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ADWR Dictionary

ADWR Dictionary

ADWR Dictionary

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Abandoned tailings impoundment

Abandoned tailings impoundment means a tailings impoundment that the owner/operator of a metal mining facility does not plan to use for additional disposal of tailings.

Acre-foot (AF)

The amount of water it takes to cover one acre of land to the depth of one foot, approximately 325,851 gallons

Active management area (AMA)

A geographic area that has been designated pursuant to A.R.S.§ 45-411 as requiring active management of groundwater or, in the case of the Santa Cruz AMA, active management of any water, other than stored water, withdrawn from a well. Subsequent active management areas may be designated through local initiative or by the Director of ADWR

Adjudication

see "General Adjudication"

Agricultural water use

Water applied to two or more acres of land to produce plants or parts of plants for sale for human consumption or for use as feed for livestock, range livestock or poultry.

Alluvium

A deposit of earth, sand, and other transported matter left by water flowing over land not permanently submerged; chiefly applied to the deposits formed in river valleys and deltas. 

Alternative water supply

A water source, other than groundwater, pumped within an AMA.

Annual groundwater allotment

In an AMA, the total amount of groundwater a Grandfathered Right (GFR) holder is authorized to withdraw annually

Aquifer

A geologic formation that contains sufficient saturated materials to be capable of storing water and transmitting water in useable quantities to a well

Aquifer recharge

Water added to the aquifer through seepage and infiltration

Aquifer storage

Water stored underground for future use. Also, water stored pursuant to a permit issued under A.R.S. § 45-831.01, the Underground Water Storage, Savings and Replenishment Program

Artificial recharge

Water recharged to the aquifer through recharge projects, which may be recovered in the future based on accrued recharge credits.

Assigned Irrigation Efficiency

The irrigation efficiency used to compute an irrigation water duty for the fourth management period pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 45-567 and 45-567.02. 

Assured Water Supply

A water supply that meets all of the following criteria as defined in Rules: 1. Physical, legal and continuous availability for 100 years; 2. Meets water quality standards;  3. Demonstrated financial capability to construct the delivery system and related features 4. Consistency with the AMA’s management plan; and 5. Consistency with the AMA’s management goal

Augmentation

Augmentation means supplementing the water supply of an active management area and may include the importation of water into the active management area or storage of water pursuant to laws relating to underground water storage set forth at A.R.S. § 45-801.01 et seq. 

Baseflow

The part of a stream discharge that is not attributable to direct runoff from precipitation or melting snow. It is sustained by groundwater discharge and may be considered as normal day-to-day flow during most of the year.

Baseline

A surveyed line that serves as a reference to which surveys are coordinated and correlated. 

Basin fill

Unconsolidated material such as sand, gravel and silt, eroded from surrounding mountains and deposited in a valley

Basin sweep

A technique used to collect information on groundwater level conditions by measuring selected wells throughout a basin. Specific and randomly selected wells are measured to provide the best aerial and vertical coverage in the basin

Blowdown water

Water discharged from a cooling tower recirculating water stream to control the buildup of minerals or other impurities in the recirculating water. 

Body of water

A constructed body of water or interconnected bodies of water, including a lake, pond, lagoon, or swimming pool, that has a surface area greater than 12,320 square feet when full and that is filled or refilled primarily for landscape, scenic, recreational purposes, or regulatory storage.

Canal

A waterway constructed for the purpose of transporting water to a point of delivery, including main canals and lateral canals.

Census blocks

A geographic area bounded by visible and/or invisible features shown on a map prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau. A block is the smallest geographic entity for which the Census Bureau tabulates decennial census data

Census designated place

A geographic entity that serves as the statistical counterpart of an incorporated place for the purpose of presenting census data for an area with a concentration of population, housing, and commercial structures that is identifiable by name, but is not within an incorporated place

Central Arizona Project (CAP)

The reclamation project and works authorized to bring about 1.5 million acre-feet of Colorado River water per year to Pima, Pinal and Maricopa counties.

Central Arizona Water Conservation District

The multi-county water conservation district established as a special taxing district for the purpose of contracting with the U.S. for the delivery of CAP water and the repayment of associated CAP costs

CER

Conservation Efforts Report required to be filed by a large municipal provider regulated under the Non-Per Capita Conservation Program as provided in Section 5-705(E).

Certificate of Assured Water Supply

A permit issued by the director of ADWR for a development, other than a master-planned community, after the director determines that an assured water supply exists for the development pursuant to A.R.S. § 45-576 and Article 7 of the Assured Water Supply Rules

Combustion turbine electric power plant

An industrial facility that produces or is designed to produce more than 25 megawatts of electricity by utilizing an internal combustion engine in which the expanding gases from the combustion chamber drive the blades of a turbine which turns a generator to produce electricity.

Common Area

An area or areas owned and operated as a single integrated facility and used for recreational or open space purposes. A common area is maintained for the benefit of the residents of a housing development.

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Arizona Department of Water Resources
1110 W Washington Street Suite 310
Phoenix, AZ 85007
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