Watershed Vocabulary

Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved oxygen is the small amount of oxygen dissolved in the water.

Nitrate Nitrates act as nutrients in water.

Erosion Erosion is the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water.

Non Point Source Pollution Non point source pollution is a widely spread source of pollution that can’t be tied to a specific point of origin.

pH pH is the measure of how acidic or alkaline water is.

Phosphate Phosphates enter waterways from human and animal waste, phosphorus rich bedrock, laundry, cleaning, industrial effluents, and fertilizer runoff.

Point Source Pollution Point source pollution is a specific source of pollution that can be identified.

Turbidity Turbidity is used to describe how cloudy or muddy the water is.

Macro – Invertebrates Macro – invertebrates are animals without backbones that are larger than ½ millimeter.

Watershed A watershed is the region or area drained by a river, stream, etc.

Eutrophication Eutrophication is the build up of nutrients that deplete the water of oxygen.

Benthic Benthic is the animals and plants living at the bottom of a sea or lake.