Glossary of Water and Wastewater Terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z5 random terms from our glossary
advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)
A system that measures, collects, and analyzes energy usage while interacting with advanced devices such as water meters through various communication media, either on demand or on predefined schedules. This infrastructure includes hardware, software, communications, consumer energy displays and controllers, customer associated systems, meter data management software, and supplier and network distribution systems.
oxidizing agent
Any substance, such as oxygen (O2) or chlorine (Cl2), that will readily add (take on) electrons. When oxygen or chlorine is added to water or wastewater, organic substances are oxidized. These oxidized organic substances are more stable and less likely to give off odors or to contain disease-causing bacteria. The opposite is a reducing agent.
roughness coefficient
A value used in Manning’s formula to determine energy losses of flowing water due to pipe or channel wall roughness. Also see friction loss, Manning’s formula, and n Factor.
toxic substance
Any material that has the potential to cause illness or death because of its radioactive, chemical, or biological nature. Also see harmful physical agent.
conservative pollutant
A pollutant found in wastewater that is not changed while passing through the treatment processes in a conventional wastewater treatment plant. This type of pollutant may be removed by the treatment processes and retained in the plant's sludges or it may leave in the plant effluent. Heavy metals such as cadmium and lead are conservative pollutants.
