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WA - Water Authority WA Waterkeeper
Alliance WA - Watershed Academy (EPA) WA - Watershed
Analysis WA - Watershed Approach (EPA) WA - Wave Action WA - Wetland Acquisition WA - Wilderness Act
(1964) WA - Wilderness
Alliance WA - Wilderness
Association WA - Wildland
Adventures WA - Wildlife Agent WA - Wings of the
Americas WA - World Army WAAS - The Wide
Area Augmentation System (surveying and mapping) Wabash River Heritage Corridor Fund - Matching
assistance program that provides up to 75 percent of the cost for the acquisition
and/or development of outdoor recreation sites along the Wabash River or
its viewshed. WA-CERT -
Washington Community Economic Revitalization Team (Washington State) WAC - Watershed Agricultural Council WAC - World Affairs
Council WACD - Wyoming
Association of Conservation Districts WACP - World
Affairs Council of Philadelphia WAEI - Weighted
Average Erosion Index (USDA) WAERSA - World Agricultural Economics and Rural
Sociology Abstracts WAFC - Western
Ancient Forest Campaign WAJF - W. Alton
Jones Foundation Wall - The sides of
a mine working; rock on either side of an ore body. Wall Rocks - Rock
units on either side of an orebody. The hangingwall and footwall rocks
of an orebody. WAM - Work Assignment Manager WAN - Wide Area
Network WAP - Waste
Analysis Plan WAP - Watershed Assessment and Protection WAPA - Western Area
Power Administration The War Powers Act - During the aftermath of
withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam and the Paris Peace Accords,
Congress seized the opportunity on November 7, 1973 to enact the War
Powers Act. This piece of legislation was created in response to the
attitude shift that had taken place in Congress since the 1964 passage
of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Many members of Congress and the
American public felt that the Executive Branch had waged a war with far
more sweeping powers than the Constitution permitted. In some regards,
the War Powers Act was the result of concerted action by members of both
the House of Representatives and the Senate who had been generally
opposed to the escalation of the war. The War Powers Act also was
created in response to some members of Congress and the American public
who believed both the Johnson and Nixon Administrations had lied on
numerous occasions with regard to U.S. participation in Vietnam.
The War Powers Act essentially limits the power of the President
in waging hostilities without congressional approval. The War Powers Act
mandates that the President notify Congress, if possible, before
committing troops to action. Once American forces are committed to combat they
can stay no more than sixty days unless Congress extends their mission.
The War Powers Act is principally viewed as a means to prevent
the presidency from embroiling the United States in a war similar to the
Vietnam experience. The War
Powers Act was passed in 1973 over a Presidential veto was an attempt
for Congress to reign in the executive power in foreign policy issues,
particularly in the commitment of US armed forces overseas. It is
generally thought of as being in response to Vietnam. Many Presidents since then have frequently abused
this Act or have informed Congress of aggressions out of
"courtesy" often after troops have been deployed. This is not
only the result of abusive administrations ("institutional
aggrandizement of presidents"), but often due to a consenting
Congresses (through acquiescence or silence), and a Judicial branch that
won't take sides. Warm-Season Plant
Species - Plants whose major growth occurs during the spring, summer, or
fall, and are usually dormant in winter. WASDE - World Agricultural Supply and Demand
Estimates Wash (Dry Wash) - The channel of a
flat-floored ephemeral stream, commonly with very steep to vertical
banks cut in unconsolidated material.
It is usually dry but can be transformed into a temporary
watercourse or short-lived torrent after heavy rain within the
watershed. In southern Nevada, dry washes are commonly used
transportation corridors due to flat sand or gravel surfaces, lack of
vegetation and accessibility as compared to the surrounding terrain. Casual off-road vehicle use would be limited to those dry
washes greater than 8 feet in width. - BLM WASL - Washington
Assessment of Student Learning WASL - Washington
Math-Science List WASP - Water
Quality Analysis Simulation Program Waste - Mineralized
or un-mineralized rock that is not ore. Waste Management -
An umbrella term that is applied to the processes of determining where
and how to dispose of industrial or household waste. (UNESCO) Waste Treatment
Pond - A shallow lagoon or similar storage facility, often man-made,
used to treat liquid agricultural wastes, particularly liquid manure
from livestock production farms, through the interaction of sunlight,
wind, algae, and oxygen. Through natural biological processes,
microscopic organisms consume wastes present in the water.
Waste Rock (Waste)
- Barren rock at a mine or material that is too low in grade to be of
economic value. - BLM Surface Mgmt. Regs. Waste stream(s)
The unused solid or liquid byproducts of a process. - Bioenergy Glossary
2. The
waste material output of a community, region or facility. EPA Wastewater - Water
that has been used and is no longer clean. (WB-UN) Wastewater Reuse -
Utilization of water whose source contains contaminates from human
activities. Everglades Plan glossary Wastewater
Treatment - The process of removing pollutants from water that has been
used. There are different stages of treatment. Primary sewage treatment
involves screening the water to remove the largest solids from
wastewater and then letting the water sit in settling tanks so that the
smaller solids and particles sink to the bottom. Secondary treatment
involves another stage in which microbes added to the wastewater to eat
the biological pollutants, or the wastewater is put through another
filter. Then the treated water is disinfected and released back into
nature. The more steps included in the treatment, the more expensive the
process. (WB-UN) Water (USAID
definition of water as seen by farmers) - "...to farmers, water is
a means to an end, and that end is income. They need land, seed, labour,
capital, traction, storage and any other input. They cannot farm without
water, but they cannot maximise their returns from the investment of
that labour without a wider range of other inputs as well. Irrigation
agencies miss the point when they organise farmers into Water User
Associations (WUA's) primarily for canal construction and operation and
maintenance. Farmers will organise readily to get government assistance
to repair or extend their irrigation systems, but only if improved
operation and maintenance promises more income. If the WUA program means
more work for the same return, they are unlikely to go along...."
Participation and Empowerment, USAID - ISPAN 1994 2. A General cover
category consisting of permanent water, such as a perennial stream,
lake, or pond with at least 25 percent open water. If the vegetative
canopy obscures more than 75 percent of the water surface from view, the
area is recorded under the category appropriate for the canopy
vegetation. Four types of water areas are large streams, large water
bodies, small streams, and small water bodies. - National Resources
Inventory Water acquisition -
The purchase of water from willing sellers. - Bureau Of Reclamation (BOR)
Water Acquisition Glossary Water and soil
resource management - Impoundment of fishing/canoeing streams or of more
than 25 percent of their watersheds will be discouraged. - USDA Forest
Service Water areas - A Land cover/use category
comprising water bodies and streams that are permanent open water. -
National Resources Inventory Water balance - See
Hydrologic budget. - USGS Water Bank Program (WBP) - A program to set aside
wetlands for a period of 10 years (renewable) for conservation purposes.
Participants receive annual rental payments. As these contracts expire,
participants are offered the opportunity to place the land in the
Wetland Reserve Program. Water body - A type
of (permanent open) water area that includes ponds, lakes, reservoirs,
bays or gulfs, and estuaries. There are three size categories: less than
2 acres, 2 to 40 acres, and at least 40 acres. - National Resources
Inventory Water-breaks (or
water bars) - A mound or small dikelike surface drainage structure,
properly used only in closing retired roads to traffic and on fire lines
and abandoned skid trails. USDA Water Budget - An
account of all water inflows, outflows and changes in storage for a
pre-specified period of time. Everglades Plan glossary Water Budget - An
accounting of the inflow to, outflow from, and storage in, a hydrologic
unit. Water Catchment
Area - See Watershed. Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) - Everglades
marshland areas that were modified for use as storage to prevent
flooding, to irrigate agriculture and recharge well fields and as input
for agricultural and urban runoff. The Water Conservation Areas WCA-1,
WCA-2A, WCA-2B, WCA-3A and WCA-3B comprise five surface water management
basins in the Everglades; bounded by the Everglades Agricultural Area on
the north and the Everglades National Park basin on the south, the WCAs
are confined by levees and water control structures that regulate the
inflows and outflows to each one of them. Restoration of more natural
water levels and flows to the WCAs is a main objective of the CERP.
Everglades Plan glossary Water content of
snow - See Water equivalent of snow. USGS Water-cooled vibrating grate - A boiler grate
made up of a tuyere grate surface mounted on a grid of water tubes
interconnected with the boiler circulation system for positive cooling.
The structure is supported by flexing plates allowing the grid and grate
to move in a vibrating action. Ashes are automatically discharged. -
Bioenergy Glossary Watercourse - A
system of surface and underground waters that constitute, by virtue of
their physical relationship, a unitary whole and that flow into a common
terminus. WB Watercourse - A
system of surface and underground waters that constitute, by virtue of
their physical relationship, a unitary whole and that flow into a common
terminus. (FAO-UN) Water crop - See Water yield.
- USGS Water equivalent of snow - Amount of water
that would be obtained if the snow should be completely melted. Water
content may be merely the amount of liquid water in the snow at the time
of observation. (Wilson, 1942a, p. 153-154.) - USGS Waterlogging - Waterlogging occurs when soil
is fully saturated with water. The water may be from rising groundwater
or surface run-off. - NHT Water loss - The difference between the
average precipitation over a drainage basin and the water yield from the
basin for a given period. (After Williams and others, 1940, p. 3.) The
basic concept is that water loss is equal to evapotranspiration, that
is, water that returns to the atmosphere and thus is no longer available
for use. However, the term is also applied to differences between
measured inflow and outflow even where part of the difference may be
seepage. - USGS Watermaster - An
official of the Water Resources Department that allocates available
surface or groundwater in the state. - Bioenergy Glossary Water Pollution -
One or more chemicals in high enough concentration in water to harm
humans, other animals, vegetation or materials. (UNESCO) Water Preserve Areas (WPAs) - Multi-purpose
water management areas planned between urban areas and the eastern
Everglades, which will be utilized to treat urban runoff, store water,
reduce seepage and improve existing wetland areas. Everglades Plan
glossary Water Quality
The chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water with
respect to its suitability for a particular use. DOI/BLM Water Quality - The condition of water, especially
in relation to its suitability for drinking. Water is safe or unsafe
depending on the amount of bacteria in it. An adequate amount of water
is enough to satisfy metabolic, hygienic, and domestic requirements,
usually about 20 liters (about 4 gallons) per person per day. 'Access to
safe water' is a development indicator that refers to the number of
people who have a reasonable means of getting and adequate amount of
clean water, expressed as a percentage of the total population. In urban
areas 'reasonable' access means there is a public fountain or water
spigot located within 200 meters of the household. In rural areas, it
implies that members of the household do not have to spend excessive
time each day fetching water. (UNESCO) Water Quality Incentives Program - This program
was authorized in the FACT Act of 1990 and is administered by the Farm
Service Agency. It was repealed and replaced by the Environmental
Quality Incentives Program in the FAIR Act of 1996. It provided cost-share assistance to implement
comprehensive water quality protection plans and was funded by
earmarking a portion of the Agricultural Conservation Program. Water Quality Initiative - A multi-agency effort,
initiated by USDA in 1990, to determine relationships between
agricultural activities and water quality, and develop and implement
strategies that protect surface and groundwater quality. This program,
which builds earlier USDA water quality protection efforts, includes
research activities, projects involving landowners, and information and
data development. Landowners participate in demonstration projects,
hydrologic unit area projects, water quality special projects, and water
quality incentive projects. Water Quality Standards - State-adopted
and EPA-approved ambient standards for water bodies. The standards prescribe the use of the water
body and establish the water quality criteria that must be met to
protect designated uses, and contain policies to protect against
degradation of water quality once standards are attained and maintained.
Standards for water quality established under Section 303
of the U.S. Clean Water Act. The water quality standards program is
covered by an implementing regulation in 40 CFR 131. A water quality standard is a rule or law consisting
of three elements: (1) the designated use (or uses) to be made of the
water body or segment; (2) the water quality criteria needed to protect
that use (or uses); and (3) an antidegradation policy. Standards
are to protect the public health or welfare, improve water quality, and
serve the purpose of the Clean Water Act. Criteria are usually established thresholds that
when violated may result in harm to beneficial uses of water. Water Quality
Standard - A standard that defines the goals for a water body or portion
of a water body, by designating the beneficial use or uses to be made of
the water and by setting criteria necessary to protect the uses. Water
quality standards should provide for the protection and propagation of
fish, shellfish, and wildlife and for recreation in and on the water,
and should take into consideration the use and value of public water
supplies. Such standards establish water quality goals for a specific
water body and serve as the regulatory basis for the establishment of
water quality-based treatment controls and strategies beyond the
technology-based treatment required by sections 301(b) and 306 of the
CWA. - USDA/FS Water repellent
treated wood - Lumber impregnated with water repellent and
preservatives. - EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Glossary Water Retention
Curve - a graph showing the soil-water content versus applied tension,
suction, or water potential. Also
called water release characteristic curve. Water requirement -
The quantity of water, regardless of its source, required by a crop in a
given period of time, for its normal growth under field conditions. It
includes surface evaporation and other economically unavoidable wastes.
(Blaney, 1951a, p. 4.) USGS Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) The
WRDA provides for the conservation and development of water and related
resources and authorizes the Secretary of the Army to construct various
projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States,
and for other purposes deemed appropriate by the U.S. Congress and the
President of the United States. Water Rights - The legal rights to the use of
water. Water rights -
California recognizes riparian and appropriative water rights. - Bureau
Of Reclamation (BOR) Water Acquisition Glossary Water Service Contract - a type of contract,
authorized by the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, whereby water is
furnished for irrigation or municipal or miscellaneous purposes at rates
to produce revenue sufficient to cover charges reimbursable to the
federal government. Watershed - The
area of land above a given point on a stream that contributes water to
the volume of a body of surface water; also referred to as a drainage
basin. - USDA/FS 2. The line separating waters flowing into different
rivers, basins or seas. Often used to mean catchment area or river
basin. WB Watershed - A geographic area of land, water,
and biota within the confines of a drainage divide. The total area above
a given point of a water body that contributes flow to that point. http://cleanwater.gov/ufp/glossary.html
Watershed approach - A framework to guide
watershed management that: 1) uses watershed assessments to determine
existing and reference conditions; 2) incorporates assessment results
into resource management planning; and 3) fosters collaboration with all
landowners in the watershed. The framework considers both ground and
surface water flow within a hydrologically defined geographical area. http://cleanwater.gov/ufp/glossary.html Watershed assessment - An analysis and
interpretation of the physical and landscape characteristics of a
watershed using scientific principles to describe watershed conditions
as they affect water quality and aquatic resources. Initial watershed
assessments will be conducted using existing data, where available. Data
gaps may suggest the collection of additional data.
http://cleanwater.gov/ufp/glossary.html Watershed coordinators - This program is
available to Non-profit organizations, local and regional units of
government. Organizations can request a six-year declining grant to
employ a watershed coordinator to work on watershed planning and
implementation to control nonpoint souce pollution. Grant covers salary
and fringe benefits for the coordinator; 100 percent (up to $40,000) in
year one and declining to 50 percent in year six. Contact: Rosida
Porter; 614-265-6647. Page 49 of the 87-page "Final Report"
from USFWS.
http://midwest.fws.gov/planning/ldarbyfinalreport.pdf Watershed condition - The state of the
watershed based on physical and biogeochemical characteristics and
processes (e.g., hydrologic, geomorphic, landscape, topographic,
vegetative cover, and aquatic habitat), water flow characteristics and
processes (e.g., volume and timing), and water quality characteristics
and processes (e.g., chemical, physical, and biological), as it affects
water quality and water resources. http://cleanwater.gov/ufp/glossary.html Water spreading -
Diverting or collecting runoff from natural channels, gullies, or
streams with a system of dams, dikes, ditches, or other means, and
spreading it over a relatively flat area. - National Resources Inventory Water Table - The
upper boundary or top surface of the zone of saturation in a soil
profile or geologic formation. The
underground level at which the ground is saturated with water. The level
at which water will stand in an excavation. Water table - The level of water in the Earth.
- UNEP Children's Glossary Water table - The
upper surface of a zone of saturation. No water table exists where that
surface is formed by an impermeable body. (Meinzer ,1923, p. 22.)
USGS Water transfers - A
transaction between a water supplier, agreeing to transfer a volume of
water, and the recipient of the water, under mutually acceptable terms,
including the volume of water, the price paid, the time period, and the
condition of the water for transfer. - Bureau Of Reclamation -- BOR --
Water Acquisition Glossary Water year - In
Geological Survey reports dealing with surface-water supply, the
12-month period, October 1 through September 30. The water year is
designated by the calendar year in which it ends and which includes 9 of
the 12 months. Thus, the year ended September 30, 1959, is called the
"1959 water year." - USGS Water 2000 Initiative - The program administered by
the Rural Utility Service goal is to improve the quality of drinking
water in distressed rural areas with the most serious safe drinking
water problems. Water Yield - The quantity of
water derived from a unit area of watershed. (BLM) Water yield (water
crop or runout) - The runoff from the drainage basin, including
ground-water outflow that appears in the stream plus groundwater outflow
that bypasses the gaging station and leaves the basin underground. Water
yield is the precipitation minus the evpotranspiration. USGS WATERS - Water
Administration Technical Engineering Resource System Waters of the State - All streams, lakes, ponds,
marshes, watercourses, waterways, wells, springs, irrigation systems,
drainage systems, and all other bodies of water above or below ground
which are partially or wholly in the state, border on the state, or are
within the jurisdiction of the state. Private waters that do not combine
or have a junction with natural surface or underground waters are not
included (for example, an isolated farm pond that does not infiltrate to
ground water or connect to surface water).
The ocean and its estuaries, all springs, streams and bodies of
surface or ground water, whether natural or artificial, within the
boundaries of the State or subject to its jurisdiction. Waterfowl Production Areas - A small component of
the National Wildlife Refuge System. There are over 2,000,000 acres of
this prime duck-producing land, mostly prairie potholes in the Dakotas,
Minnesota, and Montana. The Fish and Wildlife Service owns, leases, or
holds easements on the lands.
Watershed - The total
land area, regardless of size, above a given point on a waterway that
contributes runoff water to the flow at that point. It is a major
subdivision of a drainage basin. The United States is generally divided
into 18 major drainage areas and 160 principal river drainage basins
containing about 12,700 smaller watersheds.
The entire region or land area that contributes water to a
drainage system or stream, collects and drains water into a stream or
stream system, or is drained by a waterway (or into a lake or
reservoir). More
specifically, a watershed is an area of land above a given point on a
stream that contributes water to the streamflow at that point.
A region or area where surface runoff and groundwater drain to a
common water course or body of water.
The area drained by a river or river system enclosed by drainage
divides. An area of land
that drains to a single water outlet.
The entire land area that collects and drains water into a stream
or stream system. A
watershed is also known as a sub-basin. 2. All land and water within the
confines of a drainage divide. - BLM (DOI) Grand Escalante Staircase
National Monument DEIS Glossary 3. The line separating waters flowing
into different rivers, basins or seas. Often used to mean catchment area
or river basin. (UN) 3. The divide separating one drainage basin from
another and in the past has been generally used to convey this meaning.
However, over the years, use of the term to signify drainage basin or
catchment area has come to predominate, although drainage basin is preferred. Drainage divide, or just divide, is
used to denote the boundary between one drainage area and another. Used
alone, the term "watershed" is ambiguous and should not be
used unless the intended meaning is made clear. - USGS Watershed Scenarios - To consider human
derived impacts on watershed quality. Before this can be done, however,
characteristics specific to each watershed must be analyzed and
information must be generated for each unique area. EPA Watershed-based
Zoning - Achieves watershed protection goals by creating a watershed
development plan, using zoning as the basis (flexible density and
subdivision layout specifications), that falls within the range of
density and imperviousness allowable for the watershed to prevent
environmental impacts. Watershed- based zoning usually employs a mixture
of zoning practices. - Smart Growth Green Development Glossary Watershed And Flood
Prevention Operations - A program area of the Natural Resources
Conservation Service that includes Flood Prevention Operations (under
the Flood Control Act of 1944, P.L. 78-534), Emergency Watershed
Protection, and Small Watershed Operations (under the Watershed and
Flood Prevention Act of 1954, P.L. 83-566). These programs have built
small watershed projects that reduce floods, protect watersheds, improve
water quality, reduce soil erosion, improve water supply, and provide
recreation. They involve strong partnerships with local interests.
Watershed Conservation Area - The Watershed
Conservation Area is an area of the watershed surrounding the Voluntary
Purchase Area. Within this
area, easements would be acquired from willing sellers by USFWS, the
State, or some other interested entity to ensure long-term farmland
integrity in a way that compliments and enhances the preservation and
restoration of habitats acquired in the Voluntary Purchase Area. (USFWS-Region
3, proposed Little Darby National Wildlife Refuge) Water Table - The
upper surface of groundwater. The
top of a section of saturated groundwater.
Below it, the soil is saturated with water. Waters of the U.S.
- The term waters of the United States means (1) All waters which are
currently used, or were used in the past, or may be susceptible to use
in interstate or foreign commerce, including all water which are subject
to the ebb and flow of the tide; (2) All interstate waters including
interstate wetlands; (3) All other waters such as intrastate lakes,
rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats,
wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, or
natural ponds, the use, degradation or destruction of which could affect
interstate or foreign commerce including any such waters: (i) Which are
or could be used by interstate or foreign travelers for recreational or
other purposes; or (ii) From which fish or shellfish are or could be
taken and sold in interstate or foreign commerce; or (iii) Which are
used or could be used for industrial purposes by industries in
interstate commerce; (4) All impoundments of waters otherwise defined as
waters of the United States under this definition; (5) Tributaries of
waters identified in paragraphs (1)-(4); (6) The territorial seas; (7)
Wetlands adjacent to waters (other than waters that are themselves
wetland) identified in paragraphs (1)-(6). Waste treatment systems,
including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to meet the requirements
of CWA (other than cooling ponds as defined in 40 CFR § 123.11(m) which
also meet the criteria of this definition) are not waters of the United
States. 33 CFR § 328.3(a); 40 CFR § 230.3(s). Waterway - Any channel, natural or constructed, in
which water flows. Water Yield - The measured output of streams. The runoff from a watershed, including groundwater outflow. WAVE - Working
Against Violence Everywhere WB - World Bank WBC - White Blood
Cell WBCA - Wild Bird
Conservation Act (1992) WBCSDS - World
Business Council for Sustainable Development and Sustainability WBE - Womens
Business Enterprise WBGEF - World Bank Global Environment Facility WBM - World Biosphere Management WBP - Winnebago
Bison Project WBSMNP - World Bank
Symposium on Movement of Natural Persons (UN) WBSMP - Watershed Based Storm Management Plans WC - Walkable Communities WC - Watershed Change WC
- Watershed Council WC - Watershed Councils WC - Wealth Creation WC - We Care WC - Western Caucus WC - Wetland Creation WC - Wholesale
Customer WC - Wicca Circle WCA - Washington
County Alliance (Maine) WCA - Western
Counties Alliance WCA - World Citizen Association WCA - Wolf Core
Areas WCAC - Walkable Communities Advisory
Committee WCAR - World
Conference Against Racism indigenous peoples(UN) WCARRD - World Conference on Agrarian Reform and
Rural Development (UN, Rome, June, 1979) WCB - Wildlife Conservation Biology WCB - Wildlife Conservation Board WCC - Winter Cover
Crops WCC - World Council of Churches (originated in
Yellow Springs, OH) WCCD - World Commission on Culture and Development
(UNESCO) WCD - World Commission on Dams WCED - Western
Center for Environmental Decision-Making WCED - World Commission on Environment and
Development (IUCN) WCED - World
Commission on the Environment and Development (Bruntland Commission) WCES - World Community Educational Society WCGMP - Water Conservancy Groundwater Monitoring
Program WCI - Wildlife
Connectivity Issues WCMC - World
Conservation Monitoring Centre (IUCN - UN) - Provides information
services on conservation and sustainable use of the world's living
resources, and helps others to develop information systems of their own. WCIND - The West Coast Inland Navigation
District (Florida) WCL - World Confederation of Labor WCLA - Washington
Contract Logging Association WCMC - World Conservation Monitoring Center WCNDR - World Conference on Natural Disaster
Reduction (UN) WCP - Wildlands Conservation Planning WCPR - Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads WCPR - The
Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads (Missoula, MT and Boulder, CO) WCRR - World Climate Research Program (UN) WCS - World Conservation Strategy (IUCN) |
