*Published and Distributed by Civic Publications
July 2015
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- Watering Index
The Watering Index is a recommended setting for wise water usage. Set your sprinkler controller's "budget adjustment" to 100% for the hottest months of the year, and a lower percentage for cooler months.
Perfect Quotes
- ACRE-FOOT (AF)—A common water industry unit of measurement. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, or the amount of water needed to cover one acre with water one foot deep. An acre-foot serves annual needs of two typical California families.
- THE ACT—The Metropolitan Water District Act. State legislation signed into law by the governor on May 10, 1927, effective July 29, 1927. Metropolitan incorporated Dec. 6, 1928.
- ADJUDICATION—A court determination of water rights for a groundwater basin or a stream; adjudication sets priorities during shortages.
- AQUIFER—An underground geologic formation of rock, soil or sediment that is naturally saturated with water; an aquifer stores groundwater.
- CONJUNCTIVE USE—Storing imported water in a local aquifer, in conjunction with groundwater, for later retrieval and use.
- CUBIC FOOT—A frequent water industry term of measurement, as in cubic feet per second. One cubic foot (cf) equals 7.48 gallons. A cubic foot per second is 450 gallons per minute.
- DISCHARGE—the amount of water flowing past a location in a stream/river in a certain amount of time – usually expressed in liters per second or gallons per minute.
- EIR—Environmental Impact Report; a state-mandated written summary of the positive and negative effects on the environment caused by the construction and operation of a project.
- GROUNDWATER—Water that has percolated into natural, underground aquifers; water in the ground, not water puddled on the ground.
- GROUNDWATER RECHARGE/REPLENISHMENT—Pumping or percolating storm water runoff or imported water into an aquifer to replenish its supplies.
- IRP—Integrated Water Resources Plan. The district’s plan to ensure reliable water delivery to its customer member agencies despite population growth, dry spells and droughts. The IRP resources mix includes water storage, conservation, best management practices (BMPs), recycling, desalination, and groundwater recovery, among others.
- MEMBER AGENCY—One of 26 member public water providers associated with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, from which it purchases water and on whose board it is represented.
- MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT—A public water provider governed by a locally elected board of directors, which supplies water to the public directly or through subagencies.
- RECHARGE—Replenishing an aquifer with stormwater or imported water
- RECLAIMED WATER—Wastewater that has been cleaned so that it can be reused for most purposes except drinking.
- RECYCLED—Wastewater cleaned for re-use, usually for nonpotable purposes such as irrigating landscape and refilling aquifers.
- RUNOFF—Liquid water that travels over the surface of the Earth, moving downward due to the law of gravity; runoff is one way in which water that falls as precipitation returns to the ocean.
- SURFACE RUNOFF—Water flowing along the ground into rivers, lakes and oceans.
- WATERSHED—A geographical portion of the Earth’s surface from which water drains or runs off to a single place like a river; also called a drainage area.