Some water-industry terms you may want to know while navigating through this Web site
acre-foot - the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land one foot deep, about 326,000 gallons of water

aqueduct - man-made canal or pipeline used to transport water

BMPs (Best Management Practices) - structural or management practices that are implemented to encourage the best possible use of water resources

brackish water - water that is slightly salty

chloramination - the treatment of a substance, such as drinking water, with chlorine and ammonia (chloramines) in order to kill disease-causing organisms

chlorination - the treatment of a substance, such as drinking water, with chlorine in order to kill disease-causing organisms

condensation - water vapor changing back into liquid

desalination - the process of removing salt from seawater or brackish water

disinfect - to destroy harmful microorganisms

environmental impacts - factors that affect organisms and the surroundings of organisms

evaporation - water changing into vapor and rising into the air

flocculation - a step in water treatment in which a substance is added to the water to cause particles to clump together

hardness - a characteristic of water determined by the levels of calcium and magnesium

irrigation district - the main purpose of an irrigation district is to develop, preserve and conserve water for beneficial use of those living within the district (Helix operates under the Irrigation District Law)

microorganism - an organism of microscopic size, such as bacterium

percolation - water soaking into the ground

pH - (power Hydrogen) a relative scale of how acidic or basic (alkaline) a material is; the scale goes from 0 to 14. The value of 7 is neutral, acids have pH values less than 7 and bases have pH values higher than 7

special district - a local agency which provides public services to a specific community (i.e., water)

transpiration -evaporation of water through the leaves of plants

treatment - passing water through coal, sand and gravel to remove particles

turbidity - the state of having sediment or particles suspended or stirred up in water

unit of water - a measure of water used by our customers. There are 748 gallons of water in one unit

xeriscape - water conservation through creative, appropriate landscaping and water management (please see The Garden on this Web site for more information)