Practice Test Geeks(CES) Certified Environmental Scientist Practice Test
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Water Quality & Watershed Management Flashcards

7 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Water Quality & Watershed Management flashcards as text

  1. Which parameter is used to express the oxygen demand exerted by chemical oxidation of inorganic and organic compounds in water?

    Answer: Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

    COD measures the amount of oxygen required to chemically oxidize all oxidizable substances in water, including both biodegradable and non-biodegradable compounds.

  2. A watershed's baseflow is primarily sustained by which hydrological process?

    Answer: Groundwater discharge

    Baseflow is maintained by groundwater (subsurface) discharge into streams, which sustains streamflow between storm events.

  3. The Clean Water Act Section 303(d) requires states to identify waterbodies that fail to meet water quality standards and develop what for each?

    Answer: Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

    Section 303(d) mandates that states list impaired waterbodies and establish TMDLs specifying the maximum pollutant load a water body can receive while still meeting standards.

  4. Which type of wetland is most effective at removing nitrate from agricultural runoff through denitrification?

    Answer: Riparian wetland

    Riparian wetlands situated adjacent to streams intercept agricultural runoff and provide anaerobic conditions ideal for denitrification by soil microbes.

  5. In the context of stormwater management, what does LID stand for?

    Answer: Low Impact Development

    Low Impact Development (LID) uses decentralized, small-scale practices like bioretention cells and permeable pavement to mimic natural hydrology.

  6. Which index is commonly used to assess the biological integrity of streams using benthic macroinvertebrates?

    Answer: Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)

    The Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) uses assemblages of benthic macroinvertebrates or fish as biological indicators of stream health and water quality.

  7. Carbonate hardness in water is primarily composed of which ions?

    Answer: Calcium/magnesium bicarbonates and carbonates

    Carbonate hardness (temporary hardness) results from dissolved calcium and magnesium bicarbonates and carbonates, which can be removed by boiling.