WATER TERMS

term	description
RADON	A radioactive, colorless, odorless gas that occurs naturally in the earth. When trapped in buildings, concentrations build up, and it can cause health hazards such as lung cancer.
RAIN	Water drops which fall to the earth from the air.
RAIN GAGE	Any instrument used for recording and measuring time, distribution, and the amount of rainfall.
RAIN SENSOR	A simple, inexpensive device that measures rainfall and prevents unnecessary irrigation with an automatic controller.
RAINFALL	The quantity of water that falls as rain only.
RAMMED EARTH	A building technique for exterior walls where earth is "rammed" (or processed down) between forms. Certain mixtures of moistened earth used in this technique harden under pressure and form a strong solid wall which is then covered by a waterproofing coat.
REAGENT	Chemical added to a sample; may be in powder or liquid form.
RECHARGE	The addition of water into a ground water system.
RECHARGE, ARTIFICIAL	The infusion of surface water into wells; seepage of water into soil or gravelly areas for storage.
RECLAMATION	The process of matter or energy being reclaimed or restored to a better or useful state. For instance, dams reclaim water which would otherwise be lost through runoff.
RECONSTITUED	The process of taking small pieces of material and binding them together to form a larger item. Examples include wood chips that are adhered together to form substrates and/or structural components in trim, doors, windows, structural material, and sheet materials. Fingerjointed and laminated materials are other examples.
RECORD OF DECISION(ROD)	A public document that explains which cleanup alternative(s) will be used at Superfund sites where Superfund pays for the cleanup. The Record of Decision is based on information and technical analyses generated during the remedial investigation/feasibility study and consideration of public comments and community concerns.
RECORDER, STREAM DATA	A mechanical apparatus which records a continuous record of a water level.
RECYCLED PLASTIC LUMBER	Recycled plastic made into lumber which is workable like lumber. There are several manufacturers of this material. It is insect and water resistant.
REFRIGERATOR	see "Energy Efficient Appliances".
RELATIVE HUMIDITY	The ratio of the amount of water vapor actually present in the air to the greatest amount possible at the same temperature.
REMEDIAL ACTION(PA)	The actual construction or implementation phase of a Superfund site cleanup that follows remedial design.
REMEDIAL DESIGN(RD)	An engineering phase that follows the remedial investigation/feasibility study and includes development of engineering drawings and specifications for a site cleanup.
REMEDIAL INVESTIGTION (RI)	An in-depth study designed to gather the data necessary to determine the nature and extent of contamination at a Superfund site; establish criteria for cleaning up the site; identify preliminary alternatives for remedial actions; and support the technical and cost analyses of the alternatives. The remedial investigation is usually done with the[feasibility study. Together they are usually referred to as the RI/PS.
REMEDIAL PROJECT MANAGER (RPM)	The EPA or state official responsible for overseeing remedial action at a site.
REMEDIAL RESPONSE	A long-term action that stops or substantially reduces a release or threatened release of hazardous substances that is serious, but does not pose an immediate threat to public health and/or the environment.
REMOVAL ACTION	Short-term immediate actions taken to address releases of hazardous substances that require expedited response.
REPOSITORY	A facility where official Superfund documents are kept for public reference. Each Superfund site has at least one repository- usually the local library or other public facility.
RESERVOIR	A pond, lake, tank, or basin (natural or human made) where water is collected and used for storage. Large bodies of ground water are called ground water reservoirs; water behind a dam is also called a reservoir of water.
RIPARIAN WATER RIGHT	The legal right held by an owner of land contiguous to or bordering on a natural stream or lake, to take water from the source for use on the contiguous land.
RISK ASSESSMENT	The qualitative and quantitative evaluation performed in an effort to define the risk posed to human health and /or the environment by the presence or potential presence and/or use of specific pollutants.
RIVER AND COASTAL BASIN	The river and coastal basins now degined and designated by separate units for the purposes of water development and inter-watershed transfers, and as they are made certain by contour maps on file in the offices of the Texas Water Development Board, including but not limited to the
RIVER BASIN	A term used to designate the area drained by a river and its tributaries.
RlPRAP	A facing layer (protective cover) of stones placed to prevent erosion or the sloughing off of a structure or embankment.
RULE ELEMENT	A component and constituent of the regional assessment report.
RADIANT BARRIER	A layer of metallic foil that reflects thermal radiation without transferring heat to other materials.
RIVER	A natural stream of water of considerable volume.
RIVER AUTHORITY	Any district or authority created by the legislature which contains an area within its boundaries of ten or more counties and which is governed by a hoard of directors appointed or designated in whole or in part by the governor, or by the Texas Water Development Board, including without limitation the San Antonio River Authority, and other river authority or Special district created under Article111, Section 52, Subsection (b)(1) or (2), or Article XVI, Section 59, of the Texas Constitution that is designated by rule of the commission to comply with this chapter.
RUN-OFF	Water from rainfall or irrigation that is allowed to flow off the property. Run-off can be thought of as a lost resource point and a contributor to non source pollution.

List your classifieds free from our website

Find out the meaning of water related terms

Search our FAQS to find the info you need

Learn the facts about bottled water