WATER TERMS

term	description
LAKES	An inland body of water, usually fresh water, formed by glaciers, river drainage etc., larger than a pool or pond. Bodies of water filling depressions in the earth's surface.
LANDFILL	A disposal facility where waste is placed in or on land.
LEACHING	The process by which soluble materials in the soil, such as nutrients, pesticide chemicals or contaminants, are washed into a lower layer of soil or are dissolved and carried away by water.
LEAD	A harmful environmental pollutant that is typical in older homes with lead-based paints and in the lead solder used in plumbing. Lead is toxic to many organs and can damage the brain, kidneys, and nervous system.
LEAKING PETROLEUM STORAGE TANK	Those storage tanks which have been assigned a leaking petroleum storage tank (LPST) number by the Texas Water Commission.
LEVEE	A natural or man-made earthen obstruction along the edge of a stream, lake, or river. Usually used to restrain the flow of water out of a river bank.
LIFE CYCLE	A life cycle assessment (LCA) is an objective process to evaluate all the environmental burdens of a product or process through its entire existence. This encompasses extracting and processing raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, use and maintenance, recycling and final disposal.
LIGHT WATER REACTOR (LWR)	A power plant which uses ordinary water as distinguished from one that uses heavy water. Fission energy is released in the form of heat and is transferred to a conventional steam cycle which generates electric energy.
LIQUID	A state of matter, neither gas nor solid, that flows and takes the shape of its container.
LAG TIME	The time from the center of a unit storm to the peak discharge or center of volume of the corresponding unit hydrograph.
LAGOON	A shallow pond where sunlight, bacterial action, and oxygen work to purify waste water. Lagoons are typically used for the storage of waste waters, sludges, liquid wastes, or spent nuclear fuel.
LANDFARM	To apply waste to land and/or incorporate waste into the surface soil, such as fertilizer or soil conditioner. This practice is commonly used for disposal of composted wastes.
LEAST-TOXIC	This characterization of a building material for the Green Builder Program indicates that urea formaldehyde is not present and/or VOC contents are minimal and/or water-based constituents are used. Products that have been certified to be "least-toxic" by certification groups such as Creen Cross, Green Shield, and Eco-Logo qualify for the Green Builder Program.
LIMESTONE	A sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate (lime) and sometimes containing shells and other hard parts of prehistoric water animals and plants.
LlMNOLOGY	That branch of hydrology pertaining to the study of lakes.
LONG-TERM REMEDIAL PHASE	Distinct, often incremental, steps that are taken to solve site pollution problems. Depending on the complexity, site cleanup activities can be separated into a number of these phases.

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