Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Return flow is the amount of water <br />returned to the river system after being <br />diverted for use. <br /> <br />Salinity control unit is one specific unit <br />or project of the overall Colorado River <br />Basin Salinity Control Program. <br /> <br />Salts are inorganic compounds of metals <br />such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, or <br />potassium and bases such as carbonates, <br />sulfate, or chloride. Soluble salts will <br />dissolve into metallic and basic ions when <br />exposed to water. <br /> <br />Salt pickup is salts added to the system <br />usually by dissolution. <br /> <br />Sediment is a solid material that <br />originates mostly from disintegrated rocks <br />and is transported by, suspended in, or <br />deposited from water; it includes chemical <br />and biochemical precipitates and <br />decomposed organic material such as <br />humus. <br /> <br />Specific conductance is a measure of the <br />ability of water to conduct an electrical <br />current. It is expressed in micromhos per <br />centimeter at 25 degrees Centigrade (OC). <br />Specific conductance is related to the type <br />and concentration of ions in water and can <br />be used to estimate salinity or the dissolved <br />solids content of the water. <br /> <br />Streamflow is the discharge of water that <br />occurs in a natural channel. <br /> <br />Suspended sediment is the sediment that <br />at any given time is maintained in sus- <br />pension by the upward components of <br />turbulent currents or that exists in <br />suspension as a colloid. <br /> <br />Total dissolved solids (TDS) is the total <br />amount of dissolved material, organic and <br />inorganic, contained in water. The actual <br />measure of TDS may be made using <br />numerous methods: evaporation at 105 oC, <br />evaporation at 180 oC, or sum of ionic <br />constituents (less some portion of the <br />bicarbonate fraction). The method currently <br />used, sum of constituents less approxi- <br />mately half of the bicarbonate fraction, is <br />considered by the U.S. Geological Survey to <br />be consistent with measurements made <br />using the 180 oC evaporative technique. <br /> <br />Total salt load is the total quantity (mass) <br />of dissolved solids passing a given point <br />during a given time. The load is calculated <br />as a function of concentration and discharge. <br /> <br />Transbasin diversion is the total amount <br />of water diverted out of the Colorado River <br />Basin. <br /> <br />Virgin flow is the historical flow at the <br />point of measurement corrected for the <br />effects of manmade developments in the <br />drainage basin above the point of <br />measurement. <br /> <br />Water year is a 12-month period- <br />October 1 through September 30. The <br />water year is designated by the calendar <br />year in which it ends and which includes <br />9 of the 12 months. <br />