2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

PART 4: APPENDIX 4: GLOSSARY OF WATER AND FINANCE TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
Glossary Of Water And Finance Terms And Abbreviations
Abstraction. The taking of water from surface water (rivers, lakes and reservoirs) and
groundwater (boreholes and springs from water bearing rocks such as chalk, limestone and
sandstone).
Acre-Feet. Expression used in the USA to describe groundwater resources. 1 acre foot = 1.482
Ml (1,482 m3)
ADB. African Development Bank/Asian Development Bank. The former is sometimes known as
the AfDB and in general are not to be confused with each other.
Affermage. See Lease.
AMP. Asset Management Period, the five yearly operating cycles in England and Wales set out
by Ofwat, the industry regulator since 1989. AMP4 runs from 2005-10.
Ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3). Ammoniacal nitrogen is often found in water as a result of the
discharge of sewage effluent, with high levels affecting the quality of fisheries.
Aquifer. Rock and soil which holds water, an underground water source for groundwater.
Artesian. Water abstracted from groundwater resources.
ASEAN. Association of South-East Asian Nations.
Asset Sale. The full privatisation of utility services via the outright sale of their assets and an
operating licence to shareholders or to a private sector company. This is known as the ‘British
Model’ after the 1989 privatisation of the WASCs of England and Wales. Placing the operating
assets in private hands in perpetuity has proved politically very contentious and, as a result, has
not been used elsewhere, save in Chile and to a lesser extent, in the Czech Republic and in
Belize.
ATO. Ambito Territoriale Ottimale. The ideal area for water and wastewater contracts in Italy as
designated by the 1994 Galli Law. This law broadly seeks to rationalise some 6,800 water
distribution regions into a more manageable 89.
BATNEEC/BAT. Best available technology not entailing excessive cost/Best available
technology. The former’s expediencies have earned it the nickname CATNIP, or cheapest
available technology not involving prosecution.
Biosolids. The new expression for sewage sludge which has been processed for recycling.
The latter refers to its application on agricultural land or after further treatment, as compost sold
for horticulture and domestic gardens. As far as PR goes, a better term than refined human
excreta.
Biotic. Plant, bacterial or animal life. Biodiversity refers to the optimal diversity of species in an
ecosystem. The greater the number of species in a given ecosystem in relation to its ideal
number, the less perturbed the habitat is.
Blue Flag. Under the EU’s bathing waters directive, designated bathing areas that meet the
stricter ‘Guideline’ standard for water quality, as well as satisfying standards for safety, can be
awarded a ‘blue flag’.
BMO. Build, manage, operate, a form of O&M contract.
BOD/COD. These are chemical/biochemical determinants of water quality. As plants and
animals do not necessarily respond to numbers and engineering standards, there is a move
towards complementing these criteria with a biological assessment of the water’s quality. For
395 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005-2006