Water Conservation & Efficiency
Water conservation and efficiency are an important topic in sustainability. To get started, review the key definitions below.
Key definitions
Aquifer: A body of rock or sediment that is used to hold groundwater. Groundwater enters an aquifer as precipitation seeps through the soil and can move through the aquifer and resurface through springs and wells.
Atmospheric water: Water that is in the atmosphere in the form of either a solid (snow, hail), liquid (rain) or gas (fog, mist).
Climate change: Climate change is a long-term change in the typical weather conditions that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates.
Groundwater: Water that seeps deep into the ground.
Riverbank filtration: Wells are placed near rivers or lakes. When water is pumped, it pulls surface water from the body of water into the ground, where the soil and rocks act like a filter, removing harmful bacteria and other substances before the water reaches the well.
Surface water: Any body of water that is found on Earth’s surface. A few examples of this are oceans, rivers, and lakes.
Water conservation: The beneficial reduction of water loss, waste, or overall consumption.
Water cycle: The path that all water follows as it continuously moves around Earth and atmosphere in different states. These states are solid, liquid, and gas and they undergo several different processes.
Water efficiency: The minimization of the amount of water used to accomplish a function, task, or result.
Wellfield: The land located above and around wells that tap into an aquifer. In this area, surface water gathers and gradually seeps underground, replenishing the aquifer.
Wellfield protection area: The specific zone where this infiltration occurs, supplying water to the aquifer and recharges the wells.
