Freshwater
Estuaries Glossary
Glossary and Key Word List
Definition: Refers to water from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, underground streams, and other sources. Water is continually lifted from the oceans by evaporation and then returned to the land as ice, snow, or rain. Ice and snow melt from mountains to release freshwater to our rivers, streams, lakes, and to resupply underground streams.
Freshwater Ecology Branch
FEB
Abbreviation and Acronym List
Marine, Freshwater and Modeling Staff
MFMS
Abbreviation and Acronym List
A National Compendium of Freshwater Fish and Water Temperature Data
FISHTEMP
Abbreviation and Acronym List
tidal freshwater marsh
Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-level Rise Glossary and Acronyms
Glossary and Key Word List
Definition: A marsh along a river or estuary, close enough to the coastline to experience significant tides by nonsaline water; the vegetation is often similar to a nontidal freshwater marsh.
Freshwater
EPA EV-Natural Environments-Aquatic Environments
Taxonomy
Definition: Water that contains less than 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of dissolved solids; generally, more than 500 mg/L of dissolved solids is undesirable for drinking and many industrial uses. [USGS Water Science Glossary of Terms]
Freshwater Degradation
EPA EV-Outcomes-Environmental Impacts
Taxonomy
Definition: Water is considered polluted when it is altered in composition or condition so that it becomes less suitable for any or all of the functions and purposes for which it would be suitable in its natural state. This definition includes changes in the physical, chemical and biological properties of water, or such discharges of liquid, gaseous or solid substances into water as will or are likely to create nuisances or render such water harmful to public health, safety or welfare, or to domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, fish or other aquatic life. It also includes changes in temperatures, due to the discharge of hot water. (Source: WPR) [GEneral Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus]
Freshwater Environment
EPA EV-Natural Environments-Aquatic Environments
Taxonomy
Freshwater Marsh Habitat
EPA EV-Natural Environments-Aquatic Environments
Taxonomy
Definition: Low-salinity (less than .5 ppt) wetlands characterized by erect, rooted, herbaceous plants which extend above the water’s surface, and are present for most of the growing season in most years. Water levels can range tidally or seasonally from at the soil surface to a shallow depth.[EPA Habitat Categories/Habitat Protection at http://www.epa.gov/owow_keep/estuaries/pivot/habitat/habtype.htm]
Freshwater Microorganism
EPA EV-Biological Substances-Microorganisms-Microorganism Roles
Taxonomy
Definition: Microorganisms living in water that does not contain salt. Not seawater.
Freshwater River
EPA EV-Natural Environments-Aquatic Environments
Taxonomy
Definition: Lotic (free-flowing) system that does not receive significant inflows of water from oceans or bays due to tidal action. For the purposes of this rule, a flow-through reservoir with a retention time of 7 days or less will be considered a freshwater river or stream. [40 CFR 125.83 (CFR 2013)][40 CFR 125.93 (CFR 2013)]
Freshwater Stream
EPA EV-Natural Environments-Aquatic Environments
Taxonomy
Definition: Lotic (free-flowing) system that does not receive significant inflows of water from oceans or bays due to tidal action. For the purposes of this rule, a flow-through reservoir with a retention time of 7 days or less will be considered a freshwater river or stream. [40 CFR 125.83 (CFR 2013)][40 CFR 125.93 (CFR 2013)]
Freshwater Withdrawal
EPA EV-Biological Substances-Humans-Human Activities & Behaviors
Taxonomy
Definition: Freshwater that is withdrawn from a ground or surface water source
Predominantly Freshwaters
EPA EV-Natural Environments-Aquatic Environments
Taxonomy
Definition: Surface waters in which the chloride concentration at the surface is less than 1,500 milligrams per liter. [40 CFR 131.43 (CFR 2013)]
Small Freshwater Plume
EPA EV-Natural Environments-Oceanic Environments
Taxonomy
Definition: Similar to a river plume but on smaller scale and can be initiated from variety of sources such as a groundwater seep, a non-point source or a transient discharge. [Federal Geographic Data Committee Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard, June 2012 FGDC-STD-018-2012] 
