Water Wordplay
This common idiom means "in serious trouble" and references what a plumber might be standing in after a water heater malfunction.
What is "in hot water"? OR What is "hot water"?
In this 1997 blockbuster, the fatal collision occurs because only about 10% of a freshwater ice mass is visible above the ocean surface.
What is Titanic?
Despite its name, this WV river is considered one of the oldest in North America, and in 2020 became the newest feature of the National Park System.
What is the New River?
UV light, ozone, or chlorine are all used in this final treatment step that inactivates pathogens before water reaches your tap.
What is disinfection?
This 3-letter acronym is the federal clean water law that established the NPDES permit program, water quality standards, and the goal of fishable/swimmable U.S. waters.
What is CWA?
When no candidate secures a majority, politicians face one of these; hydrologists use the same word for precipitation that flows overland instead of infiltrating the soil.
What is runoff?
Ironically, this 2003 Disney/Pixar film about a clownfish who just wants to be free in the ocean sent audiences rushing to buy clownfish for their home tanks.
What is Finding Nemo?
West Virginia's coal legacy left thousands of miles of streams impaired by this phenomenon, formed when sulfide minerals in exposed rock react with water and oxygen.
What is acid mine drainage?
Air is introduced to water through spray nozzles, packed towers, or diffusers to strip out radon, hydrogen sulfide, or various volatile organic compounds.
What is aeration? OR What is air stripping?
This 2-character abbreviation represents a logarithmic scale and is one of the most frequently measured parameters in both drinking water and wastewater operations.
What is pH?
This term for flow entering a treatment plant sounds like it describes a highly persuasive person.
What is influent?
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy defeats this villain with a bucket of water.
Who is the Wicked Witch of the West?
A spill of this chemical into the Elk River in January 2014 left 300,000 residents across nine WV counties without safe tap water, one of the largest drinking water emergencies in U.S. history.
What is 4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM)?
Porous pavement, green roofs, and rain barrels are all examples of this urban planning approach that mimics pre-development hydrology.
What is low-impact development (LID)? OR What is green infrastructure?
This 3-letter acronym describes how the cloudiness of water is reported; a key performance indicator for filter effectiveness.
What is NTU?
This two-word phrase describes both a pivotal point in history AND the topographic boundary that divides rainfall into separate drainage basins.
What is a watershed moment?
Like Shakespeare's drowning Ophelia, the record-breaking artist behind the Eras Tour appears partially submerged in water on the cover of this 2025 album.
What is The Life of a Showgirl?
Each fall, the Army Corps of Engineers releases water from Summersville Dam, turning this WV river into one of the most sought-after whitewater destinations in the country.
What is the Gauley River?
In an oxygen-free environment, bacteria convert nitrate to nitrogen gas, the most common approach to completing the nitrogen removal cycle.
What is denitrification?
Unlike a combined sewer, this type of urban drainage system, identified by a letter-and-number acronym, keeps stormwater entirely separate from sanitary flow, discharging directly to surface waters.
What is MS4?
A water utility employee who checks how many gallons you've used might share this job title with someone who analyzes the rhythmic structure of a sonnet.
What is a "meter reader"?
This name could refer to Aegon Targaryen or to the father of modern epidemiology who thwarted a cholera outbreak by removing the handle of the Broad Street pump.
Who is Jo(h)n Snow?
Harpers Ferry sits at the scenic confluence of these two rivers, both used as drinking water sources for downstream communities.
What are the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers?
A resin bed exchanges hardness-causing calcium and magnesium ions for sodium, reducing scale buildup in pipes and appliances.
What is ion exchange / water softening?
This 3-letter acronym refers to the age of the sludge in a bioreactor; a key design parameter for achieving nitrification in biological treatment.
What is SRT?