Water Treatment Abbreviations and Acronyms – Glossary
This page includes a list of water treatment abbreviations and acronyms. It is considered as a small water glossary. Please feel free to contact us if you want to add a missing abbreviation.
A | Water permeability coefficient |
à | Angstrom |
ac | Acre |
AOC | Assimilable organic carbon |
AC | Alternating current |
AC | Acticated Carbon |
ADI | Acceptable daily intake |
AO | Assimilable Organic |
AWA | Australian Water Association |
AWWA | American Water Works Association |
B | Beta (concentration polarization factor) |
B | Boron |
Ba | Barium |
BF | Bioflocculation |
BF | Bag Filter |
BOD | Biological oxygen demand |
BOOT | Build-own-operate-transfer |
Br | Bromide |
BWRO | Brackish water reverse osmosis |
°C | Degree Celsius (unit of temperature) |
ÎC | Concentration gradient |
Cf | Contingency factor |
Ca | Calcium |
CA | Cellulose acetate |
CAPEX | Capital Expenditure investment |
CaCO3 | Calcium carbonate |
CCPP | Calcium carbonate precipitation potential |
CCTV | Closed Circuit Television |
CEDI | Continuous Electrodeionization |
CF | Concentration factor |
CF | Cartridge Filter |
CFD | Computational fluid dynamics |
cfu | Colony Forming Unit |
CIP | Clean-in-place |
cm | Centimeter |
CMF | Conventional media filtration |
CO2 | Carbon dioxide |
COD | Chemical Oxygen Demand |
CWA | Clean Water Act |
DAF | Dissolved air flotation |
DBB | Design-bid-build |
DBO | Design-build-operate |
DBP | Disinfection byproduct |
DC | Direct current |
DO | Dissolved oxygen |
DOC | Dissolved organic carbon |
DW | Dry weight |
EC | Electrical conductivity |
ED | Electrodialysis |
EDR | Electrodialysis reversal |
EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
EPC | Engineering, procurement, and construction |
ERD | Energy Recovery Device |
°F | Degree Fahrenheit (unit of temperature) |
Fp | Feed pressure |
FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization (United Nations) |
FRP | Fiberglass-reinforced plastic |
ft | Foot |
ft2 | Square foot |
ft3 | Cubic foot |
FO | Forward Osmosis |
Gpm | Gallons per minute |
gal/min | Gallons per minute |
gfd | Gallons per square foot per day |
GAC | Granular Activated Carbon |
GOR | Gained output ratio |
GRP | Glass-reinforced plastic |
GWA | Government of Western Australia |
GWI | Global Water Intelligence |
Hr | Hour |
ha | Hectare |
HACCP | Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point |
HBMP | Hydrobiological monitoring program |
HC | Hydrocarbon (H-C bond) |
HDPE | High-density polyethylene |
HOCl | Hypochlorous Acid |
Hp | Horsepower (unit of power) |
H2S | Hydrogen sulfide |
IDA | International Desalination Association |
IPP | Industrial pretreatment program |
IWA | International Water Association |
IWW | Industrial Wastewater |
IX | Ion exchange |
J | Membrane permeate flux |
JTU | Jackson Turbidity Unit |
Kg | Kilogram |
Km | Kilometer |
kW | Kilowatt (unit of power) |
kWh | Kilowatt-hour (unit of energy) |
kWh/m3 | Kilowatt-hours per cubic meter (unit of energy) |
L | Liter |
LDPE | Low Density Polyethylene |
LPM | Liter per Minute |
lb | Pound |
lb/in2 | Pounds per square inch (unit of pressure) |
Lmh | Liters per square meter per hour |
LSI | Langelier Saturation Index |
LT2ESWTR | Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule |
M | Meter |
m2 | Square meter |
M3 | Cubic meter |
M3/day | Cubic meters per day |
MBF | Mixed-media Bed Filter |
MBR | Membrane Bioreactor |
MED | Multi-effect distillation |
MED-TC | Multi-effect distillation with thermal compression |
MENA | Middle East and North Africa |
Meq | Milliequivalent |
MF | Microfiltration |
Mg | Magnesium |
mg/l | Milligrams per liter |
MGD | Million gallons per day |
Mi | Mile |
Min | Minute |
ml | Milliliter |
mm | Millimeter |
Mn | Manganese |
MSD | Multistage flash distillation |
MTBE | Methyl tertiary butyl ether (gasoline additive) |
mV | Millivolt |
MVC | Mechanical vacuum compression |
µg/L | Micrograms per liter |
µm | Micrometer |
µS/cm | Microsiemens per centimeter (unit of specific conductance) |
Na | Sodium |
NaOCl | Sodium Hypochlorite |
NDMA | N-nitrosodimethylamine |
NDP | Net driving pressure |
NF | Nanofiltration |
NOM | Natural organic matter |
NP | Nanoparticle |
NPDES | National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System |
NTU | Nephelometric turbidity unit |
O&M | Operations and maintenance |
Opfc | Osmotic pressure on the concentrate side of the membrane |
OCSD | Orange County Sanitation District |
ORP | Oxidation-reduction potential |
P | Phosphorus |
Pr | Permeate recovery rate |
PA | Polyamide |
PDFB | Percent difference from balance |
pH | Indication of the acidity or basicity of solution |
PP | Polypropylene |
ppb | Parts per billion (1 ppb = 1 µg/L) |
ppm | Parts per million (1 ppm = 1 mg/L) |
Ppt | Parts per trillion |
PSI | Pound per square inch (unit of pressure) |
PREN | Pitting resistance equivalent number |
psu | Practical salinity unit (1 psu = 1000 mg/L) |
PS | Polystyrene |
PVC | Polyvinyl chloride |
Qf | Fresh water flow |
Rp | Permeate recovery rate |
RBF | Rapid Bioflocculation Filter |
RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act |
RIB | Rapid infiltration basin |
RO | Reverse osmosis |
ROWPU | Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit |
RSF | Rapid Sand Filtration |
RWQCB | Regional water quality control board |
s | Second |
S | Membrane area of an element |
Sp | Salt passage |
Sr | Salt rejection |
S. AZ | Southern Arizona |
S. CA | Southern California |
SAR | Sodium adsorption ratio |
SARI | Santa Ana River Interceptor |
SBR | Sequencing Batch Reactor (wastewater) |
SCADA | Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition |
SDI | Silt Density Index |
SDWA | Safe Drinking Water Act |
SDSI | StiffâDavis Saturation Index |
SER | Standard evaporation rate |
SF | Sand Filter |
SI | International System of Units |
SRB | Sulfide Reducing Bacteria |
SMBS | Sodium Metabisulfite |
STE | Salinity tolerance evaluation |
SUVA | Specific UV absorbance |
SWRO | Seawater reverse osmosis |
TCLP | Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure |
TDS | Total dissolved solids |
TFN | Thin-film nanocomposite |
THC | Total hydrocarbons |
TMP | Transmembrane pressure |
TN | Total nitrogen |
TOC | Total organic carbon |
TP | Total phosphorus |
TSS | Total suspended solids |
u | Atomic mass unit |
UF | Ultrafiltration |
UIC | Underground Injection Control |
US | United States (of America) |
USBR | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
USDW | Underground source of drinking water |
UV | Ultraviolet radiation |
VC | Vapor Compression |
W. TX | Western Texas |
WEF | Water Environment Federation |
WET | Whole effluent toxicity |
WHO | World Health Organization |
WPA | Water purchase agreement |
WQA | Water Quality Association |
WTP | Water treatment plant |
WWTP | Wastewater treatment plant |
Y | Plant recovery |
ZID | Zone of initial dilution |
ZLD | Zero liquid discharge |
- Published in Water Treatment