Drinking Water Treatment

Front 1

The taking in or soaking up of one substance into a body of another by molecular or chemical action.

Back 1

Absorption

Front 2

The gathering of a gas, liquid, or dissolved substance on the surface or interface zone of another material.

Back 2

Adsorption

Front 3

The process of adding air to water.

Back 3

Aeration

Hint 3

Air can be added to water by either passing air through water or passing water through air.

Front 4

The condition of water which contains a sufficient amount of acid substances to lower the pH below 7.0

Back 4

Acidic

Front 5

A portion of a sample.

Back 5

Aliquot

Hint 5

Often an equally divided portion of a sample.

Front 6

The breakdown of wastes by microorganisms in the presence of dissolved oxygen (This is an extension of the activated sludge process).

Back 6

Aerobic Digestion

Hint 6

This digestion process may be used to treat only waste activated sludge or trickling filter sludge and primary sludge, or waste sludge from activated sludge treatment plants designed without primary settling. The sludge to be treated is placed in a large aerated tank where aerobic microorganisms decompose the organic matter in the sludge.

Front 7

Microscopic plants which contain chlorophyll and float or are suspended and live in water.

Back 7

Algae

Front 8

Wastewater solids and water are placed in a large tank where bacterial decompose the solids in the absence of dissolved oxygen

Back 8

Anaerobic Digestion

Hint 8

There are two general groups of bacterial act in balance:
a) Saprophytic bacterial break down the complex solids to volatile acids, the most common of which are acetic and propionic acids.
b) Methane fermenters breakdown the acids to methane, carbon dioxide, and water.

Front 9

The capacity of water to neutralize acids. This capacity is caused by the waters content of carbonate, bicarbonate, hydroxide, and occasionally borate, silicate, and phosphate.

Back 9

Alkalinity

Hint 9

Alkalinity is expressed in milligrams per liter of equivalent calcium carbonate.

Front 10

A natural underground layer of porous, water bearing materials usually capable of yielding a large amount or supply of water.

Back 10

Aquifer

Front 11

Pertaining to groundwater, a well or underground basin where the water in under a pressure greater than atmospheric, and it will rise above the level of its upper confining surface if given an opportunity to do so.

Back 11

Artesian

Front 12

A measure of the capacity of a solution or liquid to neutralize acids or bases.

Back 12

Buffer Capacity

Hint 12

This is a measure of the capacity of water for offering resistance to changes in pH.

Front 13

An expression of the concentration of specified constituents in water in terms of their equivalent value to calcium carbonate.

Back 13

Calcium Carbonate Equivalent

Front 14

A measure of the total alkalinity in a water sample. The alkalinity is measured by the amount of standard sulfuric acid required to lower the pH of the water to a pH level of 4.5 as indicated by the change in color of methyl orange from orange to pink.

Back 14

Methyl Orange Alkalinity

Hint 14

It is expressed as mg/L of equivalent calcium carbonate.

Front 15

The alkalinity in a water sample measured by the amount of standard acid required to lower the pH to a level of 8.3 as indicated by the change in color of phenolphthalein from pink to clear.

Back 15

Phenolphthalein

Hint 15

It is expressed as mg/L of equivalent calcium carbonate.

Front 16

Any substance which tends to produce cancer in an organism.

Back 16

Carcinogen

Front 17

A means of measuring unknown chemical concentrations in water by measuring a sample's color intensity.

Back 17

Colorimetric Measurement

Front 18

A measure of the oxygen consuming capacity of inorganic and organic matter present in wastewater.

Back 18

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

Hint 18

COD is expressed as the amount of oxygen consumed from a chemical oxidant in mg/L during a specific test. Results not necessarily related to the biochemical oxygen demand because the chemical oxidant may react with substances that bacterial do not stabilize.

Front 19

A type of bacterial usually associated with human/animal fecal matter.

Back 19

Coliform

Hint 19

The presence of the coliform group of bacteria is an indication of possible pathogenic bacterial contamination.

Front 20

Dissolved oxygen reacts readily with metals at the anode of a corrosion cell, accelerating the rate of corrosion until a film of oxidation products such as rust forms.

Back 20

Corrosive Gases

Hint 20

At the cathode where hydrogen gas may form a coating on the cathode and slow the corrosion rate, oxygen reacts rapidly with hydrogen gas forming water, and again increases the rate of corrosion.

Front 21

The theoretical time required for a small amount of water to pass through a tank at a given rate of flow.

Back 21

Detention Time

Hint 21

Detention Time, in hours = (Basin Volume, gal)(24 hr/day)
Flow, gal/day

Front 22

Water that flows over the ground, surface, or through the ground directly into streams, rivers, or lakes.

Back 22

Direct Runoff

Front 23

The process designed to kill most microorganisms in wastewater, including essentially all pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria.

Back 23

Disinfection

Hint 23

There are several ways to disinfect, with chlorination being most frequently used in water and wastewater treatment plants.

Front 24

A method of measuring the chlorine residual in water.

Back 24

DPD

Hint 24

N,N-Diethyl-p-phenylenediamine

Front 25

The drop in the water table or level of water in the ground when water is being pumped from a well.

Back 25

Drawdown

Front 26

The process by which water vapor passes into the atmosphere from living plants.

Back 26

Evapotranspiration

Hint 26

or Transpiration

Front 27

The most common type of pond in current use. The upper portion is aerobic, while the bottom layer is anaerobic.

Back 27

Facultative Pond

Hint 27

Algae supply most of the oxygen to the supernatant.

Front 28

A sample that is a collection of individual samples obtained at regular intervals, usually every 1 to 2 hours during a 24 hour period. Each individual sample is combined with the others in proportion to the rate of flow when the sample is collected.

Back 28

Composite Sample

Hint 28

The resulting mixture forms a representative sample, and it is analyzed to determine the average conditions during the sampling period.

Front 29

A flow of water from a particular place in a plant to the location where samples are collected for testing. This continuous stream may be used to obtain grab or composite samples.

Back 29

Continuous Sample

Hint 29

Frequently several taps will flow continuously in the laboratory to provide samples from various places in a water treatment plant.

Front 30

A single sample of water collected at a particular time and place, which represents the composition of the water only at that time and place.

Back 30

Grab Sample

Front 31

A sample portion of material or water that is as nearly identical in content and consistency as possible to that in the larger body of material or water being sampled.

Back 31

Representative Sample

Front 32

A characteristic of water caused mainly by the salts of calcium and magnesium, such as bicarbonate, carbonate, sulfate, chloride, and nitrate.

Back 32

Hardness

Hint 32

Undesirable due to soap curds, scale build up in boilers, and sometimes objectionable taste in water.

Front 33

The process of evaporation of water into the air and its return to earth by precipitation.

Back 33

Hydrologic Cycle

Hint 33

This process also includes transpiration from plants, groundwater movement and runoff into rivers, streams, and oceans.

Front 34

The property of a material or soil that does not allow or allows only with great difficulty the movement or passage of water.

Back 34

Impermeable

Front 35

Waste material such as sand, salt, iron, calcium, and other materials which are only slightly affected by the action of organisms.

Back 35

Inorganic Waste

Hint 35

Inorganic waste are chemical substances of mineral origin; whereas organic wastes are chemical substances usually of animal or plant origin.

Front 36

Nitrogen in the form of organic proteins or their decomposition product ammonia as measured by the _______ , total nitrogen

Back 36

Kjeldahl Nitrogen

Front 37

The curved surface of a column of liquid in a small tube. When the liquid wets the sides of the container the curve forms a valley. When the confining side are not wetted the curve forms a hill or upward.

Back 37

Meniscus

Hint 37

Water is read at the bottom of the meniscus, and Mercury is read at the top of the meniscus.

Front 38

The addition of oxygen, removal of hydrogen, or the removal of electrons from an element or compound.

Back 38

Oxidation

Hint 38

In the environment, organic matter is oxidized to more stable substances.