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Glossary and FAQs

François Delavy edited this page Mar 4, 2020 · 1 revision

Benthic macroinvertibrates (BMIs)

Small aquatic animals and aquatic larval stages of insects that are large enough to see without a microscope. They are typically found at the bottom of rivers, and other bodies of water. Benthic means "bottom dwelling." They are fairly easy to collect and/or observe and therefore are a convenient way to assess the biological healthfulness of a river. (EPA)

Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA)

Code for Boston's Water team is partnering with CRWA. CRWA advocates for protecting the Charles River, and our team is assisting them with their mission. (CRWA)

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)

It is normal for Cyanobacteria to be in water. A Cyanobacteria bloom is when cyanobacteria multiplies very quickly, typically due to fertilizer runoff or septic tank overflows. Cyanobacteria blooms prevent other life in the river from getting oxygen or sunlight. Cyanobacteria blooms also create toxins, referred to as cyanotoxins. (CDC)

E-coli

A common bacteria found in the stomachs of animals (including humans). Detection of e-coli in freshwater usually indicates contamination by fecal matter from a warm blooded animal. (USGS)

Emerging contaminant

An water contaminant that has not been widely researched and is not currently regulated, either because it is relatively new to the water supply or because it was otherwise not previously detected in large amounts. (Also known as a contaminant of emerging concern.) (EPA)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

An independent agency of the federal U.S. government tasked with environmental rulemaking and enforcement. The EPA was established in 1970 by executive order under President Richard Nixon. (EPA) (Wikipedia)

Lead and Copper Rule (LCR)

An EPA regulation established in 1991 (and revised in 2000 and 2007) that established action levels of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb) for lead and 1.3 mg/L (ppm) for copper in the 90th percentile sample (i.e. the action level is exceeded if more than 10% of samples exceed the action level). This rule is specifically a treatment technique rule, and if the action level is exceeded, the public water system must respond with various treatments and public outreach. (EPA) (Wikipedia)

Parts per million (ppm) / Parts per billion (ppb) / Parts per trillion (ppt)

A measure of the relative abundance of a particle in an aqueous solution. For example, 4 ppb of something means there are 4 billionths of a gram of that substance for every 1 liter of the solution, or 0.004 mg/L. (Wikipedia)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

A class of emerging contaminants added to the EPA's list of contaminents to be monitored through UCMR 3. These contaminents are typically associated with the manufacturing process of various products, most notably Teflon (the brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE).

There are 6 contaminents the EPA is monitoring that in the PFAS family: perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS). (EPA) (Wikipedia)

Public Water System Supervision (PWSS)

A program administered by the EPA which allocates grant money to assist states in monitoring their public water systems. All states and territories receive this grant money (i.e. receive primacy) except for Wyoming and Washington D.C. The only tribal nation to receive primacy is the Navajo Nation. In areas where the state does not have primacy, the allocated funds are instead used by the EPA in that region instead of being used by the state. (EPA)

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

An act passed by Congress and enacted in 1974 that provides a regulatory framework at the federal level for public water systems across the United States. It grants the EPA the authority to enact national primary drinking water regulations (NPDWRs) which either establish a maximum contaminant level (MCL) or a treatment technique "to prevent known or anticipated adverse effects on the health of persons to the extent feasible." (Wikipedia)

Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)

A database published by the EPA that contains data pertaining to the health and quality of U.S. public water services, including violations of safe drinking water regulations. (EPA)

Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR)

A rule established in a 1996 amendment to the SDWA that requires the EPA to create a list every 5 years of no more than 30 unregulated contaminants to be monitored by public water systems. Releases are numbered, e.g. UCMR 4 covers a monitoring period of 2018-2020. (EPA)

Violation

An instance where a contaminant in a water sample exceeds maximum contaminant levels established by the EPA.