Watercourse

Part of a river not owned by a national governmental body. Watercourses that are neither navigable nor floatable, brooks, torrents or small streams are considered to be private.

Part of a river owned and maintained by a national governmental body. This maintenance can be delegated to the regions or departments.

Temporary or definitive man-made change in the layout of a watercourse by totally or partially diverting the water flow.

A type of river mouth characterised by heavy siltation at an elevation very close to that of the water surface and forming a natural marshy plain.

A cutoff that occurs when two knees of the same meander meet. The cutoff then causes the abandonment of the meander to form a new channel.

A plant that generates electricity by using the heat released by the nuclear fuel. This heat heats water and produces steam which drives turbines and consequently alternators. In normal operation, a plant releases radioactive liquids and gas, which can be found in aquatic environments, after treatment of water used for cooling installations (demineralisation, chlorination). On the other hand, the water used in the cooling circuits is hot when it is discharged into the river or the sea, which again can alter the functioning of the ecosystems.

Accounting of the changes in water resources (stream flows, groundwater level, effective rainfall) of an area (for example a catchment area) based on meteorological, piezometric or hydrological information.

Dam with a complex design, which is thin and resistant to the hydraulic pressure by bracing the rocky sides of a valley. These dams are particularly suitable for narrow valleys.

A groundwater impoundment structure built across underground water channels. The underground dams are built in the sub-soil. They store water in geological formations, retain groundwater and require pumping facilities to make water usable.

Structure built for the storage of water for replenishing low water levels or supplying channels.