plants that contain chlorophyll; are not
divisible into roots, stems and leaves; do not produce seeds; and include the
seaweed and related freshwater and land plants.
Algal Bloom: a heavy growth of algae in and on a body of water; usually results
from high nitrate and phosphate concentrations entering water bodies from farm
fertilizers and detergents; phosphates also occur naturally under certain
conditions.
Alkane: Straight chain or branched organic structure that lacks double bonds.
Alkene: Straight chain or branched organic structure that contains at least one
double bond.
Amino Group: an NH2 group attached to a carbon skeleton as in the amines and
amino acids.
Amoeba (plural, amoebae): protozoa that can alter their cell shape, usually by
the extrusion of one or more pseudopodia.
Anoxic: without free oxygen but containing oxygen substitute such as nitrate
that can be utilized by certain aerobic microorganisms.
Autotroph: organism which uses carbon dioxide as the sole carbon source.
Bacteria: bacteria are single-cell microbes that grow in nearly every environment
on Earth. They are used to study diseases and produce antibiotics, to ferment
foods, to make chemical solvents, and in many other applications.
Benthic Zone: the lower region of a body of water including the bottom.
Binary Fission: division of one cell into two cells by the formation of a septum.
It is the most common form of cell division in bacteria.
Bioremediation: the use of living organisms (e.g., bacteria) to clean up oil spills
or remove other pollutants from soil, water and wastewater.
Cell Wall: layer or structure that lies outside the cytoplasm membrane; it
supports and protects the membrane and gives the cell shape.
Chelate (Chelator): organic chemical that forms ring compound in which a metal
is held between two or more atoms strongly enough to diminish the rate at which
it becomes fixed by soil, thereby making it more available for plant and microbial
uptake.
Chlorine: a chemical element, symbol Cl, atomic number 17, atomic weight
35.453; used as a disinfectant in drinking and wastewater treatment processes.
CNP ratio: Carbon to Nitrogen to Phosphorus ratio (C:N:P), the three most
important nutrients for bacterial, fungal, and algal growth. In wastewater a value
of 100:5:1 is adequate for bacterial growth. In situations where soil or water is
contaminated with petroleum or other non-polar chemicals, the limiting nutrients
are usually N and P. Often, common NPK fertilizers will overcome the nutrient
deficiency and will encourage microbial remediation.
Colony: clone of bacterial cells on a solid medium that is visible to the naked
eye.
Compost: organic residues which have been mixed, piled, and moistened, with
or without addition of fertilizer and lime, and generally allowed to undergo
thermophilic decomposition until the original organic materials are substantially
altered or decomposed.
Cradle to Grave: phrase used to describe regulations that are part of the
Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which requires that
hazardous wastes be tracked from their points of origin to their proper disposal.
These regulations are designed to protect groundwater, as well as other
resources, from contamination by improper treatment, storage, and disposal of
solid wastes and are aimed at ending irresponsible "midnight dumping”.
Decomposition: the process of rotting and decay which causes the complex
organic materials in plants and animals to break down into simple inorganic
elements which can be returned to the atmosphere and soil.
Detection Limit: the lowest level that can be determined by a specific analytical
procedure or test method.
Diatom: alga with siliceous cell walls that persist as a skeleton after death. Any
of the microscopic unicellular or colonial alga constituting the class
Bacillariophycae.
Dilution Plate Count Method: method for estimating the viable numbers of
microorganisms in a sample. The sample is diluted serially and then transferred
to agar plates to permit growth and quantification of colony-forming units.
Dissolved solids: materials that enter a water body in a solid phase and
dissolve in water.
Dredge: The deepening of bodies of water, lagoons, lakes etc. using any of
various machines equipped with scooping or suction devices.
Eutrophication: a naturally occurring change that take place after a water body
receives inputs of nutrients, mostly nitrates and phosphates, from erosion and
runoff of surrounding lands; this process can be accelerated by human activities.
Facultative Organism: organism that can carry out both options of a mutually
exclusive process (e.g., aerobic and anaerobic metabolism).
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act): the law to restore and
maintain the "chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters”.
Filamentous: in the form of very long rods, many times longer than wide (for
bacteria), in the form of long branching strands (for fungi).
Fish kill: the sudden death of fish due to the introduction of pollutants or the
reduction of the dissolved oxygen concentration in a water body.
Fresh Water: water containing less than 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of
dissolved solids at any time. Water containing an insignificant amount of salts,
such as in inland rivers and lakes.
Gallon: A unit of volume. A U.S. gallon contains 231 cubic inches, 0.133 cubic
feet, or 3.785 liters. One U.S. gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds.
Genus (plural, genera): the first name of the scientific name (binomial); the
taxon between family and species.
Gram Stain: differential stain that divides bacteria into two groups, Gram-positive
and Gram-negative, based on the ability to retain crystal violet when decolorized
with an organic solvent such as ethanol. The cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria
consists chiefly of peptidoglycan and lacks the outer membrane of Gram-
negative cells.
Gray Water: domestic wastewater composed of wash water from sinks, kitchen
sinks, bathroom sinks and tubs, and laundry tubs.
Groundwater: water that infiltrates into the earth and is stored in usable
amounts in the soil and rock below the earth's surface; water within the zone of
saturation.
HRT (Hydraulic Retention Time): the average time the influent wastewater
spends in the aeration tank.
Humus: total of the organic compounds in soil exclusive of undecayed plant and
animal tissues, their "partial decomposition" products, and the soil biomass. The
term is often used synonymously with soil organic matter.
Hydrogen sulfide gas: a flammable, toxic, colorless gas with an offensive odor
(similar to rotten eggs).
In situ: In place; refers to treatment of soils and groundwater where they are
found without movement or excavation.
Lag Phase: period after inoculation of fresh growth medium during which
population numbers do not increase.
Limiting factor: a factor whose absence exerts influence upon a population and
may be responsible for no growth, limited growth (decline), or rapid growth.
Lysis: Breaking up of the microbial cell and release of the cytoplasm; bursting of
the cell membrane causing death.
Micrograms Per Liter (ug/L): micrograms per liter of water. One thousand
micrograms per liter is equivalent to one milligram per liter. This measure is
equivalent to parts per billion (ppb).
MLSS (Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids): the contents of the aeration tank in
an activated sludge system are called the mixed liquor. The MLSS is the total
amount of organic and mineral suspended solids including the microorganisms.
MLSS is determined by filtering the mixed liquor, drying the filter at 105°C
[221°F] and determining the weight of the solids.
MLVSS (Mixed Liquor Volatile Suspended Solids): the organic portion of the
MLSS that consists of non-microbial organic as well as dead and live
microorganisms. Determined by heating sample to 600-650°C [1112-1202°F].
MLVSS values are usually about 65-75% of MLSS.
Nitrates: used generically for materials containing this ion group made of
nitrogen and oxygen; sources include animal wastes and some fertilizers; can
seep into groundwater; linked to human health problems, including "blue baby"
syndrome (methemoglobinemia).
Oil Pollution Act: legislation that imposes substantial penalties and liability for
oil spills in the ocean; violators are responsible for the cost of the cleanup and
restoration of natural resources.
Oil slick: a smooth area on the surface of water caused by the presence of oil.
Organic material: material derived from organic, or living, things; also, relating
to or containing carbon compounds.
Oxygen Depletion: the reduction of the dissolved oxygen level in a water body.
Photic Zone: Uppermost layer of a body of water or soil that receives enough
sunlight to permit the occurrence of photosynthesis.
Point source pollution: pollution that can be traced to a single point source,
such as a pipe or culvert (Example: industrial and wastewater treatment plant,
and certain storm water discharges).
Porosity: volume of pores in a soil sample (nonsolid volume) divided by the bulk
volume of the sample.
ppb (parts per billion): number of parts of a chemical found in one billion parts of
a solid, liquid or gaseous mixture. Equivalent to micrograms per liter (ug/L).
(Comparable to one kernel of corn in a filled, 45-foot [13.72m] silo, 16 feet [4.9m]
in diameter.)
ppm (parts per million): number of parts of a chemical found in one million parts
of a solid, liquid, or gaseous mixture. Equivalent to milligrams per liter (mg/L).
(Comparable to one drop of gasoline in a tankful of gas.)
RCRA: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Sets rules for all aspects of
hazardous waste.
Saline Water: water containing more than 1,000 parts per million of dissolved
solids of any type.
Saturated zone: underground layer in which every available space is filled with
water.
Settling tank: a vessel in which solids settle out of water by gravity during
drinking and wastewater treatment processes.
Slime Layer: diffuse layer of polysaccharide exterior to the cell wall in some
bacteria.
Spirillum (plural, spirilli): (i) Bacterium with a spiral shape, which is relatively
rigid. (ii) Bacterium in the genus Spirillum.
Stormwater runoff: surface water runoff that flows into storm sewers or surface
waters.
SVE: Soil Vapor Extraction system for in situ removal of volatile chemical
contamination in unsaturated soils.
TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen): analytical chemistry test used to determine both
ammonia and organic nitrogen content of the wastewater.
TOC (Total Organic Carbon): direct (and rapid) measure of organic carbon
content using high temperature furnace or chemical oxidation to convert organic
carbon to CO2, which is then measured by infrared analyzer. TOC values in
domestic wastewater run about 70-75% of BOD values.
TS (Total Solids): all the matter in wastewater that is left as a residue upon
evaporation of the water at 104° - 107°C [220°-225°F]. [See TSS, TDS, TVS].
Vadose zone. The unsaturated soil zone above the water table.
Vibrato: (i) Curved, rod shaped bacterial cell. (ii) Bacterium of the genus Vibrio.