Terms Used in the Water Industry

Average Daily Demand - The normal water usage of the system as determined for the most representative twenty-four hour period of record not affected by unusual demand conditions such as drought or a significant temporary increase in demand.

Ccf - A unit of measuring natural water; it is short for hundred cubic feet.

Drought - a recurrent feature of climate; a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time, which results in a water shortage.

Contaminant - Substance that causes the water to be impure.  Water may be contaminated by viruses, bacteria, salts, metals, pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, oil, or gas and which may be naturally occurring or man made.

Effluent - Treated wastewater from sewage plant.

Main - A water pipe owned, operated and maintained by a company, which is used for the purpose of transmission or distribution of water but is not a water service pipe.

Meter - Instrument used by water company to measure the quantity of water used in a given peroid to determine the amount of a customer's water bill.

Municipal utility - Water or electric company over which the State Department of Public Utility Control does not have jurisdiction to regulate.

Picocuries - A measure of radon concentration.

pCi/l - Picocuries per liter of water.

Public utility - Privately owned business entity subject to government regulation that provides an essential commodity or service such as water, electric, electric distribution, gas, telephone, and community antenna television companies.

Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 and 1976 - Federal law which establishes national uniform drinking water standards.

Service Pipe - The pipe that runs between the main and the customer's place of consumption.

Sewage - Liquid waste from domestic, commercial and industrial establishments discharged into water receiving systems.

Sewage treatment plant - Facility designed to receive the waste from domestic, commercial and industrial sources and to remove materials that damage water quality and compromise public health and safety when discharged into water receiving systems.

Standard Pressure - Under normal conditions of use of water the pressure at a customer's service connection shall be not less than 25 p.s.i.g. and not more than 125 p.s.i.g.

Turbidity - A measure of fine suspended matter in liquids.

Water quality - Term used to describe chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water.