Water Quality & Management Flashcards
7 cards from real CEP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Water Quality & Management flashcards as text
Which hydrologic concept describes the percentage of precipitation that becomes surface runoff versus infiltration?
Answer: Runoff coefficient
The runoff coefficient (C) in the Rational Method represents the fraction of rainfall that becomes direct surface runoff, ranging from 0 (all infiltration) to 1 (all runoff).
What is the purpose of riparian buffer zones in watershed management?
Answer: Filtering pollutants and stabilizing stream banks through vegetation
Riparian buffers are vegetated strips along stream banks that intercept runoff, filter nutrients and sediment, stabilize banks, and provide shade to regulate stream temperature.
Under the Clean Water Act, which water quality standard designation protects waters used for public water supply and swimming?
Answer: Class A - Highest quality
Class A (or equivalent highest use classifications in state standards) designation protects waters suitable for public water supply, primary contact recreation, and aquatic life support.
Which water treatment process uses chlorine, UV, or ozone to kill pathogens in drinking water?
Answer: Disinfection
Disinfection is the treatment step that inactivates or kills pathogenic microorganisms using chemical agents like chlorine, or physical methods like UV radiation or ozone.
What is the significance of the 100-year floodplain in water resource planning?
Answer: It has a 1% annual probability of flooding and is used to regulate development
The 100-year floodplain has a 1% annual chance of flooding (not necessarily every 100 years) and FEMA uses it as the regulatory boundary for the National Flood Insurance Program.
Which agricultural best management practice most effectively reduces phosphorus loading to water bodies from row crop fields?
Answer: Contour farming and vegetated filter strips
Contour farming reduces erosion by following land contours, while vegetated filter strips trap sediment-bound phosphorus before it reaches water bodies.
What does 'impaired water body' mean under CWA Section 303(d)?
Answer: A water body that does not meet applicable water quality standards for its designated use
A 303(d) listed impaired water body fails to meet state water quality standards for one or more designated uses, triggering the requirement for a TMDL to be developed.