AEP Water Resources & Hydrology Flashcards
6 cards from real AEP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 AEP Water Resources & Hydrology flashcards as text
In wetland delineation, which three parameters must be present to confirm a jurisdictional wetland under the 1987 Corps of Engineers Manual?
Answer: Hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation, and wetland hydrology
The 1987 Corps Wetland Delineation Manual requires all three criteria — hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation, and wetland hydrology — to be present to identify a jurisdictional wetland.
What is a 'cone of depression' in groundwater hydrology?
Answer: The funnel-shaped drawdown in the water table surrounding a pumping well
A cone of depression is the funnel-shaped decline in the water table (or potentiometric surface) that forms around a pumping well as water is withdrawn faster than it can be replenished.
Which Clean Water Act Section governs the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program?
Answer: Section 402
Section 402 of the Clean Water Act establishes the NPDES permit program, which regulates point source discharges of pollutants into navigable waters of the United States.
What does a 'potentiometric surface' map show for a confined aquifer?
Answer: The level to which water would rise in a tightly cased well penetrating the confined aquifer
A potentiometric surface map shows the elevation to which water would rise in wells that fully penetrate a confined aquifer, reflecting the pressure head within the aquifer.
In stream ecology, what does the 'riparian zone' refer to?
Answer: The transitional area between aquatic and terrestrial environments along a stream bank
The riparian zone is the transitional zone between a river and the adjacent upland, characterized by distinct vegetation, soils, and ecological functions including stream bank stabilization and nutrient filtering.
Which hydrograph component represents the portion of storm runoff that reaches a stream quickly via overland flow and shallow subsurface flow?
Answer: Direct runoff
Direct runoff (also called storm runoff or quick flow) represents the rapid response to rainfall that reaches the stream through overland flow and near-surface lateral flow, causing the hydrograph peak.