Glossary — AV H2Ours

A
absolute water right	A water right, with a specified priority date, that has been placed to a beneficial use.
acre-foot	The volume of water necessary to cover one acre to a depth of one foot; equal to 43,560 cubic feet or 325,851 gallons.
adjudication	The judicial process through which the existence of a water right is confirmed by court decree. A determination of water rights for an entire stream or groundwater basin.
adverse use	Using decreed water owned by another appropriator.
alluvial groundwater	Ground water that is hydrologically connected to a surface stream that is present in permeable geologic material, usually small rock and gravel.
Appropriation Doctrine	The system of water law primarily used in the western United States under which: 1. The right to water is acquired by diverting water and applying to a beneficial use; and 2. A right to water use is superior to a right developed later in time.
appropriator	The person or persons who put water to beneficial use.
aquifer	A porous geologic formation that stores, transmits and yields significant amounts of water to wells and springs.
artesian well	A well in which water under natural pressure rises to the surface without being pumped.
augmentation plan	A court-approved plan that allows a junior water user to divert water out of priority so long as adequate replacement is made to affected stream system preventing injury to the water rights of senior users.
B
base flow	The portion of streamflow that comes from the sum of deep subsurface flow and delayed shallow subsurface flow.
basin	A groundwater reservoir defined by the overlying land surface and underlying aquifers that contain water stored in the reservoir.
basin rank	The relative seniority of a water right as determined by its date of adjudication and the date of appropriation.
beneficial use	A legal term describing a person’s right to enjoy the benefits of water, even though title to that property is held by another person.
Best Management Practices (BMPs)	Practices that are technically and economically feasible and for which significant water conservation or water quality benefits can be achieved.
C
California Doctrine	A legal doctrine retaining aspects of both riparian rights and the principles of prior appropriation.
call	A call is set by the water commissioner to communicate the level of demand on the available supply of natural stream flow based on an analysis that is done at least once a day and, sometimes, several times a day. The call is required because a water right holder is not receiving all of the water they are entitled to by decree and requesting that the Division Engineer shut down (curtail) all upstream water rights junior to them until their senior right is satisfied. The call establishes the water right priority required to divert and has a specific date and time, after which only those diversions senior to the call are allowed to divert.
change of water right	Any change in a way a water right is used. Can be changed in type, place, time of use, point of diversion, adding points of diversion, etc. Changes of water rights must be approved by the water court to assure that no injury occurs to other water rights.
compact	An agreement between states apportioning the water of a river basin to each of the signatory states.
compact call	The requirement that an upstream state cease or curtail water diversions from the river system that is the subject of the compact so that downstream states’ compact entitlements may be met.
conditional water right	A right obtained through the water court which fixes the priority of the water right with a certain date, even though the appropriation has yet to be completed. It gives the holder of that right time to complete the appropriation as long as they diligently pursue completion of the project. Once the right has been perfected by use, the holder of the conditional right must then ask the court to make it an absolute water right.
conservancy district	A special taxing district, created by a vote of the district’s electors, that has authority to plan, develop, and operate water supply and/or potable water projects.
conservation district	A geographical area designated by the State Legislature for water management purposes with a board appointed by county commissioners.
consumptive use	Consumptive water use is water removed from available supplies without return to a water resource system.
cubic feet per second (cfs)	Rate of flow passing any point equal to a volume of one cubic foot of water every second.
D
decree	An official document issued by the court defining the priority, amount, use, and location of the water right.
depletion	The loss of water from surface water reservoirs or groundwater aquifers at a rate greater than that of recharge.
designated ground water	Ground water which, in its natural course, is not available to or required for the fulfillment of decreed surface rights, and which is within the geographic boundaries of a designated ground water basin.
developed water	Water that is produced or brought into a water system through the efforts of people, where it would not have entered the water system on its own accord.
diligence	Action taken towards the perfection of a conditional water right.
direct flow right	Water diverted from a river or stream for use without interruption between diversion and use except for incidental purposes, such as settling or filtration. A direct flow right is generally measured in terms of a rate of flow, not a total volume of water.
diversion	Removal of water from its natural course or location by canal, pipe, or other conduit.
division engineer	The state engineer’s principal water official in each of the seven water divisions.
drainage basin	A geographic area from which water, sediments, and dissolved materials are drained by a river and its tributaries to a common outlet.
drought	A prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall and the shortage of water resulting from this.
E
effluent	Liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or sea.
effluent exchange	The practice of exchanging wastewater effluent for other water sources without causing injury to other water rights as a replacement source of water for diversion of water farther upstream that would otherwise have been out of priority.
Endangered Species Act	The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 aims to provide a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats.
erosion	Natural process in which soil and land surface is worn down or washed away by the action of water, wind, ice, or landslides.
eutrophication	The process of surface water nutrient enrichment causing a water body to fill with aquatic plants and algae.
evaporation	The process of changing a liquid to a gas (vapor); for example, when water turns into steam or water vapor.
evapotranspiration (ET)	Process by which water is evaporated from soil surface and water is transpired by plants growing on that surface.
exchange	A process by which water, under certain conditions, may be diverted out of priority at one point by replacing it with a like amount of water at another point.
exempt uses	Any recognized uses that are not subject to administration under the priority system.
exempt well	Small residential and livestock wells are considered to be exempt from administration. To obtain this type of exemption, strict criteria must be met as set forth by the legislature and administered by the State Engineer.
F
federal reserved rights	An implied water right that occurs when the federal government withdraws its land from the public domain and reserves it for a federal purpose, the government, by implication reserves appurtenant water then unappropriated to the extent needed to accomplish the purpose of the reservation.
firm annual yield	The yearly amount of water that can be dependably supplied from the raw water sources of a water supply system.
floodplain	A low area of land adjacent to a stream or other water course which is subject to flooding and holds the overflow of water during a flood. Often delineated on the basis of the 100 year storm event.
fresh water	Low salt content water (less than 0.5 parts per thousand dissolved salts).
futile call	A situation in which a junior priority will be permitted to continue to divert in spite of demands by a senior appropriator in the same watershed, because to curtail the junior from diversion would not be effective to produce water for beneficial use for the senior.
G
ground water	Ground water, as opposed to surface water, is water that does not run off, and is not taken up by plants.
ground water rights	Case law and the California Water Code recognizes three legal classifications: subterranean streams, underflow of surface streams and percolating groundwater. Subterranean and underflow are subject to the laws of surface waters and a permit from the State Water Board is required for appropriation. Percolating groundwater may be used in two manners: landowners use it on an equal and correlative basis; surplus groundwater may be appropriated for use on non-overlying lands if such use will not result in an overdraft condition. Groundwater appropriation is subordinate to the correlative rights of overlying users. A permit is not required to use percolating groundwater.
ground water management district	Any district organized for the purpose of consulting with the ground water commission on all designated ground water matters within a particular district.
H
head gate	A human-made structure on a stream, canal, or other water channel through which water is diverted into a ditch or canal.
hydrologic cycle	The cycle of water movement from the atmosphere to earth and back again through evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, percolation, runoff, and storage. See water cycle.
hydrology	The science dealing with the waters of Earth — their distribution and movement on the surface and underground; and the cycle involving evaporation and precipitation.
I
Imported Water	Water brought into the county from outside its boundaries (e.g. State water Project).
infiltration	The flow of water downward from the land surface into and through the upper soil layers.
in-stream flow	Water left in its natural stream channel to maintain the existing aquatic resources and associated wildlife and riparian habitat. In contrast to out-of-stream uses, this kind of water use does not require diversion.
irrigation district	A legal entity created by statute in order to develop large irrigation projects.
J
junior rights	Water rights that are more recent than older or more senior rights.
L
leaching	The process where material in the soil (such as nutrients, pesticides, etc.) are washed into lower layers of soil by the downward movement of water.
M
municipal water system	A network of pipes, pumps, and storage and treatment facilities designed to deliver potable water to homes, schools, businesses, and other users in a city or town and to remove and treat waste materials.
N
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)	Federal law enacted to ensure the integration of natural and social sciences and environmental design in planning and decision-making for federal projects or projects on federal lands.
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit	A permit required under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act regulating discharge of pollutants into the nation’s waterways.
native waters	Surface and underground waters naturally occuring in a watershed.
non-consumptive use	Water drawn for use that is not consumed. For example, water withdrawn for purposes such as hydropower generation. It also includes uses such as boating or fishing where the water is still available for other uses at the same site.
non-exempt uses	Any recognized beneficial uses of water that are administered under the priority system.
non-exempt well	A well allowed to be used for non-exempt uses such as irrigation.
non-native waters	Water imported or not originally hydrologically connected to a watershed or drainage basin physically or by statute; non-tributary groundwater and transmountain water are non-native.
non-tributary ground water	Underground water in an aquifer which is situated so that it neither draws from nor contributes to a natural surface stream in any measurable degree.
nonpoint source pollution	Pollution coming from a wide, non-specific source such as runoff from cities, farms, or forest land.
not non-tributary ground water	Statutorily defined as ground water located within those portions of the Dawson, Denver, Arapahoe, and Laramie- Fox hills aquifers that are outside of any designated ground water basin in existence on January 1, 1985.
O
over-appropriated	A water rights term used to describe a surface water drainage system that has more decreed water rights claims on the system than can be satisfied by the physical supply of water available.
P
percolation	The downward movement of water in soil; the infiltration of water into the ground.
perfection	The process of meeting all of the legal requirements for establishing a legal right to the use of water. Once perfected, a conditional water right becomes an absolute water right.
point of diversion	A specifically named place where water is removed from a body of water.
point source pollution	Pollution coming from a single identifiable source such as discharge pipes from industry or sewer plants or other means of conveyance including ditches, channels, sewers, and containers.
potable	Water that is considered safe for domestic human consumption; drinkable water.
priority	1. The right of an earlier appropriator to divert from a natural stream in preference to a later appropriator. 2. Seniority date of a water right or conditional water right to determine their relative seniority to other water rights and conditional water rights deriving water from a common source. Priority is a function of both the appropriation date and the relevant adjudication date of the right.
priority date	The date of establishment of a water right. The rights established by application have the application date as the date of priority.
R
raw water	Untreated water.
recharge	Water added to an aquifer or the process of adding water to an aquifer. Ground water recharge occurs either naturally as the net gain from precipitation, or artificially as the result of human influence.
recharge area	Reservoirs and ditches that are designed to replenish ground water depletions, due to out of priority diversions, by artificially introducing water into the ground water aquifer.
reclaimed water	Effluent usable for irrigation or ready for release into lakes and rivers.
reservoir	A natural or artificial place to store water; water storage created by building a dam; a pond, lake, or basin used for the storage, regulation, and control of water.
Resource Capacity Study (RCS)	A Resource Capacity Study is prepared by the County at the direction of the Board of Supervisors in order to determine the capacity of the resource being studied, identify alternate measures for avoiding a predicted resource deficiency and evaluate the feasibility and possible funding methods of each measure. An RCS will also provide an estimated timetable for funding and completion of a public works project to correct the resource deficiency and recommend techniques for growth management to be used if needed to extend capacities.
resume	A monthly publication by the water court of a summary of water rights applications filed in the water court that month.
return flow	The amount of water that reaches a surface or ground water source after it has been released from the point of use and thus becomes available for further reuse.
reuse	To use again; to intercept for subsequent beneficial use, either directly or by exchange. Water that would otherwise return to the steam system.
reverse osmosis	A water treatment method used to remove dissolved inorganic chemicals and suspended particulate matter from a water supply. Water, under pressure, is forced through a semi-permeable membrane that removes molecules larger than the pores of the membrane.
riparian water right	A right to use surface water, such right derived from the fact that the land in question abuts upon the banks of streams.
river basin	The land area surrounding one river from its headwaters to its mouth; the area drained by a river and its tributaries.
river call	Usually a written document filed with the division engineer stating that as of a certain date and time, a water right holder is not receiving all of the water they are entitled to by decree, and are requesting that the Division Engineer shut down or curtail all upstream water rights junior to them until their senior right is satisfied.
S
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)	Federal legislation that regulates the treatment of water for human consumption. Requires testing for and elimination of contaminants for the protection of human health.
senior rights	Water rights that have been established first and are older than junior rights.
source water protection	Plan for maintaining quality of a drinking water supply.
spring	The point at which the water table meets earth’s surface, causing water to flow from the ground.
state engineer	The chief executive office in the executive department of the state government who administers the adjudication decrees of court, defining water rights.
storage right	a water right defined in terms of the volume of the water which may be stored in a reservoir or lake to be released and used at a later time either within the same year or during a subsequent year.
structure	Any apparatus constructed to divert water, such as a head gate, pipe, or well.
sublimation	The transition of water from the solid phase (snow) directly to the vapor phase without melting.
subordinate	A process through which a senior water rights holder allows junior water rights holder(s) to be satisfied out of priority.
surface water	Water on the surface of the ground (lakes, rivers, ponds, floodwater, oceans, etc.); precipitation which does not soak into the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration.
surge irrigation	A method of irrigation using computerized valves to turn the water supply on and off to move water more uniformly down the field.
T
transbasin diversion	The conveyance of water from its natural drainage basin into another basin for beneficial use.
transmountain diversion	The conveyance of water from one drainage basin to another across the Continental Divide.
transpiration	The process by which water absorbed by plants (usually through the roots) is evaporated into the atmosphere from the plant surface (principally from the leaves).
treated water	Water that has been filtered and/or disinfected; sometimes used interchangeably with “potable” water.
tributary	A stream that flows into another stream or body of water.
tributary ground water	Water present below the earth’s surface that is hydrologically connected to a natural surface stream.
U
unappropriated water	Water in a river system for which no water rights have been claimed.
user supplied data	Data or records of water uses provided by an owner/user which has not been verified by state officials.
W
wastewater	Water that has been used and contains unwanted materials from homes, businesses, and industries; a mixture of water and dissolved or suspended substances.
wastewater treatment	Any of the mechanical or chemical processes used to modify the quality of wastewater in order to make it more compatible or acceptable to humans and the environment.
water and sanitation districts	A special taxing district formed by the residents of the district for the combined purpose of providing potable water and sanitary wastewater services.
water commissioner	State water officials, appointed by the state engineer and working under the direction of the division engineers, who perform the day-to-day administration of surface and ground water in each water district.
water conservation	The wise use of water with methods ranging from more efficient practices in farm, home and industry to capturing water for use through water storage or conservation projects.
water court	A state district court that hears matters related to water. To obtain a judicially recognized water right, change in water right, or augmentation plan, persons or entities file applications with a water court to be issued a decree or order. There are seven water courts in the state, one for each water division, corresponding to each major drainage basin.
water cycle	Transition and movement of water involving evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, percolation, runoff, and storage.
water development	The process of building diversion, storage, pumping, and/ or conveyance facilities.
water districts	Eighty geographical divisions of the state that originally were used for the granting of water rights. The districts are now largely used for administrative purposes.
water diversion	Changing the natural flow of water to another location by using dams, canals, or pipelines.
water efficiency	Replacing older technologies and practices in order to accomplish the same results with less water, for example, by replacing toilets with new low water using models and by installing “smart controllers” in irrigated areas.
water quality standard	Recommended or enforceable maximum contaminant levels of chemicals or substances in water. These levels are established for water used by municipalities, industries, agriculture, and recreation. Standards may also be narrative.
water right	A right to use, in accordance with its priority, a certain amount of water.
water storage	The locations in which water is stored. They can be above ground in lakes, rivers, and other waterways or below ground as ground water.
water table	The upper level of ground water; the level below which soil and rock are saturated with water.
watershed	The region draining into a river, river system or body of water; the total land area, regardless of size, above a given point on a waterway that contributes runoff water to the flow at that point; all the land that serves as a drainage for a specific stream or river.
Water Wheeling	Occurs when one agency conveys water through another agency’s infrastructure. California Water Code requires that wheeling must not harm any other legal user of water.
well	Any structure or device used for the purpose or with the effect of obtaining ground water for beneficial use from an aquifer. A shaft or hole into the Earth to tap an underground supply of water.
Wellhead Protection Program	An amendment to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act in 1986. Initiated to minimize the potential for contamination of public ground water supplies.
wetland	An area of land that is regularly wet or flooded, such as a marsh or swamp. Other common names for wetlands are sloughs, ponds, and marshes.
X
xeriscape	The use of plant materials and practices that minimizes landscaping water use; usually native plants; environmentally friendly form of landscaping. The term “xeriscape” was copyrighted by Denver Water in 1981.