Edgepedia

Water purification

Water purification is the removal of undesirable chemicals, microorganisms, and suspended solids from water to make it suitable for drinking, spanning municipal plants and household devices.

Oct 20, 2026

Water Purification Pond: a pond used to treat or store water, spanning farm-pond sand-filter systems, ecological landscape and storm water ponds, Pond-In-Pond wastewater treatment, and the historic Tainan Water Purification Pond.

Water quality

Water quality is a measure of how suitable water is for a particular use, such as drinking, irrigation, or recreation, based on physical, chemical, and biological characteristics.

Water Recovery System (ISS)

The Water Recovery System (WRS) on the International Space Station reclaims drinking water from urine and humidity condensate, installed in 2008 and reaching 98 percent recovery in 2023.

Water research

Water Research (Water Res., ISSN 0043-1354) is a peer-reviewed Elsevier journal founded in 1967 by the International Association on Water Pollution Research, covering the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and treatment, with companion Water Research X.

Water Resistant mark

The Water Resistant mark is stamped on the back of wrist watches to indicate how well the watch is sealed against water, governed by ISO 22810:2010.

Water resource region (United States)

A water resource region is one of 21 first-level drainage units dividing the United States under the federal hydrologic unit code system, defined by drainage rather than political lines.

Water resources

Water resources are the stocks of water available for use, including groundwater and non-marine surface water; agriculture accounts for roughly 70% of global freshwater withdrawals.

Water Resources Act 1991

The Water Resources Act 1991 is an Act of the UK Parliament regulating water quality, pollution, water resources, and flood defense in England and Wales.

Water Resources Development Act

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is an omnibus US federal law authorizing Army Corps of Engineers projects for navigation, flood risk reduction, and ecosystem restoration.

Water resources management in Bolivia

Water resources management in Bolivia is the framework of laws, institutions, and community practices allocating water, shaped by a 1906 water law, the Cochabamba Water War, and dependence on retreating glaciers.

Water rocket

A water rocket is a model rocket, typically built from a plastic soda bottle partly filled with water, launched by compressed air and used in education and competitions.

Water safety plan

A water safety plan (WSP) is a risk assessment and management approach to drinking-water supply from catchment to consumer, recommended by the World Health Organization since 2004.

Water salute

A water salute, also called a water cannon or water arch salute, is an airport ceremony in which fire trucks arc water over a taxiing aircraft to mark inaugural flights, pilot retirements, or aircraft farewells; adapted from 19th-century maritime fireboat traditions in the late 1990s.

Sep 29, 2026

Water sampling

Water sampling is the collection of water from streams, lakes, groundwater wells, and the ocean for physical, chemical, or biological analysis, using grab, composite, and discharge-weighted methods.

Water scarcity

Water scarcity, also known as water shortage, is the condition in which demand for freshwater exceeds available supply in an area, affecting consumption, irrigation, and industry.

Water scarcity in Africa

Water scarcity in Africa, also known as water shortages in Africa, is the inability of African populations, farms, and cities to reliably obtain adequate, acceptable-quality water.

Water scarcity in India

Water scarcity in India, also called water shortages in India, is the shortfall of freshwater against demand, leaving roughly 600 million people facing water stress.

Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research

Water Science and Technology (Water Sci Technol, ISSN 0273-1223) is a peer-reviewed IWA Publishing journal on wastewater treatment and water quality management, founded 1981, MEDLINE- and SCIE-indexed, open access since 2021.

Water scrubbing

Water scrubbing is a biogas upgrading technique that removes carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from raw biogas with pressurized water, producing biomethane for grid injection or vehicle fuel.

Water shut-off

Water shut-off is a set of petroleum-engineering treatments, mechanical or chemical, that reduce or stop unwanted water production from an oil or gas well, or divert injected water.

Water skiing

Water skiing: towed surface sport invented by Ralph Samuelson on Lake Pepin, Minnesota, 2 July 1922; competitive three-event format of slalom, tricks, and jump governed by bodies such as AWSA and IWWF.

Water slide

Аттракцион "Водные горки" (water slides): inclined-slide water attractions where flowing water regulates speed and braking, classified by GOST R 52603 types 1-7, EN 1069, and ASTM F2376, with defined slope, speed, and safety requirements.

Oct 22, 2026

Water snowline imaging in protoplanetary disks

Water snowline imaging in protoplanetary disks locates the radius where water vapor condenses to ice, a boundary that shapes where planets form; ALMA first imaged it in V883 Ori.

Water softening

Water softening is treatment that reduces dissolved calcium and magnesium, the ions causing water hardness, commonly by cation exchange with sodium in homes or lime and lime-soda softening by municipalities.

Water speed record

Water speed record: fastest speed on water. Powered record 275.97 knots by Ken Warby, Spirit of Australia, 1978; sailing record 65.45 knots by Vestas Sailrocket 2, Paul Larsen, 2012, over 500 m.

Water splitting

Water splitting, also known as decomposing water, is the chemical separation of water into hydrogen and oxygen, first achieved by electricity in 1789 and today the basis of hydrogen production by electrolysis.

Water square

A water square (Dutch: waterplein) is an urban public square designed to hold stormwater during heavy rainfall while serving as public space, developed in Rotterdam.

Water Street Healthcare Partners

Water Street Healthcare Partners is a Chicago-based private equity firm founded in 2005 that invests exclusively in middle-market healthcare companies; in May 2026 it closed its sixth fund with $1.9 billion.