Watersheds Vocab

Zone of aeration

• The top of the saturation zone, below which water fills all open spaces between the rock

• Area of land that drains water from higher land to lower land and into a stream; also called a drainage basin

• The upper portion of soil and rock that can be temporarily filled with water as the water enters the ground and moves deeper

• Water found on the surface of the Earth; includes rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans

Water Table

• Sunken land surface due to underlying compression of earth material as a result of the removal of groundwater

• The top of the saturation zone, below which water fills all open spaces between the rock

• Area of land that drains water from higher land to lower land and into a stream; also called a drainage basin

• The upper portion of soil and rock that can be temporarily filled with water as the water enters the ground and moves deeper

Watershed

• The upper portion of soil and rock that can be temporarily filled with water as the water enters the ground and moves deeper

• Sunken land surface due to underlying compression of earth material as a result of the removal of groundwater

• Water found on the surface of the Earth; includes rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans

• area of land that drains water from higher land to lower land and into a stream; also called a drainage basin

Surface Water

• The top of the saturation zone, below which water fills all open spaces between the rock

• Area of land that drains water from higher land to lower land and into a stream; also called a drainage basin

• Water found on the surface of the Earth; includes rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans

• The upper portion of soil and rock that can be temporarily filled with water as the water enters the ground and moves deeper

Subsidence

• Sunken land surface due to underlying compression of earth material as a result of the removal of groundwater

• Water found on the surface of the Earth; includes rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans

• Area of land that drains water from higher land to lower land and into a stream; also called a drainage basin

• The top of the saturation zone, below which water fills all open spaces between the rock

Saturation zone

• The volume of pore space available within rock or soil.

• Allows water movement to flow through the material, the opposite of impermeable.

• Below the water table where all spaces not filled with solid material fill with water.

• Water from precipitation that flows over land and picks up pollutants.

Runoff

• Allows water movement to flow through the material, the opposite of impermeable

• Water from precipitation that flows over land and picks up pollutants.

• A single identifiable and localized source of water pollution, such as wastewater discharge into a stream.

• Below the water table where all spaces not filled with solid material fill with water.

Porosity

• The volume of pore space available within rock or soil.

• Allows water movement to flow through the material, the opposite of impermeable.

• A single identifiable and localized source of water pollution, such as wastewater discharge into a stream.

• Below the water table where all spaces not filled with solid material fill with water.

Point source water pollution

• A single identifiable and localized source of water pollution, such as wastewater discharge into a stream

• The volume of pore space available within rock or soil.

• Water from precipitation that flows over land and picks up pollutants.

• Below the water table where all spaces not filled with solid material fill with water.

Permeable Rock

• Allows water movement to flow through the material, the opposite of impermeable.

• Water from precipitation that flows over land and picks up pollutants.

• A single identifiable and localized source of water pollution, such as wastewater discharge into a stream.

• Below the water table where all spaces not filled with solid material fill with water.