NEWTS   GLOSSARY

NEWTS  - Nature-Emulating Waste Treatment System.   NEWTS  is a relatively low-tech system that mimics natural environments to treat wastewater from Munger Lodge. It uses constructed wetlands, media filters, and ultraviolet light to remove a wide range of potential pollutants with processes similar or identical to mechanically sophisticated systems, but using simpler components.

 Aeration – exposing a substance to air in order to promote an easier exchange of oxygen between the air and the substance.  (Plants and animals cannot live in water without sufficient Dissolved Oxygen.)

Aerobic - is an adjective that means "requiring air" (where "air" usually means oxygen). The opposite of aerobic is  anaerobic .

Anaerobic – is a technical word that literally means without air, as opposed to aerobic. The absence of air, or more precisely the presence or absence of oxygen in the air, affects various chemical reactions and biological processes. 

Bacteria - are a major group of living organisms. They are microscopic and mostly unicellular, with a relatively simple cell structure lacking a cell nucleus, cytoskeleton, and organelles.  Bacteria are the most abundant of all organisms.

Constructed Wetlands - consist of a series of plots filled with gravel. The plots are lined to prevent waste from leaching into groundwater, and are populated by wetland plants to aid in wastewater treatment. These constructed wetlands mimic nature by mechanically filtering, chemically transforming, and biologically consuming potential pollutants in the wastewater stream.

Disinfection – is the destruction of pathogenic and other kinds of microorganisms by physical or chemical means.

Distribution Box – is a device used to collect water and disperse (or distribute) it in measured amounts to different sites.

Free Surface Wetland -  is a wetland with a water level above the basic media (in this case, gravel).

Pumping Station – is a vat which holds wastewater and  pumps for moving fluids from one place to another.  They are necessary for any number of systems that many people take for granted, such as removal of sewage.

Media Filter – is a type of filter utilizing a bed of gravel or other material to separate waste from  water.

Metabolize - in the most general sense, means to ingest and breakdown complex compounds, liberate energy and the consequent generation of waste products. Metabolism is a major process of living organism, and can happen at many levels in many ways within an organism.

Microorganisms –  is an living being that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye).

Rain Garden - Basically, a rain garden is a strategically located low area with plants that intercepts runoff.  It slows the water down in order to prevent erosion and allow it to be absorbed into the ground.  In many cases the plants are chosen for their ability to remove pollution and toxins.

Recirculation Ratio -  is the fraction of water (4/5) that is returned through the pumping station and media filters vs. the fraction that goes on to other treatment(1/5).  Restated: 4:1 

Scum – is septic wastes such as grease and fat that floats to the top of the tank.

Septic Tank – is a tank where solids can settle and scum floats. Anaerobic digestion occurs on the settled solids, reducing the volume of solids. The term "septic" comes from the anaerobic bacterial activity.

Sludge – is septic solids that settle to the bottom of the tank. When fresh sewage water is added to a settling tank approximately 50% of the suspended solid matter will settle out in the period of an hour and a half or so.

Subsurface Wetland - a wetland with a water level below the basic media (in this case gravel).  The gravel prevents contact with only partially treated wastewater.

Toxic - A toxin is a substance that causes injury to the health of a living thing on contact or absorption.  The term is usually reserved for naturally produced substances that kill rapidly in small quantities, such as the bacterial proteins that cause tetanus and botulism.  The word "toxic" is used more loosely and often applied to non-biological materials, as in "toxic waste" and "toxicology."

Ultraviolet Light – The name means "beyond violet" (from Latin ultra, "beyond"), violet being the color of the shortest wavelengths of visible light.  UV light destroys the DNA (genetic instructions) of bateria and viruses redering them incapable of multiplying and infecting other organisms such as people.

Virus - a small particle that infects other biological organisms. Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites meaning that they can only reproduce by invading and taking over other cells as they lack the cellular machinery for self reproduction.

Watershed - or catchment basin is the region of land whose water drains into a specified body of water, such as a river, lake, bay sea, or ocean.