Water stress
Water stress occurs when the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period or when poor quality restricts its use. Water stress causes deterioration of fresh water resources in...
View ArticleSuspended matter
Suspended matter is made up of fine particles. Some are present naturally in river water, such as plankton, fine plant debris and minerals, while others stem from human activity (organic and inorganic...
View ArticleTributaries
A tributary (or confluent/affluent) is a stream or river which flows into another river (a parent river) or body of water but which may not flow directly into the sea.
View ArticleIntrusion of saltwater
Saltwater intrusion is a natural process that occurs in virtually all coastal aquifers. It consists in salt water (from the sea) flowing inland in freshwater aquifers. This behavior is caused by the...
View ArticleGroundwater abstraction
Groundwater abstraction is the process of taking water from a ground source, either temporarily or permanently. Most water is used for irrigation or treatment to produce drinking water. Depending on...
View ArticleDiffuse pollution
Pollution from widespread activities with no one discrete source, e.g. acid rain, pesticides, urban run-off, etc.
View ArticleLarge basin management
A large basin is a natural or artificially created pond, lake or other space used for storage, regulation or control of water.
View ArticleAquifer
1/ A subsurface layer or layers of rock or other geological strata of sufficient porosity and permeability to allow either a significant flow of groundwater or the abstraction of significant quantities...
View ArticleBiodiversity level
The term biodiversity describes the variety of life on our planet or a specific region, measurable as the variety within species, between species, and the variety of ecosystems.
View ArticleDirect point source
A stationary location or fixed facility from which pollutants are discharged; any single identifiable source of pollution; e.g. a pipe, ditch, ship, ore pit, factory smokestack.
View ArticleNutrients
Nutrients are chemical elements which are involved in the construction of living tissue and which are needed by both plant and animal. The most important in terms of bulk are carbon, hydrogen and...
View ArticleTopography
The representation of a portion of the earth’s surface showing natural and man-made features of a given locality such as rivers, streams, ditches, lakes, roads, buildings and variations in ground...
View ArticleCatchment area
1) An area from which surface runoff is carried away by a single drainage system. 2) The area of land bounded by watersheds draining into a river, basin or reservoir.
View ArticleDownstream reaches
A reach is an expanse, or widening, of a stream or river channel. This commonly occurs after the river or stream is dammed.
View ArticleEutrophication
A process of pollution that occurs when a lake or stream becomes over-rich in plant nutrient; as a consequence it becomes overgrown in algae and other aquatic plants. The plants die and decompose. In...
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