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A harnessed river or canal open to traffic and waterways transport.

Risk of infiltration of pollutants from the surface, through the soil and unsaturated zone. The vulnerability of aquifers is intrinsic: it depends on the topographic (ground slope), pedological (permeability), geological context (permeability, thickness). A confined aquifer, covered by a low permeability formation (often clays) is not very vulnerable as compared to an unconfined aquifer.

Area exposed or that could be exposed to hazards or potentially dangerous events (flood, pollution, natural disaster, industrial accident) and where human, economic or environmental issues are involved.

Area in which one or more species find an enabling environment for their reproduction.

Process used for treating sewage sludge, changing it from a liquid state to a more or less solid state. Sludge dewatering reduces its volume.

Branch of fluid mechanics which concerns the motion of fluids, whether liquid or gaseous. Hydrodynamics focuses on the properties of fluids, including velocity, viscosity, density, pressure, and temperature, as a function of space and time.

  Assessing the amount of water available in a soil, as compared to its optimal reserve (useful reserve). When the soil moisture index (SWI) is close to 1, the soil is wet (greater than 1, the SWI indicates that the soil tends to saturation). Conversely, when it tends to 0, the soil is under water stress (less than 0, it indicates that the soil is very dry).

Large expanse of water surrounded by land, created or enlarged by man, where it is enough that the depth, surface area or volume are sufficient to cause sediment deposit or stratification.

Remarkable area of the territory that has been classified as "National Park & nbsp;" because of its exceptional natural wealth, from the point of view of landscape quality and natural, historical or cultural heritage. The establishment of a national park requires a certification by the State. It usually generates specific regulations for the protection of fauna and flora.

A vast area where the community stakeholders look for a development respectful of the natural balances, and sometimes a solution for maintaining declining traditional activities. A regional natural park (RNP) is usually managed by a public inter-municipal cooperation organisation, an open mixed syndicate whose board of directors is composed of elected representatives of the member communities (municipalities, departments, regions) and sometimes socio-economic partners. PNRs are classified for a 12-year renewable period.

Methodology, based on the study of stream flows, which allows assessing the water inflow that is specific to any section of the river.

Set of regulations and measures taken to protect groundwater resources.

Amount of money paid by the users connected to a collective sanitation system, on their water bill. Users of an on-site sanitation facility must pay a special fee to finance the public on-site sanitation service costs.

Amount due by any owner of a structure that constitutes a continuous obstacle between the two banks of a watercourse (except for structures forming part of hydroelectric installations subject to the fee for water resource abstraction, or where the height difference is less than 5 m, or located on rivers whose average interannual flow is less than 0.3 m3/s at the right of the obstacle).

Amount of money paid by all inhabitants of a community according to their water consumption. The individual actions of each inhabitant to reduce his own consumption (wastage control, leak detection...) may directly lower the amounts paid.

Amount of money paid by the industrialists according to the volume of the discharged pollution. This fee aims to encourage companies and manufacturers to reduce their discharges. The charge rates are set according to the pollutant elements and can be modulated by zone, to take into account the status of the natural environment.

Amount of money paid by producers of plant protection products. This fee takes into account the level of toxicity and dangerousness of substances used in agricultural and gardening activities. It encourages users to choose less polluting products.

Amount of money due for water withdrawals, regardless of the user (municipality, industry, farmer) according to specific thresholds. This fee usually has two components: one based on the amount of water withdrawn, the other on the amount of water consumed (i.e. taken and not returned to the natural environment).

Amount of money paid by fishermen at the issuing of the fishing license. It is levied by the departmental or interdepartmental federations of approved associations for fishing and the protection of aquatic environments, from approved associations of amateur fishermen with gear and nets and from approved associations of professional fishing in freshwater.

Amount of money paid by people who store all or part of the volume flowing into a river during low water periods (provided that the capacity of the facility is greater than one million cubic meters). The amount of this fee depends on a rate and a basis, the latter being the volume of water stored during the low water period. The period and the rate are defined by the river basin authorities, according to the hydrological regime of the river.

Discharge of effluents or pollutants into watercourses.

Discharge of effluents or pollutants into the sea.

Discharge of effluents or pollutants on the ground or infiltration into the subsoil.

Network consisting of terrestrial ecological ("green" habitat) and aquatic ("blue" habitat) continuities, especially identified in regional ecological coherence schemes (RECS). The green and blue habitats (GBH) contribute to the enabling conservation status of natural habitats and species and to the good ecological status of water bodies, as well as to maintain the services that biodiversity provides (water quality, pollination, flood prevention, improvement of the living environment, etc.). It extends to the transversal limit of the sea. The GBH is a tool of sustainable development and regional planning, with the master plans for water development and management (SDAGE). It is also a tool for preserving biodiversity, combined with all the other existing tools: protected areas, national parks, nature reserves, biotope protection decrees, Natura 2000, regional natural parks, national action plans for endangered species, etc.) under the 2011-2020 National Biodiversity Strategy.