Channelization
The process of straightening a stream or river by removing natural meanders. A channelized stream has steeper slopes and faster streamflow.

Classified Stream
Either a permanently flowing stream or one that may stop flowing in dry weather but still maintains large pools of water that support aquatic life.

Domestic Wastewater
Primarily contains treated human wastes, food wastes and detergents from residential sources such as subdivisions, apartment complexes and mobile home parks.

HUC
an acronym for Hydrologic Unit Code. It describes an area of land that serves as a drainage area for surface water runoff. The drainage area boundaries begin with a specific point in a stream (usually the mouth or outlet). Its other borders are the highest elevations of surrounding land that divide the direction of surface water flow.

Industrial & Commercial Wastewater
Can contain heavy metals or man-made organic chemicals that may be toxic.

Nonpoint Source Pollution
Occurs when pollution is released from many locations making it difficult to identify and control. For instance, storm water runoff, snowmelt and irrigation can carry pollutants like garden fertilizers, construction debris and pesticides into nearby waters.

Point Source Pollution
A discharge of wastewater from a single location such as a wastewater treatment plant.

Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act
requires that each state identify waters that are not meeting water quality standards or are not supporting their beneficial uses. Some beneficial uses include whole body contact (such as swimming), aquatic life, livestock watering, and drinking water. The 303(d) list helps state and federal agencies keep track of waters that are impaired as well as the pollutants that are affecting them.

State Revolving Fund
Provides low-interest loans to communities for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects. Projects may be new construction or the improvement or renovation of existing facilities.

Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
Calculates the maximum amount of a given pollutant that a water body can absorb before its quality is affected.

Unclassified Stream
Small tributaries that typically have flowing water only during wet weather and are dry for the remainder of the year.

Use Attainability Analysis
A study to gather facts on the actual uses of a water body and whether a specific use can be attained.

Watershed
An area of land that catches rainfall and snowmelt which then drain into low-lying bodies of water.