Acre-foot of water – the amount of water required to cover an area of one acre to a depth of one foot. One acre-foot of water is equal to 325,851 gallons.

Benthic - pertaining to animals and plants associated with the sea bottom (benthos).

Conservation ponds - also called regulating reservoirs, these ponds would temporarily store irrigation water from nearby LCRA canals when it is not immediately needed by farmers because of rainfall, thereby avoiding spills from the canals.

Drought contingency plan – a strategy or combination of strategies for temporarily managing water supply and demand during a drought.

Drought of record – the decade-long drought that affected Central Texas from the late 1940s through the late 1950s. No other drought affecting the lower Colorado River watershed has been as severe or as sustained since the Highland Lakes were built in the 1930s and ‘40s. LCRA and other organizations, including the agency that grants rights to use state water, use it as a benchmark for more recent droughts, for contingency planning in response to future droughts, and in evaluating water rights permit requests.

Excess flows/unappropriated flows – water that has not been appropriated (authorized for use in a quantifiable amount by any water right holder) and that cannot be claimed by another senior water right holder.

Facilities siting – the process of determining where components of the LCRA-SAWS Water Project would be located if the project moves ahead.

Groundwater – water that lies below the surface of the ground, usually in an aquifer or underground stream or lake. Wells are used to draw up groundwater for drinking and other purposes.

Groundwater conservation district – the Texas Water Code, Chapter 36, authorizes creation of groundwater conservation districts “to provide for the conservation, reservation, protection, recharging, and prevention of waste of groundwater, and of groundwater reservoirs or their subdivisions, and to control subsidence caused by withdrawal of water from those groundwater reservoirs or their subdivisions.”

Holding basin – an off-channel storage facility proposed by the LCRA-SAWS Water Project to contain Colorado River water until it can be transported to San Antonio.

Inflow/instream flow/freshwater inflow – water left in its natural stream channel or released from storage (in some cases) to help provide water for aquatic resources and associated wildlife and riparian habitat within a river and its associated bay and estuary.

Interbasin transfer – the diversion of water from one river basin to another.

Lower Colorado River basin – see lower Colorado River watershed.

Lower Colorado River watershed (synonymous with basin) – the area of land that drains water via streams, rivers and lakes into the lower Colorado River and Highland Lakes below Ivie Reservoir and Lake Brownwood.

Mitigation – the remedy of negative consequences of certain actions; often required or requested for water development projects. Mitigation can involve the elimination of certain parts of a planned project; limitations on the degree or magnitude of project implementation; reparation, rehabilitation or restoration of the affected environment; or compensation by replacing or providing substitute resources or environments.

Off-channel storage facility – earthen impoundment proposed by the LCRA-SAWS Water Project to hold excess and unused water from the Colorado River before it is pumped to San Antonio for municipal use. Also called holdings basins.

Project viability assessment – an annual assessment of the technical, environmental, and financial feasibility of the LCRA-SAWS Water Project based on the information learned to date during the study period. Key activities and technical study findings are summarized.

Stakeholders – individuals or parties with a specific interest in the LCRA-SAWS Water Project.

Surface water – Water above the surface of the ground, such as a lake or river. The term is used to distinguish it from groundwater.

Transmission corridors – narrow tract of land forming a passageway for the pipeline that would transfer water to San Antonio as part of the LCRA-SAWS Water Project.

Water treatment facilities – structures designed to treat water supplies prior to municipal (including residential) use and most commercial or industrial uses. Treatment is accomplished by subjecting the water to a combination of physical, chemical, and/or biological processes that reduce the concentration of contaminants.

Water level drawdown – reduction of lake or river levels, often caused by diverting water and keeping it from reaching its natural destination. Groundwater drawdown can be caused by pumping in excess of the recharge rate.

Water right – a legal right to take control of water and put the water to beneficial use.