Key terms & definitions

The amount of water required by households, agriculture, industry and other users.

A method of finding an object’s volume from the volume of water it pushes aside when fully submerged.

Changing the route of a water supply so that it reaches another place or a storage area.

A sudden, steep drop in a river’s bed over which water falls.

The total freshwater used directly by a person, community or business and indirectly to produce the goods and services they consume.

The political scandal arising from the 1972 break-in at Democratic Party offices and the subsequent exposure of a cover-up and wider abuses of presidential power.

The physical systems needed to collect, treat and distribute water and to remove sewage, including pipes and treatment facilities.

A lack of reliable access to sufficient clean water to meet people's needs.

Water molecules incorporated into the crystal structure of a hydrated substance.

Water incorporated into the crystal structure of a salt.

The addition of harmful substances or waste to water, reducing its quality and potentially damaging human health or ecosystems.

A measure of the tendency of water to move from one place to another; a more dilute solution has a higher water potential than a more concentrated one.

A measure of the tendency of water to move out of a solution. Adding dissolved solute lowers water potential; water moves by osmosis from higher to lower water potential.

Treatment that prevents water passing through a textile.

The ability of a textile to prevent liquid water from penetrating it under its intended conditions of use.

A measure of how suitable water is for uses such as drinking and supporting river ecosystems.

Treating used water so that it can be used again.

Resistance to wetting at a material’s surface; it does not necessarily prevent water passing through a fabric.

Reliable access to sufficient clean water to meet people's needs.

The boundary separating neighbouring river catchments, usually following higher ground.

The 9pm boundary on UK television before which material unsuitable for children should generally not be shown.

A vitamin that dissolves in water, such as vitamin C or a B vitamin.

A place where water is held temporarily, such as vegetation, soil, rock or a river channel.

A place where water is held, such as an ocean, glacier or aquifer.

A situation in which demand for water puts pressure on the available supply.

Harmful effects on organisms caused by insufficient available water.

The amount of usable water available to people in an area.

The systems and facilities needed to supply water, including pipes and distribution networks.

A situation in which the available water supply is greater than demand.

The upper surface of the groundwater store.