Australian Water Information Dictionary
Alphabetical list of items
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z other
T
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- tagged trade
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Trade of water access entitlement between legal entities of different water allocation plans where the entitlement remains subjected to the allocation rules of the water allocation plan where the entitlement was sold (the selling water allocation plan). When an annual allocation announcement is subsequently made on the water access entitlement in the selling water allocation plan, the tag is automatically activated and the original purchaser is credited with the volume allocated, less any applicable exchange rate or transfer loss. In the National Water Account, annual allocation tagged on behalf of the original purchaser are reported together with transfers of water allocations between different legal entities.
This definition applies to:
- take
-
Take water from a water resource means to remove water from, or to reduce the flow of water in or into, the water resource including by any of the following means:
(a) pumping or siphoning water from the water resource;
(b) stopping, impeding or diverting the flow of water in or into the water resource;
(c) releasing water from the water resource if the water resource is a wetland or lake;
(d) permitting water to flow from the water resource if the water resource is a well or watercourse;
and includes storing water as part of, or in a way that is ancillary to, any of the processes or activities referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d).
Source: Water Act 2007 Part 1 Section 4, at 8 Febraury 2019. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to Federal Register of Legislation
Related: water take
This definition applies to:
- TDS
-
total dissolved solids
This definition applies to:
- temporary trade
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Temporary trade has the same meaning as water allocation trade.
Synonym: water allocation trade
This definition applies to:
- tenosols
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Weakly developed soils with poor water retention, almost universal low fertility and occurrence in regions of low and erratic rainfall, Tenosols are mainly used for the grazing of native pastures.
Source: R F Isbell, 1996, The Australian Soil Classification, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
This definition applies to:
- tercile
-
A set of data arranged in order with values that partition the data into three groups, each containing one-third of the total data. To define these terciles, the historical data is arranged in order from lowest to highest and then the data is partitioned into three equal groups. The lowest third of the data values are defined as the lowest tercile, the middle third of the values are the middle tercile and the upper third of the values are the upper tercile. A tercile is a specific form of quantile.
For example, if you had 100 data values, the lowest tercile would contain the 1st–33rd data values, the middle tercile the 34th–67th values and the upper tercile the 68th–100th values.
This definition applies to:
- terrestrial GDE
-
A GDE that accesses subsurface groundwater to meet all or some of its water requirements. This includes terrestrial vegetation, subsurface fauna communities (e.g. burrowing crayfish), and some vegetation which is associated with a surface water body.
Source: Eamus, D., Froend, R., Loomes, R., Hose, G., Murray, B., (2006). A functional methodology for determining the groundwater regime needed to maintain the health of groundwater-dependent vegetation, Australian Journal of Botany, 2006, 54, 97–114, 2006.
This definition applies to:
- terrigenous
-
The sediments formed in the sea from material derived from terrestrial environments by erosion. They comprise sand, mud and silt carried to sea by rivers. Their composition is usually related to their source rocks and deposition of these sediments is largely limited to the continental shelf.
This definition applies to:
- Tertiary
-
An interval of geological time from about 65 million to 1.8 million years ago.
Source: USGS publication: Division of geological time - Major Chronostratigraphic and geochronologic units
Related:
This definition applies to:
- third quartile
-
The third quartile of a set of numbers is the value in which 75% of the numbers are below it and 25% of the numbers are above it when the numbers are arranged in ascending (increasing) order.
Synonym: 75% quartile
This definition applies to:
- tidal limit
-
In relation to a watercourse, the maximum upstream location on that watercourse at which a tidal variation in water-level is observed.
Source: Water Regulations 2008 Schedule 3 Part 1. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to Federal Register of Legislation
This definition applies to:
- tolerance
-
Root sum squared combination of instrument error and reference error. Tolerance is calculated as
Tolerance = ±√(A²+ B²)
where:
A = instrument error from manufacturer’s specifications confirmed by calibration (e.g. ±3 mm for this range); and
B = ability to read reference reading (e.g. gauge plate can be read to ±4 mm).
This definition applies to:
- total dissolved solids
-
The sum of all particulate material dissolved in water. Usually expressed in terms of milligrams per litre (mg/L). It can be measured by evaporating the solvent and measuring the mass of residues left or may be estimated from the electrical conductivity of the water.
This definition applies to:
- total nitrogen concentration
-
In relation to a water sample, the total concentration of all forms of nitrogen found in the water sample, including nitrate, nitrite, ammonia-N and organic forms of nitrogen.
Source: Water Regulations 2008 Schedule 3 Part 1. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to Federal Register of Legislation
This definition applies to:
- total phosphorus concentration
-
In relation to a water sample, the total concentration of all forms of phosphorus found in the water sample.
Source: Water Regulations 2008 Schedule 3 Part 1. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to Federal Register of Legislation
This definition applies to:
- total storage capacity
-
The entire volume of water contained by the water storage at full supply level; equal to the sum of the accessible storage capacity plus the dead storage capacity. See the water storage diagram for more information.
Related:
This definition applies to:
- total suspended solids
-
In relation to a water sample, the measure of the particles mixed in the water sample.
Source: Water Regulations 2008 Schedule 3 Part 1. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to Federal Register of Legislation
This definition applies to:
- total water resource
-
The total volume of water contained within the physical boundaries of the region.
This definition applies to:
- trade waste sewage
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The sewage produced by any industry, business, trade or manufacturing process.
This definition applies to:
- tradeable water rights
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Are: (a) water access rights, (b) water delivery rights or (c) irrigation rights.
Note: Some components within water access rights are not tradeable.
Source: Derived from the Water Act 2007 Part 1 Section 4, at 8 Febraury 2019. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to Federal Register of Legislation
This definition applies to:
- trading zones
-
Zones established to simplify administration of trade by setting out the known supply source or management arrangements and the physical realities of relevant supply systems within the zone.
Source: Derived from the Intergovernmental Agreement on a National Water Initiative Schedule B(i)
Equivalent: water market equivalent terms
This definition applies to:
- transaction costs
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Includes search, negotiation and enforcement costs including, but not limited to, all government water transfer fees and charges applicable to water trade, conveyance charges and professional service fees (such as accountants, brokers, lawyers).
This definition applies to:
- transect
-
Single pass across a river, lake or estuary.
Notes:
(1) a transect may be described as a collection of ensembles.(2) one transect may constitute a single measurement of discharge.
Source: AS 3778.1—2009, Clause 5.86. © Standards Australia Limited. Copied by the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology with the permission of Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand under Licence 1901-c052.
This definition applies to:
- transfer
-
The movement of water from one location to another.
Related: inter-basin transfer
This definition applies to:
- transfer party
-
Another service provider or other operational area within one's own operation.
Transfer party includes: (i)water utility; (ii) defined operational area of a utility; and (iii) private water manager.
Source: Category 7 Reporting Handbook
This definition applies to:
- transmissivity
-
The rate at which water moves through a unit width of aquifer or aquitard under a unit hydraulic gradient. It is the product of aquifer thickness and hydraulic conductivity.
This definition applies to:
- transpiration
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There are multiple contexts for this item
Context 1
The release of water vapour from parts of plants, especially through the stomata of leaves.
Related: evapotranspiration
This definition applies to:
- Glossary for Water status: Australian Water Resources Assessment
- Glossary for Water status: Water in Australia
Context 2
Evaporation loss of water from the leaves of plants through the stomata; the flow of water through plants from soil to atmosphere.
Source: eWater Toolkit Glossary
Related:
This definition applies to:
- treated wastewater
-
Water generated from sewage, greywater or storm water systems that is treated to achieve sub-tertiary quality. The main difference between treated wastewater and recycled water is quality, and quality is determined by the level of treatment. Wastewater treated to achieve super-tertiary quality is called recycled water.
This definition applies to:
- troglofauna
-
Terrestrial animals living in caves and other air-filled subterranean spaces.
This definition applies to:
- turbidity
-
Means the measure of the light scattering properties of water, and is an indicator of the presence of suspended solids.
Source: Water Regulations 2008 Schedule 3 Part 1. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to Federal Register of Legislation
This definition applies to: