  |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Acid Sulphate Soil
When exposed to air, waterlogged soil, common in coastal lowlands of South-east Queensland, is converted into acid and releases metals such as iron.
|
Algae
A very broad group of simple plants (including phytoplankton, and benthic microalgae and macroalgae) that live chiefly in fresh or salt water and are capable of photosynthesis. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are included in the term algae for the purposes of this document, although taxonomically speaking they are not strictly algae. (Singular - alga; plural – algae; adjective - algal.)
|
Alluvium
Sediment that has been eroded, transported and deposited by water.
|
Ambient
Referring to the background environmental condition.
|
Ammonium
A form of nitrogen easily absorbed by aquatic plants.
|
Anaerobic
Without oxygen; occurring or living in the absence of oxygen.
|
Aquatic
Consisting of, relating to, or being in water.
|
Aquifer
A subsurface water-bearing bed or stratum of sand, gravel or bedrock which stores or transmits water in recoverable quantities or is capable of yielding water to wells or springs.
|
Assemblage
An association of interacting populations of organisms in a given ecosystem.
|
Average Dry Weather Flow (ADWF)
The average daily amount of water flowing through a system (often wastewater treatment) during dry weather. Abbreviated as ADWF. The ADWF is usually calculated according to a defined rain-free period. Sometimes referred to in terms of annual ADWF, which is 365 times the daily ADWF.
|
Bacteria
Microscopic organisms with a relatively simple cell structure lacking a membrane-bounded nucleus and other specialised features.
|
Baseflow
The flow of water entering stream channels from groundwater sources.
|
Beneficial Reuse
The practice of encouraging and allowing, to the maximum extent possible, the beneficial use of industrial by-products or other wastes as long as the reuse is consistent with sustainable resource usage and the protection of the public and environmental health.
|
Benthic Microalgae (BMA)
Microscopic plants that live in the sediment (mud or sand) and which are an important food source for animals such as prawns.
|
Best Practice Water Sensitive Urban Design
The integrated adoption of Best Planning Practices and Best Management Practices in order to achieve WSUD objectives.
“A Best Planning Practice refers to the site assessment, planning and design component of WSUD. A BPP is defined as the best practical planning approach for achieving water resource management objectives in an urban situation.” (Wong, 2006).
Best Management Practices are “…the structural and non-structural elements of a design that perform the prevention, collection, treatment, conveyance, storage and reuse functions of a water management scheme.” (Wong, 2006).
|
Billabong
A body of water which remains from a sealed off bend of a river.
|
Bioavailable
A particular chemical form necessary for an element to be taken up by an organism.
|
Biodiversity
The number and variety of living organisms; includes genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecological diversity (same as biological diversity).
|
Biological Health Rating (BHR)
A rating given to a waterbody. In contrast to the ecosystem health index (EHI), the biological health rating (BHR) assesses the EHMP indicators that either don't conform to a spatial prediction or don’t have specific objectives. Such indicators are most often the biological indicators.
|
Bioindicator
An organism and/or biological process whose change in numbers, structure, or function points to changes in the integrity or quality of the environment.
|
Biosolids
The organic solids or sludge that results from wastewater treatment processes (often referred to as sewage sludge).
|
Black Water
Wastewater from toilets, kitchen sinks, and dishwashers.
|
Bloom
An event in which a biotic population rapidly expands.
|
Business As Usual (BAU) scenario
A scenario considered during a computer modelling exercise that assumes no significant investment in catchment management activities beyond those already approved or considered normal practice at the date of running the model.
|
Campaign (or Healthy Waterways Campaign)
A marketing and communications program which helps to raise awareness among key stakeholders of the need to protect, stabilise and restore the waterways and catchments of South East Queensland.
|
Catchment
An area of land bounded by natural features such as hills, from which drainage flows to a common point, usually ending in a river or creek and eventually the sea.
|
Channel Erosion
The wearing away of the land, chiefly by rain and running water; occurs in gullies and along stream banks, especially where riparian vegetation is degraded.
|
Chlorophyll
The primary photosynthetic pigment in algae and higher plants - serves as a measurable parameter for all phytoplanktonic production.
|
Chlorophyll-a
The primary photosynthetic pigment in algae and higher plants; serves as a measurable parameter for all phytoplanktonic production.
|
Confined Aquifers
Aquifers that are contained by a non-permeable layer such as clay.
|
Coral
Soft polyps containing a plant and animal, many of which secrete a limestone cement that builds up in various patterns over years.
|
Crustacean
Animals such as crabs, prawns and shrimps which generally have a hard shell.
|
Cyanobacteria
Primitive, photosynthetic bacteria occurring as a single cell or in filaments, some of which are often capable of nitrogen fixing; often referred to as blue-green algae.
|
Demand Management
Strategies to reduce the demand for a resource, such as water, rather than supply more of the resource. Water demand management techniques include water metering, water-efficient fixtures, and outdoor watering limits.
|
Denitrification
Conversion of biologically available nitrogen to biologically unavailable nitrogen gas, by specialised bacteria.
|
Deposition
Settling of particles on the sediment bed.
|
Desalination
The process of removing salts and other minerals from seawater.
|
Diatom
A group of unicellular, pelagic and benthic microalgae, which are characterised by the presence of an intricate silica skeleton.
|
Diffuse Source Pollution
Non-point sources of pollution such as sediment or nutrients from catchment runoff, groundwater inputs or atmospheric fall-out.
|
Dinoflagellate
A group of unicellular algae, characterised by two flagellae (long filaments that project from the cell and are used for locomotion); responsible for “red tides”.
|
Dissolved Oxygen
Oxygen (from the atmosphere or from a bi-product of metabolic processes) dissolved in the water and available for animal and plant uptake.
|
Dry Weather Concentration (DWC)
Representative pollutant concentration value for dry weather conditions, determined for each of the three pollutants (Total Suspended Solids, Total Nitrogen, and Total Phosphorus) and each of the eleven land uses in the Environmental Management Support System model (see “event mean concentration”).
|
Dual Reticulation
Two separate water supply pipe networks: one supplies drinking water and the other supplies recycled water. Also called “third pipe”.
|
Dugong
Sea mammal that feeds on seagrass.
|
Ecosystem
An interdependent and dynamic system of living organisms with their physical and geographical environment.
|
Ecosystem Health
A measure of the ability of an ecosystem to be productive, its biological diversity and its resilience to change.
|
Ecosystem Health Index (EHI)
The proportion of a waterbody that complies with the established SEQRWQMS 2001 Water Quality Objectives.
|
Effluent
The discharged liquid resulting from treatment of sewage or industrial liquid waste. The term “wastewater” has been avoided, as effluent can be seen as a resource rather than a waste.
|
Embayment
A small bay with a wide opening such as Deception, Bramble and Waterloo Bay.
|
Enabling Action Target (EAT)
Targets related to enabling actions, namely those actions that facilitate the achievement of issue-based and area-based Action Plan Targets. Topics include: communication, education and motivation; aquatic ecosystem health monitoring; and management strategy evaluation.
|
Enabling Outcome (EO)
Outcomes which need to be achieved if a particular Action Plan Target is to be achieved. Enabling Action Targets are grouped under relevant Enabling Outcomes.
|
Environmental Flows
Patterns of seasonal water flows and levels needed to maintain ecosystems at a low risk of harm.
|
Environmental Management Support System (EMSS)
A catchment-scale computer model used to estimate daily run-off and pollutant load from 175 sub-catchments in the south-east Queensland region. The model has two components – a hydrologic model and a pollutant export model.
|
Environmental Management System
In the context used in this document, means an industry certification for environmental performance under International Standards Organisation’s 14001 standard.
|
Environmentally Relevant Activity (ERA)
Activities which have the potential to damage the environment. Anyone carrying out an ERA must be licensed under the Environmental Protection Act (1994). (Many industries are required to obtain a licence before they are allowed to discharge wastewater to waterways.)
|
Environmental Value (EV)
Particular values or uses of the environment that are important for a healthy ecosystem or for public benefit, welfare, safety or health and that require protection from the effects of contaminants, waste discharges and deposits. Several environmental values may be designated for a specific waterbody (AWQG, 2000).
|
Estuarine
The tidal part of a river where sea water mixes with fresh water.
|
Estuary
The tidal section of a river which is influenced by inputs of freshwater and tidal movements.
|
Eucalypt
A gum tree; group of trees native to Australia.
|
Eutrophication
Over-enrichment of a waterway with nutrients, which can lead to excess algal growth and sometime algal blooms.
|
Event Mean Concentration (EMC)
Representative or average pollutant concentration values for storm events, determined for each of the three pollutants (Total Suspended Solids, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus) and each of the eleven land uses in the Environmental Management Support System (EMSS) model. EMC is calculated as the total pollutant load divided by the volume of stormwater run-off in a rain event (see “dry weather concentration”).
|
Event Monitoring
Measures the representative or average pollutant concentration values for storm events for each of the three pollutants (Total Suspended Solids, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus).
|
Existing Urban
Area of land already subject to urban development (may include any form of rural residential, residential, commercial or non-rural industry).
|
Exotic Species
A species that is non-native; refers to an organism that has been introduced into an area.
|
Faecal Coliforms / Faecal Coliform Bacteria
A group of bacteria usually associated with faeces, and which are often sampled as an indicator of faecal contamination of water.
|
Fibro-Papillomatosis
Sea turtle fibro-papillomatosis is a disease marked by the proliferation of benign but debilitating skin tumours and can result in turtle death.
|
First-order stream
A stream that has no tributaries upstream. Two first-order streams join to form a second-order stream, and so on.
|
Floodplain
The area of land on either side of a creek or river which can be naturally covered with water when the waterway gets too full.
|
Flushing
Exchange of water from one location to another, generally referring to a pulse of rain water flowing through a river or creek or to tidal exchange.
|
Future Urban
Area of land zoned in a local government planning scheme for “future urban development”. Such areas are located within the SEQ Regional Plan’s “urban footprint”.
|
Greenfield
A parcel of land not previously developed beyond that of agriculture or forestry use; virgin land. In the SEQ Regional Plan: “Areas of undeveloped land in the Urban Footprint suitable for urban development”.
|
Green Infrastructure
The network of natural ecosystems that provide benefits for human populations.
|
Greywater
Wastewater from baths, showers and laundries. It does not include wastewater from toilets or food preparation areas.
|
Groundcover
Low growing plants covering the ground which stabilise soil and help reduce erosion.
|
Groundwater
Water in the saturated zone beneath the land surface.
|
Gully Erosion
The process whereby narrow channels (generally with a depth greater than 30 centimetres) are eroded into a hill slope by surface water flows.
|
Habitat
The environment, including physical and biological features, in which an animal or plant lives.
|
Harmful Algal Bloom
Algal blooms that pose a threat to human health or the environment.
|
Heathland
A type of vegetation generally found on poor quality soils in coastal lowlands.
|
Heterotrophic
An organism which requires carbon and nitrogen in an organic form for nourishment (as distinct from photosynthesis, where carbon is derived from inorganic CO2).
|
High Ecological Value (HEV) waterways
Effectively unmodified or other highly valued systems, typically (but not always) occurring in national parks, conservation reserves or in remote and/or inaccessible locations. While there are no aquatic ecosystems in Australia and New Zealand that are entirely without some human influence, the ecological integrity of high conservation/ecological value systems is regarded as intact (ANZECC 2000; 3.1–10).
|
Hillslope Erosion
Wearing away of the land, chiefly by rain and running water: (also referred to as sheet erosion) occurs on soil surfaces that may be covered with vegetation, but is more prevalent on bare soil (see Channel erosion).
|
Hincksia sordida
A non-toxic, marine, brown filamentous alga.
|
Hydrogen Sulphide
A compound found in acid sulphate soils, which, when exposed to the air and water, produce sulphuric acid.
|
Indirect Potable Reuse
The introduction of highly treated water to existing untreated drinking water storages that are or will be used for public water supplies, or to recharge groundwater used as a source of domestic water supply.
|
Infill Development
New development that occurs within established urban areas where the site or area is either vacant or has previously been used for another urban purpose. The scale of development can range from the creation of one additional residential lot to a major mixed-use redevelopment.
|
Invertebrates
Animals without backbones.
|
Iron
An element essential in small quantities, to all biota.
|
Irrigation
Application of water to the land.
|
Leakage and Pressure Management
Includes a range of measures aimed at reducing water consumption and losses associated with excessive system pressures and system failures. Includes identifying and repairing leaks, and pressure reduction programs in high-pressure areas.
|
Levels of Service
Refers to the range of considerations that define the nature and quality of water supply services provided to customers, including water quality, flow and pressure, and the security and reliability of the supply systems.
|
Longshore Drift
The northwards movement of sand along the east coast Australia.
|
Lyngbya
A toxic marine cyanobacteria which blooms annually in Moreton Bay.
|
Macroalgae
Large multicellular photosynthetic organisms (plants) that include green algae, red algae and brown algae, characterised by the absence of specialised tissues or organs and visible to the human eye.
|
Management Action Target (MAT)
Targets related to management actions or capacity building, to be achieved generally within one to five years. Management Action Targets contribute to progress toward the longer-term Resource Condition Targets.
|
Management Outcome (MO)
Outcomes which need to be achieved if a particular Action Plan Target is to be achieved. Management Action Targets are grouped under relevant Management Outcomes.
|
Mangrove
Salt-tolerant trees or shrubs that have their lower trunk and roots in the water usually in the intertidal zone.
|
Meandering
Winding, as a river winds through the floodplain.
|
Melaleuca
Also known as Tea Tree.
|
Microalgae
Unicellular algae or very small multicellular algae or algal colonies that individually can only be observed with a microscope.
|
Native Vegetation
Vegetation which originates where it is found.
|
Natural Water Cycle
The cycle of water movement through the environment including rain, overland and groundwater flow, evaporation, and evapotranspiration of water back into the atmosphere.
|
Neoplastic Disease
A disease that causes the growth of tumours.
|
Nitrogen
A nutrient which is essential to all biota, including plants, animals and bacteria; needed to form proteins and genetic material.
|
Nitrogen Fixation
The conversion of nitrogen gas (N2), which is biologically unavailable to most organisms, to ammonia, a process carried out by a select group of bacteria and cyanobacteria.
|
'No Regrets' Actions
Actions whose known benefits equal or exceed their costs, even though they may not turn out to be addressing the core of the problem, or may not by themselves overcome the problem. They are sometimes known as “actions worth doing anyway”.
|
Nuisance Algal Bloom
Algal bloom that is not known to produce toxins, but causes nuisance, principally to amenity.
|
Nutrient Load
An estimate of the total amount of a nutrient (nitrogen or phosphorus) entering a waterway over a particular time interval (units of N or P per year).
|
Nutrients of Concern
Nutrients identified as triggers of algal blooms if concentrations in waterways exceed natural levels. Often includes nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved organic matter and iron.
|
On-site Wastewater Treatment Facility
A system for treating domestic wastewater or greywater in unsewered areas (e.g. an aerated wastewater treatment system with surface irrigation, septic tank with an absorption trench, etc.).
|
Organic Carbon
Carbon that has, at some stage, been incorporated into an organism. In aquatic environments, organic carbon is produced by plant photosynthesis and bacterial growth. Leaching of humic substances and decomposition of plants and animals are also natural sources of organic carbon to surface waters. Human-related sources include agricultural runoff and municipal and industrial effluents.
|
Organic Matter
Natural carbon-hydrogen based material originating from plant or animal sources.
|
Organism
Any living thing.
|
Oxidation
The addition of oxygen to a compound.
|
Pathogen
An organism capable of eliciting disease symptoms in another organism.
|
Phosphorescence
Luminescence produced by certain groups of marine phytoplankton and animals.
|
Phosphorus
A nutrient which is essential to all biota, including plants, animals and bacteria, found in energy molecules and membranes of cells.
|
Photosynthesis
Conversion of light and carbon dioxide into organic molecules carried out by plants, algae and some bacteria.
|
Phytoplankton
Tiny, free-floating, photosynthetic algal or plant-like organisms in aquatic systems.
|
Pine Plantation
Forests of pine tree grown for timber, generally the northern hemisphere exotics Pinus elliotti and Pinus caribaea.
|
Pneumatophores
Mangrove roots which poke out of the mud enabling the tree roots to soak up oxygen when the tide is out.
|
Point Source
A single point of pollutant discharge. For example, effluent from a sewage treatment plant or an industrial wastewater treatment plant.
|
Pollutant
A substance which may naturally occur but is present at harmful levels (e.g. sediment or nutrients in a water body) or which may be unnatural in the environment and capable of producing environmental harm (e.g. chlorinated pesticides).
|
Productivity
The rate of production of biomass.
|
Podosol Soils
Soils with B horizon (soil layers) dominated by the accumulation of organic matter, aluminium and/or iron.
|
Quandamooka
The Aboriginal name for Moreton Bay.
|
Rainforest
Forests that develop in areas with high rainfall.
|
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. It is an intergovernmental treaty providing the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
|
Resource Condition Target (RCT)
Quantifiable performance levels or changes in level to be achieved within 10-20 years.
|
Receiving Water
A body of water such as a stream, river, lake, or ocean, which receives water (including flow from waterways, groundwater, stormwater run-off, wastewater discharges, etc).
|
Recycled Water
Wastewater that has been highly treated to appropriate standards for the required use, for example: Class A+ for urban use, laundry, outdoors and toilets; and Class A or B for open space and agricultural irrigation.
|
Residence Time
The average time an entity (e.g. water or substances in the water column) stays in a defined area such as a reservoir or a river reach.
|
Retrofit
A term that usually applies when WSUD approaches are implemented to replace and/or augment an existing water management system in a developed or built-up catchment. For example, the diversion of roof water to a rain tank on an existing house, so that the captured water can be used for local garden watering rather than being discharged to the stormwater drain. Some WSUD retrofit approaches might form part of a broader total water cycle management improvement or waterway rehabilitation program where a range of WSUD related outcomes are sought.
|
Reverse Osmosis
A water treatment process whereby dissolved salts, such as sodium, chloride, calcium carbonate, and calcium sulphate may be separated from water by forcing the water through a semi-permeable membrane under high pressure. The water diffuses through the membrane and the dissolved salts remain behind on the surface of the membrane.
|
Riparian
Of or pertaining to the bank of a river; beside or along the bank of a river, pond or small lake.
|
Risk
Likelihood of a hazard causing harm in a given time frame; includes the severity of consequences.
|
Salinity
Salt content of water.
|
Saltmarsh
Herbs or small shrubs which grow behind mangroves at the upper limit of the tidal range.
|
Scouring
Severe erosion by water.
|
Sea Lettuce
Ulva lactuca; a green macroalgae with ‘sheets’ of green cells radiating from one point, resembles a lettuce.
|
Seagrass
Marine flowering plant that grows submersed in seawater.
|
Secchi depth
A black and white plate sized disc is lowered into the water column, the depth in the water that it can no longer be seen is the secchi depth, used for measuring water clarity.
|
Sediment
Sand or mud that are generally derived from the land and can be found suspended in the water column or on the waterway bottom.
|
Sewage
Mainly liquid wastewater containing some solids which typically consists of washing water, faeces, urine, laundry waste and industrial waste and other material which goes down drains and toilets from households and industry. Refers to waste matter which passes through sewers.
|
Sewage Effluent
The liquid resulting from the treatment of sewage.
|
Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)
A facility where sewage is treated and many of the solids and nutrients are removed before the left-over liquid (effluent) is discharged into waterways or reused. Also referred to as a wastewater treatment plant.
|
Sewer Mining
The capture and transfer of urban wastewater from the sewer network, and its subsequent treatment for beneficial reuse applications and to reduce impact on the larger sewer network and the environment.
|
Sewer Overflow
A release of sewage from a designed relief point to avoid sewage flowing back into premises.
|
Sewerage
The pipes and fittings carrying sewage.
|
| | | |
