Glossary

ANTIBIOTIC

RESISTANT

BACTERIA

An inherited trait of a microbe that permits it to grow in the presence of a compound that kills or prevents its growth.

PHARMACEUTICALS

Referring to contaminants in treated wastewater effluents that contain pollutants such as antibiotics

ROAD SALTS

Chloride salts of various metals applied to concrete surfaces such as sidewalks to melt snow and ice

URBAN POLLUTANTS

Poisonous or harmful substances originating from cities or urban areas

COASTAL WETLANDS

Includes freshwater and saltwater in coastal areas. Some examples include salt marshes, fresh marshes, and mangrove swamps

PHYTOPLANKTON

Single-celled algae and other free-floating photosynthetic organisms

RUN-OFF

That part of the precipitation, snow melt, or irrigation water that appears in uncontrolled (not regulated by a dam upstream) surface streams, rivers, drains or sewers

VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES

Illnesses transmitted from one species (such as mosquitoes) to other species. some examples of diseases include dengue fever, West Nile, and malaria

MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER

Wastewater containing sanitary sewage, sometimes combined with stormwater from rain or melting snow draining off rooftops, lawns, parking lots and roads

POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs)

A long-lasting organic chlorine compound that was once widely used. It is extremely toxic to the environment and is classified as a "persistent organic pollutant"

URBANIZATION

The spread and growth of cities; an increasing proportion of a population living in urban areas

ZOOPLANKTON

Non-photosynthetic, single-celled aquatic organisms

GLOSSARY