Water School

A measure of water’s alkalinity or acidity is called pH. Water with a pH of 7 is neutral; lower pH levels indicate increasing acidity and higher pH levels indicate increasingly basic solutions.

Indirect re-use is the use of treated wastewater for beneficial re-use taken after the wastewater has been discharged to a watercourse.

Direct reuse is the use of treated wastewater for beneficial re-use.  Direct re-use is taken directly from a wastewater treatment plant via pipeline and is not discharged to a watercourse.

Conjunctive use is the coordinated management of surface water and groundwater supplies to maximize the yield of water resource.

A river basin is the area drained by a river and its tributaries. A river basin is synonymous with the term “watershed.”  For example, the Brazos River basin refers to the same area as the Brazos River watershed.  photo courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife

The term riparian area refers to the bank of a river. Riparian areas have one or both of the following characteristics: 1) distinctively different vegetative species than adjacent areas, and 2) species similar to adjacent areas but exhibiting more vigorous or robust growth forms. Riparian areas are usually transitional between wetland and upland.