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Civil Engineering Vocab

Subject : engineering
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • 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. A system of major sewers serving as transporting lines and not as local or lateral sewers.






2. 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.






3. Any designated use or activity on a piece of land.






4. A sewer designed to carry both sanitary wastewaters and storm or surface water runoff.






5. OE The pressure at a specific elevation exerted by a body of water at rest - or _ In the case of groundwater - the pressure at a specific elevation due to the weight of water at higher levels in the same zone of saturation.






6. Branch or lateral sewers that collect wastewater from building sewers and service lines.






7. A sewer designed to carry both sanitary wastewaters and storm or surface water runoff.






8. A downspout or pipe installed to drain a roof gutter to a storm drain or other means of disposal.






9. 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.






10. 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






11. 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.'






12. A reservoir for the storage of filtered water of sufficient capacity to prevent the need to vary the filtration rate with variations in demand. Also used to provide chlorine contact time for disinfection.






13. The oxidation ditch is a modified form of the activated sludge process. The ditch consists of two channels placed side by side and connected at the ends to produce one continuous loop of wastewater flow and a brush rotator assembly placed across the






14. A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or drainage water. The term 'collection line' is often used also.






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






16. 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






17. Solid material settled from suspension in a liquid.






18. The conversion of large solid particles of sludge into very fine particles which either dissolve or remain suspended in wastewater.






19. A biological wastewater treatment process which speeds up the decomposition of wastes in the wastewater being treated. Activated sludge is added to wastewater and the mixture (mixed liquor) is aerated and agitated. After some time in the aeration tan






20. 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.






21. The running off of water from a land surface or subsurface - such as through sewers or natural means.






22. A system of gutters - catch basins - yard drains - culverts and pipes for the purpose of conducting storm waters from an area - but intended to exclude domestic and industrial wastes.






23. Material used to provide a bedding or foundation for pipes or other underground structures. This material is of specified quality for desirable bedding or other characteristics and is often imported from a different location.






24. A type of easement granting permission to a constructor or developer to build over a street or structure.






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






26. A professional society that represents landscape architects in the United States and Canada and seeks to better the practice and understanding of landscape architecture through education - research - state registration and other programs.






27. An opening or point of access in a building wastewater pipe system for rodding or snake operation.






28. Rain and snow water accumulated in the earth's porous rock.






29. In zoning - a housing or commercial development composed of individual units that are regulated as a whole.






30. A special valve with a hinged disc or flap that opens in the direction of normal flow and is forced shut when flows attempt to go in the reverse or opposite direction of normal flows.






31. A small box-like structure that contains valves used to regulate flows.






32. A rough guess of the amount of flow in a collection system. When greater accuracy is needed - flow could be computed using average or typical flow quantities. Even greater accuracy would result from metering or otherwise measuring the actual flow.






33. The gathering of a gas - liquid - or dissolved substance on the surface or interface zone of another material. Advanced Waste Treatment (water) n Any process of water renovation that upgrades treated wastewater to meet specific reuse requirements. Ma






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






35. The force that resists the separation of two bodies in contact.






36. A collection pipe to which building laterals are connected.






37. Most plumbing codes require a vent pipe connection of adequate size and located downstream of a trap in a building wastewater system. This vent prevents the accumulation of gases or odors and is usually piped through the roof and out of doors.






38. A sewer that receives wastewater from many tributary branches or sewers and serves a large territory and contributing population.






39. 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.






40. A layer - usually of concrete or mortar - for providing continuous support to such items as bricks - slabs - pipes.






41. An authorization issued by a government agency allowing construction of a project according to approved plans and specifications.






42. A plan for conserving or protecting various natural or manufactured resources. Such a plan is used as a management tool in making decisions regarding soil - water - vegetation - manufactured objects and other resources at a particular site.






43. The excess water running off from the surface of a drainage area during and immediately after a period of rain. See STORM RUNOFF.






44. The legal grant of right-of-use to an area of designated private property.






45. In landscape architecture - the organization of areas of land for specific aesthetic or functional purposes. This can range from creating small backyard patios to huge urban plazas.






46. 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.






47. Sand - silt - gravel and rocks carried or washed into a collection system by infiltration water flows.






48. The process of adding air to water. Air can be added to water by either passing air through water or passing water through air. In wastewater treatment - air is added to freshen wastewater and to keep solids in suspension. With mixtures of wastewater






49. 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.






50. Regulations specifying the type of construction methods and materials that are allowable on a project.






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