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Civil Engineering Vocab

Subject : engineering
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. An authorization issued by a government agency allowing construction of a project according to approved plans and specifications.






2. A manhole in which the rate of the water entering is greater than the capacity of the outlet under gravity flow conditions. When the water in the manhole rises above the top of the outlet pipe - the manhole is said to be 'surcharged.'






3. Precipitation which has been rendered (made) acidic by airborne pollutants.






4. That part of the precipitation falling on a drainage area which does not escape as surface stream flow during a given period. It is the difference between total precipitation and total runoff during the period - and represents evaporation - transpira






5. The upper surface of the zone of saturation of groundwater in an unconfined aquifer.






6. An agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - primarily responsible for planning and overseeing the use of national forest lands by private - commercial and government users.






7. A popular social concern of the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries aimed at improving the appearance of urban areas through better planning and the addition of formal - romanticized public spaces and gardens.






8. The lowest point of the channel inside a pipe - conduit - or canal.






9. The taking in or soaking up of one substance into the body of another by molecular or chemical action (as tree roots absorb dissolved nutrients in the soil).






10. The man-made creation of or alterations to a specific area - including its natural resources. This is in contrast to the 'natural environment.'






11. A dimensioned drawing indicating the form of an existing area and the physical objects existing in it and those to be built or installed upon it.






12. Installation of pumps to lift wastewater to a higher elevation in places where flat land would require excessively deep sewer trenches. Also used to raise wastewater from areas too low to drain into available collection lines. These stations may be e






13. A manhole located at the upstream end of a sewer and having no inlet pipe. Also called a DEADEND MANHOLE.






14. Subsurface water in the saturation zone from which wells and springs are fed. In a strict sense the term applies only to water below the water table. Also called 'phreatic water' and 'plerotic water.'






15. Water that may contain objectionable pollution - contamination - minerals - or infective agents and is considered unsafe and/or unpalatable for drinking.






16. The linear or a real dimension over which a higher component transmits load to a lower component






17. The used household water and watercarried solids that flow in sewers to a wastewater treatment plant. The preferred term is WASTEWATER.






18. Sedimentation basin overflow weir. A plate with Vnotches along the top to ensure a uniform flow rate and avoid shortcircuiting.






19. The change to an area's natural resources - including animal and plant life - resulting from use by man. Some projects may require conducting of an 'environmental impact study' before development can proceed.






20. An agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior charged with the planning and administration of all parks and monuments in the federal park system. The NPS is often referred to as the largest single employer of landscape architects in the United Sta






21. The elements of supply inherent to an area that can be used to satisfy human needs - including air - soil - water - native vegetation - minerals and wildlife.






22. Water that does not contain objectionable pollution - contamination - minerals - or infective agents and is considered satisfactory for drinking.






23. A structure made of concrete or other durable material to protect bare soil from erosion by splashing or falling water.






24. The illustration and description of problem-statements and large-scale design solutions that affect extensive areas of land; the anticipation of problems that will be encountered as human use and development of land continues.






25. A system used where wastewater collection systems and treatment plants are not available. The system is a settling tank in which settled sludge is in intimate contact with the wastewater flowing through the tank and the organic solids are decomposed






26. A septic tank or other holding tank which serves as a temporary wastewater storage reservoir for a Septic Tank Effluent Pump (STEP) system. See SEPTIC TANK.






27. The angle between a horizontal line andthe slope or surface of unsupported material such as gravel - sand -or loose soil. Also called the 'natural slope.'






28. Load applied along or parallel to and concentric with the primary axis






29. The movement or dislocation of underground soil or structure. Earth shift is usually caused by external forces such as surface loads - slides - stresses or nearby construction - water movements or seismic forces.






30. Not easily penetrated. The property of a material or soil that does not allow - or allows only with great difficulty - the movement or passage of water.






31. A device that admits surface waters to the storm water drainage system. Also see CURB INLET and CATCH BASIN.






32. A wall that resist horizontal forces applied in the plane of the wall.






33. A manhole which fills and allows raw wastewater to flow out onto the street or ground.






34. A holding basin in which variations in flow and composition of a liquid are averaged. Such basins are used to provide a flow of reasonably uniform volume and composition to a treatment unit. Also called a balancing reservoir.






35. A trained builder or installer of landscapes - retained to implement the plans of landscape architects.






36. One or a series of oneinch diameter holes through a manhole lid for purposes of venting dangerous gases found in sewers.






37. Any method of determining the weight a compacted material is able to support without damage or displacement. Usually stated in pounds per square foot.






38. A groundwater table that has seasonal changes in depth or elevation.






39. A legal form of land-use control and building regulations usually exercised by a municipal authority; usually involves setting aside of distinct land areas for specific purposes - such as commercial - educational or residential development.






40. The condition of water or soil which contains a sufficient amount of acid substances to lower the pH below 7.0.






41. A U.S. government agency responsible for developing and enforcing regulations that guide the use of land and natural resources.






42. A structure or chamber which is usually sunk or lowered by digging from the inside. Used to gain access to the bottom of a stream or other body of water.






43. A 19th- and 20th-century planned community traditionally featuring careful mixes of housing - open space - commercial activity and recreation. Examples include Reston - Va. - and Columbia - Md. - in the United States - and Harlow and Stevenage in Gre






44. Material used to fill in a trench or excavation






45. The lay of the land - particularly its slope and drainage patterns; the science of drawing maps and charts or otherwise representing the surface features of a region or site - including its natural and man-made features.






46. A wastewater treatment process used to convert dissolved or suspended materials into a form more readily separated from the water being treated. Usually the process follows primary treatment by sedimentation. The process commonly is a type of biologi






47. A wall that supports any vertical load in addition to its own weight.






48. A sewer pipe to which building laterals are connected. Also called a COLLECTION MAIN.






49. Narrowly defined - an extended view or prospect from a site which - many times - is as important as or more important than the site itself.






50. A sewer that discharges into a branch or other sewer and has no other common sewer tributary to it. Sometimes called a 'street sewer' because it collects wastewater from individual homes.