GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Term	Abbreviation	Definition
303(d List)	--	the list of impaired and threatened waters (stream/river segments, lakes) that the Clean Water Act requires all states to submit for EPA approval every two years on even-numbered years. The states identify all waters where required pollution controls are not sufficient to attain or maintain applicable water quality standards, and establish priorities for development of TMDLs based on the severity of the pollution and the sensitivity of the uses to be made of the waters, among other factors (40C.F.R. §130.7(b)(4)).
Ambient Monitoring Program	AMP	Onondaga County’s comprehensive program to evaluate the quality of the waterways [in Onondaga County] and track changes brought about by the improvements to the wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure and reductions in watershed sources of nutrients.
Amendment Consent Judgment	ACJ	A legal finding or ruling. In this case, in 1998, an Amendment Consent Judgment (ACJ) between Onondaga County, New York State and Atlantic States Legal Foundation was signed to resolve a lawsuit filed against Onondaga County for violations of the Clean Water Act. The lawsuit alleged that discharges from the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (Metro) and overflows from the combined sewer system (CSOs) precluded Onondaga Lake from meeting its designated best use. The ACJ obligates the County to undertake a phased program of wastewater collection and treatment improvements that will extend though the year 2012, monitor water quality response, and report annually on progress towards compliance.
Ambient Water Quality Standard	AWQS	Enforceable limits on the concentration of pollutants designed to protect a designated use of the waterbody. Standards are promulgated by NY State and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
ammonia-N	NH3-N	An important form of nitrogen that is the end product of the decomposition of organic material; it is used by phytoplankton for growth.
assimilative capacity	--	The capacity of a natural body of water to receive wastewaters or toxic materials without deleterious effects to its designated use (e.g., without damage to aquatic life or humans who consume the water).
AUTOFLUX	AUTOFLUX	A customized software package developed by Dr. William Walker and used by Onondaga County WEP staff to estimate loading of water quality constituents (nutrients) to Onondaga Lake. The program uses continuous flow data and less frequent (often biweekly) tributary water quality samples to estimate annual loading rates.
biochemical oxygen demand 5 day	BOD5	The amount of oxygen a water sample’s chemical and biological composition will consume over a 5 day incubation period. The higher the BOD5, the more oxygen used by the sample. Generally, the higher BOD5 means lower water quality.
Biological Assessment Profile	BAP	An index or score of overall impact to the macroinvertebrate (aquatic insects) community of a water body. It is comprised of seven benthic macroinvertebrate community metrics used for water quality assessment. The lower the score, the more impacted the community.
Biological Aerated Filter	BAF	A combination standard filtration with biological treatment of wastewater. BAF usually includes a reactor filled with a filter media either in suspension or supported by a gravel layer. The dual purpose of this media is to support highly active microbes which remove dissolved nutrients from wastewater and to filter particulates.
Best Management Practices	BMPs	A combined group of activities designed minimize the amount of pollution that reaches a body of water. BMPs can be applied to agricultural, urban, and/or industrial areas as preventative measures to protect water quality.
bicarbonate	HCO3	Serves a crucial biochemical role in the physiological pH buffering water in natural systems and thereby minimize the disturbance of biological activities in these systems
calcium	Ca	A nutrient required by aquatic plants and some algae for proper metabolism and growth. Calcium, normally as calcium carbonate, is also a common contributor to water hardness.
chloride	Cl	A halogen element usually associated with metallic elements in the form of salts.
chlorophyll-a	Chl	A pigment used by plants and algae for photosynthesis. Chlorophyll concentration in lakes is used as a surrogate for estimating the amount of algae present.
combined sewer overflows	CSOs	A discharge of untreated sewage and stormwater to a water body; CSOs occur when the capacity of a combined storm/sanitary sewer system is exceeded by storm runoff.
cultural eutrophication	--	An increase in a water body’s biological production due to human activities. Cultural eutrophication usually results in negative water quality impacts such as loss of clarity, increased algal blooms, decreased oxygen resources, and accumulation of reduced species.
Data Analysis and Interpretation Plan (DAIP)	DAIP	A document created to guide managers and advisors on how numerous environmental and biological measurements, specific to Onondaga Lake, will be analyzed and interpreted in order to assess biological and water quality status and changes from remediation effort.
dissolved oxygen	DO	Dissolved form of oxygen, (dissolved in water) an indicator of the quality of water to support fish and aquatic organisms.
ecosystem	--	An interrelated and interdependent community of plants, animals, and the physical environment in which they live.
Environmental Protection Agency	EPA	The fedral agency responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the US.
eutrophic	--	Systems with high levels of productivity.
fecal coliform bacteria	FC	Microscopic single-celled organisms found in the wastes of warm-blooded animals. Their presence in water is used to assess the sanitary quality of water for body-contact recreation or for consumption. Their presence indicates contamination by the wastes of warm-blooded animals and the possible presence of pathogenic (disease producing) organisms.
frustules	--	Silica-rich external cell walls of diatoms.
guidance value	--	Best professional judgment of the maximum concentration of certain pollutants that will protect a designated use.
High-Rate Flocculated Settling	HRFS or Actiflo®,	An advanced process used in the treatment of municipal wastewater. Actiflo™ is a compact process that operates with microsand (Actisand™) as a seed for floc formation. Actisand™ provides surface area that enhances flocculation and also acts as a ballast or weight to aid a rapid settlement.
Hilsenhoff Biological Index	HBI	An index that uses species-defined pollution tolerance levels to assess the overall tolerance level of a community of organisms, and is an indicator of water quality.
hypolimnion	--	Deep, cold waters of a stratified lake; portion of the lake volume that remains isolated from atmospheric exchange during periods of thermal stratification
hypoxia	--	Low dissolved oxygen conditions of a water body which is detrimental to aerobic organisms.
indicator bacteria	--	Bacteria used to indicate the potential presence of pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms in water (see also fecal coliform bacteria).
interrelatedness	--	The degree to which organisms in an ecosystem interact and are influenced by other organisms. Pathways of interaction between species in an ecosystem
littoral zone	--	Shallow water zone at the edges of lakes, where light reaches the sediment surface.
magnesium	Mg	A metallic element required by algae for the production of chlorophyll.
metrics	--	Quantifiable physical, chemical and/or biological attributes of an ecosystem that responds to human disturbances; also, measurable attributes of the ecosystem that indicate whether a desired state has been achieved. Good metrics are cost-effective to measure, associated with low uncertainty, relevant to stakeholders and sensitive to anticipated changes.
mercury	Hg	A trace metal element that is toxic to aquatic life and humans.
mesotrophic	--	Systems with mid-levels of productivity; between eutrophic and oligotrophic
Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant	Metro	The wastewater treatment plant that treats the municipal waste from the City of Syracuse and large portions of Onondaga County, located in Syracuse, NY near Onondaga Lake.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation	NYSDEC	The state agency responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the state of New York.
nitrate-N	NO3-N	A form of nitrogen used by phytoplankton for growth; the end product of nitrification. In addition, the final stages of wastewater treatment at Metro produces large quantities of nitrate-N that is discharged to Onondaga Lake.
nitrite-N	NO2-N	A form of nitrogen formed in the intermediate step of nitrification. Accumulation of nitrite-N can be toxic to aquatic organisms.
nitrogen	N	A common element required by algae for growth. In aquatic ecosystems, nitrogen is usually in abundance and does not limit algal growth in most freshwater systems.
oligotropic	--	Systems with low levels of productivity
particulate phosphorus	PP	The non-dissolved fraction of total phosphorus.
pelagic	--	Deeper water zone (open water) off shore, not associated with the sediments
pH	pH	The negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration commonly used to quantify the acidity of a waterbody. pH is an important regulator of chemical reactions in ecosystems.
phosphorus	P	A common element required by algae for growth. In freshwater aquatic ecosystems, phosphorus is usually the nutrient limiting phytoplankton production. Increases in phosphorus can result in accelerated eutrophication.
photic zone	--	Upper layer of the water column where light penetration is sufficient for photosynthesis (algal growth).
phytoplankton	--	The community of algae and cyanobacteria present a water body.
percent model affinity	PMA	A measure of similarity of a sampled community to a model non-impacted community, using percent abundance of 7 major groups to quantify the community structure. The closer the similarity of the sampled community structure is to the model non-impacted community structure, the more likely that the sampled community is non-impacted.
potassium	K	A common alkali metal element necessary for proper growth and functioning of aquatic organisms.
organic nitrogen	--	The total amount of nitrogen in a water sample, associated with total (particulate and dissolved) organic matter.
oxidation-reduction potential	Redox or ORP	A measure (in volts) of the affinity of a substance for electrons. The value is compared to that for hydrogen, which is set at zero. Substances that are more strongly oxidizing than hydrogen have positive redox potentials (oxidizing agents); substances more reducing than hydrogen have negative redox potentials (reducing agents). In Onondaga Lake’s hypolimnion, ORP declines as organic material is decomposed.
Secchi disc	SD	A round disk, 25 cm in diameter, with alternating quadrants of black and white commonly used in limnology to quantify the clarity of surface waters. The disc is lowered through the water column on a calibrated line, and the depth at which it is no longer visible is recorded; thus indicating water clarity.
silica	Si	A metallic element used by phytoplankton for construction of cellular structures.
soluble reactive phosphorus	SRP	A dissolved form of phosphorus that is most readily used by algal for growth.
sodium	Na	A common metallic element in aquatic ecosystems usually associated with chloride, NaCl a common form of salt.
sonde	--	A compact monitoring device that includes one or more sensors or probes to measure water quality parameters, such as temperature, pH, salinity, oxygen content, and turbidity directly, eliminating the need to collect samples and transport them to a laboratory for analysis.
species diversity	--	A common ecological measure of the abundance and relative frequency of species in an ecosystem.
stoichiometric	--	The ratio of required elements needed for a chemical reaction; in this context, refers to the ratio of N and P required by phytoplankton for metabolism.
sulfate	SO4	A compound in abundance in Onondaga Lake due to the large quantities of gypsum (naturally occurring geological formation) in the lake’s watershed. SO4 can be converted to hydrogen sulfide when oxygen is depleted.
total dissolved phosphorus	TDP	A dissolved form of phosphorus that is used by algal for growth. TDP is not as readily available as SRP.
total dissolved solids	TDS	A common measure of the amount of salts in a water body.
total inorganic carbon	TIC	The total amount of carbon in a water sample, not associated with organic matter.
total Kjehldahl nitrogen	TKN	A measure of the concentration of organic nitrogen and ammonia in a water sample.
Total Maximum Daily Load	TMDL	An allocation of the mass of a pollutant that can be added to a water body without deleterious effects to its designated use.
total organic carbon	TOC	The total amount of carbon in a water sample, associated with total (particulate and dissolved) organic matter.
total nitrogen	TN	The total amount of nitrogen in a water sample, associated with particulate and dissolved organic and inorganic matter.
total organic carbon filtered	TOC_f	The total amount of carbon in a water sample, associated with dissolved organic matter.
total phosphorus	TP	The total amount (dissolved plus particulate) of phosphorus in a water sample. TP is a common metric of water quality of aquatic ecosystems and an important water quality standard in Onondaga Lake is determined using surface water TP concentration during the summer months.
total suspended solids	TSS	The amount of particulate material in a water sample.
trophic state	--	The status of a water body with regard to its level of primary production (production of organic matter through photosynthesis)
volatile suspended solids	VSS	The total amount of organic particulate matter in a water sample (a fraction of TSS).
volume days of anoxia	--	A metric that integrates the volume of the lake water affected by low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions over the duration of the low DO.
water year	--	The continuous 12-month period, October 1 through September 30, in U.S. Geological Survey reports dealing with the surface-water supply. The water year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends and which includes 9 of the 12 months. Thus, the year ending September 30, 2010, is referred to as the “2010 water year.
watershed	--	The area of land that drains into a body of water.
Water Environment Protection	WEP	The agency in Onondaga County, NY responsible for wastewater and storm water treatment as well as the monitoring and protection of all water resources in the county.