C1 · 50 words
Water management in Spanish
Basin, water right, mains, treatment — who may take how much.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
La presa is the dam across the valley, and the same word is what a hawk carries off: un ave de presa is a bird of prey. Both come from prender, to seize. The dam seizes the river; the hawk seizes the rabbit; and hacer presa is to get a grip on something and not let go. English keeps « dam » and « prey » so far apart that nobody would guess they could be one word, and it took the idea of seizing into a third place instead: what the dam holds back is a « reservoir », something kept in reserve.
The words
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Phrase (37)
la cuenca hidrográficathe land a river drainsPhraseC1
La cuenca hidrográfica cruza cuatro comunidades.The land the river drains crosses four regions.
la confederación hidrográficathe authority for that basinPhraseC1
La confederación hidrográfica autoriza la captación.The authority for that basin licenses the taking.
la concesión de aguathe right to take waterPhraseC1
La concesión de agua es por veinticinco años.The right to take water runs twenty-five years.
el caudal circulantethe water actually going pastPhraseC1
El caudal circulante bajó a la mitad.The water actually going past fell by half.
el caudal ecológico mínimothe least flow the river must keepPhraseC1
El caudal ecológico mínimo se incumplió en agosto.The least flow the river must keep was not met in August.
el aforo del ríothe measuring of the flowPhraseC1
El aforo del río se automatizó.The measuring of the flow was automated.
la estación de aforothe gauge that records itPhraseC1
La estación de aforo transmite cada hora.The gauge that records it reports every hour.
el periodo de retornohow often a flood that size comesPhraseC1
El periodo de retorno es de quinientos años.How often a flood that size comes is once in five hundred years.
la zona inundablethe ground a flood will reachPhraseC1
La zona inundable no admite obra nueva.The ground a flood will reach may not be built on.
el dominio público hidráulicothe water and banks that belong to the statePhraseC1
El dominio público hidráulico llega hasta la ribera.The water and banks that belong to the state reach to the bank.
el canal de riegothe channel that carries irrigation waterPhraseC1
El canal de riego pierde por filtración.The channel that carries irrigation water leaks into the ground.
la comunidad de regantesthe association of those who irrigatePhraseC1
La comunidad de regantes reparte los turnos.The association of those who irrigate shares out the turns.
el riego por goteothe irrigation by drops at the rootPhraseC1
El riego por goteo ahorra la mitad.The irrigation by drops at the root saves half.
la eficiencia del riegohow little irrigation water is wastedPhraseC1
La eficiencia del riego subió al ochenta por ciento.How little irrigation water is wasted rose to eighty per cent.
la red de abastecimientothe mainsPhraseC1
La red de abastecimiento tiene cien años.The mains are a hundred years old.
las pérdidas de la redthe water lost from the mainsPhraseC1
Las pérdidas de la red llegan al veinte por ciento.The water lost from the mains reaches twenty per cent.
el depósito de aguathe tank the town is fed fromPhraseC1
El depósito de agua está en lo alto del pueblo.The tank the town is fed from stands above the houses.
el agua no potablethe water not fit to drinkPhraseC1
El agua no potable riega los jardines.The water not fit to drink waters the gardens.
la depuración de aguasthe cleaning of used waterPhraseC1
La depuración de aguas tiene tres fases.The cleaning of used water has three stages.
el tratamiento primariothe first, mechanical stagePhraseC1
El tratamiento primario quita los sólidos.The first, mechanical stage takes out the solids.
el fango activothe living sludge that does the biologyPhraseC1
El fango activo hace el trabajo biológico.The living sludge that does the biology does the real work.
el lodo de depuradorathe sludge left at the endPhraseC1
El lodo de depuradora se seca y se usa en campo.The sludge left at the end is dried and spread on fields.
el vertido puntualthe discharge from one identifiable placePhraseC1
El vertido puntual se localizó en dos días.The discharge from one identifiable place was traced in two days.
la contaminación difusathe pollution that comes from everywhere at oncePhraseC1
La contaminación difusa viene del campo.The pollution that comes from everywhere at once comes off the land.
el nitrato en el aguathe nitrate in the waterPhraseC1
El nitrato en el agua supera el límite.The nitrate in the water is over the limit.
el estado ecológicothe health of the river as a wholePhraseC1
El estado ecológico se clasifica en cinco grados.The health of the river as a whole is graded in five steps.
el indicador biológicothe small animal used to judge itPhraseC1
El indicador biológico es un invertebrado.The small animal used to judge it lives under the stones.
la sobreexplotación del acuíferothe taking of more groundwater than comes backPhraseC1
La sobreexplotación del acuífero bajó el nivel diez metros.The taking of more groundwater than comes back dropped the level ten metres.
la intrusión salinathe sea water pushing into the ground waterPhraseC1
La intrusión salina arruinó los pozos costeros.The sea water pushing into the ground water ruined the coastal wells.
el pozo ilegalthe well drilled without permissionPhraseC1
El pozo ilegal se selló.The well drilled without permission was sealed.
el canon del aguathe levy paid for waterPhraseC1
El canon del agua financia la depuración.The levy paid for water pays for the treatment.
la tarifa por bloquesthe price that rises by bandPhraseC1
La tarifa por bloques penaliza el exceso.The price that rises by band punishes the heavy user.
el contador de aguathe water meterPhraseC1
El contador de agua se lee por radio.The water meter is read by radio.
la restricción de riegothe ban on wateringPhraseC1
La restricción de riego empezó en junio.The ban on watering began in June.
el plan de sequíathe plan for what to do in a droughtPhraseC1
El plan de sequía tiene cuatro escenarios.The plan for what to do in a drought has four stages.
la reutilización del aguathe using of treated water againPhraseC1
La reutilización del agua exige tratamiento adicional.The using of treated water again calls for one more stage.
la huella hídricathe water behind a kilo of foodPhraseC1
La huella hídrica de un kilo es enorme.The water behind a kilo of food is enormous.
Noun (f) (8)
Grammar for these: Masculine or feminine · The plural
la captaciónthe taking of the waterNoun (f)C1
La captación se mide con contador.The taking of the water is metered.
la avenidathe floodNoun (f)C1
La avenida de mil novecientos ochenta y dos sigue siendo la referencia.The flood of nineteen eighty-two is still the one people measure against.
la riberathe bankNoun (f)C1
La ribera se restauró con sauces.The bank was replanted with willows.
la presathe damNoun (f)C1
La presa tiene ochenta metros de altura.The dam is eighty metres high.
la acequiathe small open irrigation ditchNoun (f)C1
La acequia es de origen árabe.The small open irrigation ditch was dug in Moorish times.
la potabilizaciónthe making of water fit to drinkNoun (f)C1
La potabilización incluye cloración.The making of water fit to drink includes chlorine.
la cloraciónthe adding of chlorineNoun (f)C1
La cloración se ajusta al caudal.The adding of chlorine is set by the flow.
la eutrofizaciónthe algae that follow too much feedingNoun (f)C1
La eutrofización llenó el embalse de algas.The algae that follow too much feeding filled the reservoir.
Noun (m) (5)
Grammar for these: Masculine or feminine · The plural
el aprovechamientothe use a river is put toNoun (m)C1
El aprovechamiento es hidroeléctrico.The use the river is put to is for power.
el encauzamientothe straightening and walling of a riverNoun (m)C1
El encauzamiento aceleró la corriente.The straightening and walling of the river made it run faster.
el aliviaderothe way water is let over the damNoun (m)C1
El aliviadero se abrió en marzo.The way water is let over the dam was opened in March.
el desembalsethe letting of water out of the reservoirNoun (m)C1
El desembalse fue controlado.The letting of water out of the reservoir was controlled.
el trasvasethe moving of water to another basinNoun (m)C1
El trasvase divide a dos regiones.The moving of water to another basin sets two regions against each other.
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This list belongs to Buildings, cities and energy — nine lists and 450 words that can also be practised as a whole.