Terminology Services

Vocabulary Catalog

Select a Vocabulary below to view associated terms and definitions. Select

under Link to Program Site to visit the program website associated with a vocabulary.

Indicates the vocabulary is included in the EPA's terminology repository.

Vocabulary Name	Publishing Organization	Topics
Underground Storage Tank Sites Guide Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Underground Storage Tanks	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: This glossary is from an EPA report titled "Expedited Site Assessment Tools for Underground Storage Tank Sites: A Guide For Regulators" (EPA 510-B-97-001) March 1997. The expedited site assessment (ESA) process is a framework for rapidly characterizing underground storage tank (UST) site conditions for corrective action decisions. This concept has been described with other names including: accelerated site characterization, rapid site characterization, and expedited site investigation.
Safe Drinking Water Act Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	Health & Safety, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Water	Description: Definitions to help consumers quickly understand drinking water-related terms in the context of their daily lives
Leaking Underground Storage Tanks Sites Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Underground Storage Tanks	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Water	Description: Glossary of relevant terms for recovery of free product below the ground surface. This glossary is from an EPA report title "How to Effectively Recover Free Product at Leaking Underground Storage Tanks Sites: A Guide for State Regulators" (EPA 510-R-96-001).
Nearshore Terrestrial Ecosystems Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Ecosystems, Water	Description: Glossary of terms used in the Report for Nearshore Terrestrial Ecosystems
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations Implementation: Definitions	National Archives and Records Administration/Office of the Federal Register	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Water	Description: These definitions come from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40 (Protection of Environment), Chapter I - Environmental Protection Agency, Subchapter D - Water Programs, Part 142 - National Primary Drinking Water Regulations Implementation, subpart a - General Provisions, 142.2 - Definitions
Exploring Estuaries Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Ecosystems, Water	Description: Technical terms related to estuaries
Drinking Water Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	Health & Safety, Water	Description: These definitions are intended to help consumers understand drinking water-related terms in the context of their daily lives. These definitions are not intended to be complete, nor do they have legal force. Also see the Dictionary of Technical and Legal Terms Related to Drinking Water.
Economic Benefits of Runoff Controls Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Water	Description: The glossary from the Economic Benefits of Runoff Controls document
Sediment Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of terms from the Protocol for Developing Sediment TMDLs technical guidance document (First Edition) (EPA 841-B-99-004).
Watershed Protection Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Water	Description: Glossary of terms from Watershed Analysis and Management Guide for States and Communities (EPA 841-B-03-007).
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wastewater Management	Water	Description: Glossary for the Office of Wastewater Management National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
Aquatic Biodiversity Glossary	Office of Mission Support	Ecosystems, Water	Description: A glossary of terms used for aquatic biodiversity
Biocriteria Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology	Policy & Guidance, Science & Research, Water	Description: Glossary for biological assessment and biological criteria
Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: A dictionary of technical and legal terms related to drinking water.
Chesapeake Bay Glossary	Region 3/Chesapeake Bay Program	Ecosystems, Water	Description: The Bay Program glossary is a quick reference guide for citizens, students, researchers, conservation professionals and others to understand the terms used to describe the Chesapeake Bay, its ecosystem and the Bay Program's restoration efforts.
Total Maximum Daily Loads (303d) Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Terms that support the 303(d) list of impaired and threatened waters from the Clean Water Act
Private Wells Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	General Environmental, Water	Description: Terms used on the Private Drinking Water Wells web site
Oil Pollution Prevention Glossary	Region 6/Superfund Program	Emergencies, Water	Description: The Outreach Guides for the Federal Oil Pollution Prevention Regulation has been developed to provide owners and operators of facilities that must comply with the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations, under Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 112, with a reference for the acronyms and terms associated with the regulation. Some of these terms are also defined under 40 CFR Part 112.2 Definitions. The definitions in this guide apply specifically to the EPA Oil Pollution Prevention Program and may not be applicable to other EPA or other agency programs.
Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Water	Description: Glossary of Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads terms
Underground Injection Control Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Water	Description: Glossary of terms used for the Underground Injection Control Program.
Urban Watershed Management Research Terminology	Office of Research and Development	Science & Research, Water	Description: Terms, abbreviations and acronyms frequently used in Urban Watershed Management.
Hudson River PCBs Glossary of Terms	Region 2	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Ecosystems, Water	Description: Selected words or terms critical to the understanding of the Hudson River PCBs Reassessment
UST / LUST Glossary	Region 10/Office of Compliance and Enforcement/Groundwater Unit	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Water	Description: Glossary supporting Region 10 Underground Storage Tank/Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program
STORET Legacy Data Center Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Information Management/Systems, Water	Description: The definitions of terms and acronyms used throughout the STORET Legacy Data Center site.
Great Lakes: Quality Management Training - Data Review Glossary	Region 5/Great Lakes National Program Office	Ecosystems, Policy & Guidance, Science & Research, Water	Description: Glossary of data review and related terms used for the Great Lakes Quality Management Training Modules.
Great Lakes: Quality Management Training - Quality Glossary	Region 5/Great Lakes National Program Office	Ecosystems, General Environmental, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of quality-related terms used for the Great Lakes Quality Management Training Modules.
Great Lakes Quality Mgmt Plan Glossary	Region 5/Great Lakes National Program Office	Ecosystems, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary from the revised Great Lakes National Program Office Quality Management Plan Revision:03 (May 2008).
Chesapeake Bay TMDL Glossary	Region 3/Water Protection Division/Air Protection Division/Office of Regional Counsel; Region 3/Chesapeake Bay Program Office; Region 2/Division of Environmental Planning and Protection	Ecosystems, Water	Description: Glossary of terms from the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sediment Document
Aquatic Resource Monitoring - Terminology	Office of Research and Development/Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment/Health and Environmental Effects Assessment Division	Water	Description: Definitions of terms used to facilitate communication and achieve compatible and comparable designs and analysis by the Design & Analysis Teams and Clients.
Contaminated Sediment Glossary & Acronyms	Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Water	Description: Terms and definitions specific to contaminated sediments. The definitions do not constitute the Agency's official use of terms and phrases for regulatory purposes.
Region 5 Cleanup Sites Glossary	Region 5/Office of the Regional Administrator	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Water	Description: Glossary of terms for the Lower Fox River and Green Bay Superfund site in Green Bay, WI.
Aquatic Animal Production Industry Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology/Engineering and Analysis Division	Sustainability & Green Living, Water	Description: Glossary of terms from the Effluent Guidelines - Aquatic Animal Production Industry - Final Technical Development Document (EPA-821-R-04-012)
Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2000 Report to Congress: Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wastewater Management	Water	Description: Definitions provided to help readers understand the terms used throughout the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2000 Report to Congress (EPA-832-R-03-002). The definitions are not intended to be used for legal purposes.
Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-level Rise Glossary and Acronyms	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Atmospheric Protection/Climate Change Division	Water	Description: Glossary, acronyms, and abbreviations of technical and scientific terms used throughout the Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise Report.
Compliance Guide for the Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production Point Source Category Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology/Engineering and Analysis Division	Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of terms from the document appendix of the Compliance Guide for the Concentarated Aquatic Animal Production Point Source Category (EPA 821-B-05-001)
Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) Glossary	Region 5/Great Lakes National Program Office	Ecosystems, Water	Description: A key source of Great Lakes environmental information
Septic Systems Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wastewater Management	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Water	Description: Glossary contains terms commonly used in the wastewater treatment field.
Underground Injection Control Terms	Region 5/Office of the Regional Administrator	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Water	Description: Terms used in the Underground Injection Control Program
Watershed Planning Glossary of Terms	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Key terms used in the Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters (EPA 841-B-08-002, March 2008).
Glossary: Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources	Office of Research and Development	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Science & Research, Water	Description: Glossary of terms used in the Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing of Drinking Water Resources: Progress Report (December 2012) (EPA/601/R-12/011)
Water Security Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water/Water Security Division	Emergencies, Water	Description: Water security glossary of terms.
Wadeable Streams Assessment Glossary of Terms	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Ecosystems, Water	Description: Glossary of terms cited in the Wadeable Streams Assessment
Discharges from Vessels of the Armed Forces Glossary	Office of Water	Enforcement & Compliance, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary contains terms used to describe discharges from vessels of the Armed Forces, which are regulated under the Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS).
Pretreatment Acronyms and Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wastewater Management/Water Permits Division	Enforcement & Compliance, Water	Description: This is a glossary of terms for the national pretreatment program, a component of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.
Check Up Program for Small Systems (CUPSS) Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	Water	Description: Glossary created to support the CUPSS v 1.3.8 User's Guide (EPA 816-R-14-003)
Water Conservation Plan Guidelines Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wastewater Management	Water	Description: Acronyms and terms used in the Water Conservation Plan Guidelines (EPA-832-D-98-001).
Ports Primer for Communities Glossary	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Transportation and Air Quality/Transportation and Climate Division	Air, Water	Description: This glossary was developed for the "Ports Primer for Communities, An Overview of Ports Planning and Operations to Support Community Participation". Glossary is courtesy of the American Association of Port Authorities, National Cooperative Freight Research Program, Starcrest Consulting Group and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Office of Underground Storage Tanks Technical Terms	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Underground Storage Tanks	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of technical terms derived from the evaluation of alternative cleanup technologies
NPDES Permit Writers Manual Glossary	Office of Water	Water	Description: Definitions of terms used in the NPDES Permit Writers’ Manual.
How's My Waterway Glossary	Office of Water	Water	Description: How's My Waterway is a web application that was designed to provide the general public with information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies and others have provided to EPA. Water quality information is displayed on 3 scales in How's My Waterway; community, state and national. How's My Waterway provides an easily accessible plain-English glossary where you can search through definitions of terms used on the site.
Glossary of Wetland Bioassessment Terms	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Water	Description: Glossary of terms supporting the Wetland Bioassessment Fact Sheet 10.
DWMAPS Glossary	Office of Water	Water	Description: Definitions of terms used in Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters
Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wastewater Management/Water Permits Division	Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of terms for the Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers manual
Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer Glossary	Office of Water	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: The Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer (REUSExplorer) presents state laws and policies governing water reuse across the United States. The web search tool allows users to filter between sources of water, reuse specifications, and specific states to identify those regulations and guidelines meeting their search criteria. The terms contained in this glossary are used to standardize language for use in the REUSExplorer only. Though the list below indicates a “definition” for each term, the explanations for each term are simply broad descriptions and do not reflect any legal, regulatory, or other binding “definition.”
Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) Glossary	Office of Water	Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary for the Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) and Standards web application.
Aquatic Resources Awareness Course for Real Estate Appraisers Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds/Watershed Academy	Water	Description: A list of terms and definitions that are used throughout the Aquatic Resources Awareness Course for Real Estate Appraisers.
Expert Query Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Water	Description: The Expert Query Tool provides the public, EPA, state, and tribal users with the ability to download publicly accessible ATTAINS data.
Thesaurus of Terms Used in Microbial Risk Assessment	Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology	Health & Safety, Policy & Guidance, Science & Research, Water	Description: This Thesaurus is a compendium of risk assessment terms found in frameworks, methodologies, and assessments.

Export options: Excel | XML | PDF | RTF