Water Glossary: U-V

ultraviolet (UV) light	Similar to light produced by the sun; produced by special lamps. As organisms are exposed to UV light, they are damaged or killed.
unconfined aquifer	An aquifer that discharges and recharges with an upper surface that is the water table.
underground storage tanks	Large tanks buried underground for storing liquids, e.g., gasoline, heating oil; potential source of groundwater contamination if the tank leaks.
uranium (U)	A metallic element that is naturally occurring with three main radioactive isotopes (i.e., U-234, U-235, and U-238). Uranium is carcinogenic and can also cause damage to the kidney. Total uranium is regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
usable storage capacity	The quantity of groundwater of acceptable quality that can be economically withdrawn from storage.
USBR	United States Bureau of Reclamation.
virus	(1) A minute organism not visible by light microscopy. A virus is an obligate parasite dependent on nutrients inside cells for its metabolic and reproductive needs. It consists of a strand of either deoxyribonucleic acid or ribonucleic acid, but not both, [inside] a protein covering called a capsid.*
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