Word Search

CIRCULATE: To move in a circle, circuit or orbit' to flow without obstruction to follow a course that returns to the starting point. Water can circulate in a variety of ways.

CONDENSATION: The changing of a gas or vapor into a liquid. Water condenser.

CONSERVATION: To protect from loss and waste. Conservation of water means to save or store water for later use.

CONTAMINATION (WATER): Damage to the quality of water sources by sewage, industrial waste, or other matter.

DELTA: An alluvial deposit made of rock particles (sediment, and debris) dropped by a stream as it enters a body of water.

DESALINIZATION: The process of salt removal from sea or brackish water.

DISCHARGE: In the simplest form, discharge means outflow of water. The use of this term is not restricted as to course or location and it can be applied to describe the flow of water from a pipe or from a drainage basin.

DROUGHT: There is no universally accepted quantitative definition of drought. Generally, the term is applied to periods of less than average precipitation over a certain period of time; nature's failure to fulfill the water wants and needs of man.

EVAPORATION: The process by which water becomes a vapor at a temperature below the boiling point.

FILTRATION: The mechanical process which removes particulate matter by separating water from solid material, usually by passing it through sand.

FLOW: The rate of water discharged from a source given in volume with respect to time, commonly measured in Gallons Per Minute (GPM)

GROUND WATER: The supply of fresh water found beneath the Earth's surface (usually in aquifers) which is often used for supplying wells and springs. Because ground water is a major source of drinking water, there is growing concern over areas where leaching agricultural or industrial pollutants or substances from leaking underground storage tanks are contaminating ground water.

HYDROGEN: A chemical substance found in most fuels; by itself, a colorless gas that burns quickly. It is a major component of water.

RAIN: Water drops which fall to the earth from the air.

RESERVOIR: A pond, lake, tank, or basin (natural or human made) where water is collected and used for storage. Large bodies of ground water are called ground water reservoirs; water behind a dam is also called a reservoir of water.

RUN OFF: Water from rainfall or irrigation that is allowed to flow off the property. Run-off can be thought of as a lost resource and a contributor to pollution.

SURFACE WATER: Water on the earth's surface exposed to the atmosphere, e.g., rivers, lakes, streams, oceans, ponds, reservoirs, etc.

WATER: The liquid that descends from the clouds as rain; forms streams, lakes, and seas, and is a major constituent of all living matter; is an odorless, tasteless, colorless, very slightly compressible liquid.

WATER CYCLE: The process by which water travels in a sequence from the air (condensation) to the earth (precipitation) and returns to the atmosphere (evaporation). It is also referred to as the hydrologic cycle.