Water Glossary: W-Z

wash water	Water that is used to clean a unit process. Wash water is typically identified as backwash water and is associated with the wastewater resulting from the cleaning of filter media to remove attached particles.*
wastewater	Water that has been used for domestic or industrial purposes.
water cycle	The movement of water from the air to and below the Earth's surface and back into the air.
water reclamation	Treating wastewater so that it can be used again.
watershed	A geographical portion of the Earth's surface from which water drains or runs off to a single place like a river; also called a drainage area.
water table	The upper surface of the zone of saturation of groundwater
xeriscape	Landscaping that doesn't require much water
zone of aeration	The portion of the ground from the Earth's surface down to the water table — the zone of aeration is not saturated with water because its pores are filled partly by air and partly by water
zone of saturation	The portion of the ground below the water table where all the pores in rock, sediment, and soil are filled with water
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