Watershed Hydrology

Watershed Hydrology

The following Watershed Hydrology MCQs have been compiled by our experts through research, in order to test your knowledge of the subject of Watershed Hydrology. We encourage you to answer these 100+ multiple-choice questions to assess your proficiency.
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1: What is the term used to describe an area of existing development and infill sites in which little of the natural environment remains?

A.   Greenbelt

B.   Urban Development Zone

C.   Conservation Area

D.   Intensely Developed Area

2: What does the term "land development" describe?

A.   The use of land for human habitation or economic development

B.   The process of creating a map or plan of an area

C.   The process by which natural resources are converted into usable forms

D.   A man-made change to, or construction on, the land surface

3: What can cause soil erosion?

A.   Rain or snow

B.   Large animals

C.   Water or wind

D.   Ice or snow

4: Most of the land changes result in what?

A.   Climate change

B.   Flooding

C.   Soil erosion

D.   Plant life

E.   Destruction of habitat

5: In what type of activity are commercial and residential lands used?

A.   Mining

B.   Land Use

C.   Oil and gas drilling

D.   Energy

E.   Transport

6: What is the process by which water-soluble materials in soil are washed into a lower layer of soil?

A.   Rainwater

B.   Erosion

C.   Evaporation

D.   Leaching

E.   Weathering

7: What is one example of a water-soluble material in soil that could be leached?

A.   Humus

B.   Phosphates

C.   Salts

D.   Compost

E.   Nitrates

8: What term is used to describe the practice of reducing stormwater impact from development?

A.   Green Development

B.   Green Infrastructure

C.   Low-Impact Development

D.   Sustainable Development

E.   Stormwater Management

9: Low impact development can be designed to enhance or take advantage of what?

A.   Protected areas

B.   Human needs

C.   Geography

D.   Opportunities for recreation

E.   Natural conditions

10: What is an example of a low-impact development technique?

A.   Farm-based stormwater management

B.   Habitat restoration

C.   Grassy swales

D.   Riparian restoration

E.   Wetlands

11: What type of land area is periodically inundated with water?

A.   A coastal area

B.   A wet land area

C.   An inland waterway

D.   A dry land area

12: What is another name for mica-rich rocks?

A.   Rock with mica in it

B.   Micaceous

C.   Schist

D.   Gneiss

E.   Mica rich

13: What can you find in the rocks of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge provinces of Virginia?

A.   Quartz

B.   Sandstone

C.   Micas

D.   Fossils

E.   Igneous rocks

14: What is the term for the small pool in a larger stormwater pond?

A.   Dam

B.   Runoff

C.   Frog pond

D.   Puddle

E.   Micropool

15: What is a micropool?

A.   A small, temporary drinking fountain

B.   A small permanent pool in a larger stormwater pond system

C.   A small, shallow body of water in a desert

D.   A vessel that collects rainwater

E.   A device used to capture rain water

16: What type of pool is a micropool?

A.   A large permanent pool

B.   A temporary pool

C.   A public pool

D.   A small permanent pool

E.   A temporary pool used for recreational activities

17: What is the term used to make a development scenario less harmful than the original plan?

A.   Adaptation

B.   Mitigation

C.   Mitigation and Adaptation

18: What's the opposite of mitigation?

A.   Aggravation

B.   Destruction

C.   Development

D.   Preclusion

E.   Proliferation

19: What type of permit does an MS4 require?

A.   NPDES+CCR

B.   DMR

C.   NPDES

D.   CDPHE

E.   CCR

20: What does NPDES stand for?

A.   North American Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

B.   National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

C.   National Pollution Discharge Elimination System

D.   Negative political pressure discharge

E.   North American Pollution Control Organization

21: What are the EPA sections that NPDES regulates?

A.   307, 402, 318 and 405

B.   312, 402, 318 and 405

C.   307, 402, 503 and 505

D.   307, 318 and 405

E.   307, 402 and 405

22: What percentage of the atmosphere is made up of nitrogen?

A.   0.08 percent

B.   78 percent

C.   21 percent

D.   0.7 percent

23: What is required by plants?

A.   Water

B.   Phosphorous

C.   Carbon

D.   Potassium

E.   Nitrogen

24: What are a few examples of NPS Pollution?

A.   Soil erosion, acid rain, smog

B.   Particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen trifluoride

C.   Sediment, nitrogen, phosphorous

D.   Garbage, emissions from factories

E.   Hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide

25: What does "nutrient" mean in the context of nutrition?

A.   A vitamin

B.   A substance that provides food or nourishment

C.   The essential elements of a diet

D.   A mineral

E.   A nutrient-rich food

26: Nutrient uptake is the process in which what?

A.   Plants absorb nutrients

B.   Water takes up nutrients

C.   Water transports nutrients

D.   Animals consume nutrients

27: What are plants capable of doing to take nutrients from the water?

A.   Water Transfers

B.   Nutrient Uptake

C.   Transpiration

D.   Photosynthesis

28: What type of facility is designed to control runoff from a small area?

A.   On-Site Stormwater Management

B.   Sewerage System

C.   Wetlands

D.   Streambuffer

29: What is the purpose of an on-site stormwater management facility?

A.   Reduce flooding

B.   Control runoff

C.   Reduce the amount of erosion

D.   Improve water quality

30: What is a portion of a development site that is set aside for public or private use?

A.   Open Space

B.   Street

C.   Park

D.   Parking Lot

31: In a project that is set aside for public or private use, the area may be reserved to protect or buffer what?

A.   People

B.   Natural areas

C.   Buildings

32: What is the point where discharge from a regulated system flows into waters of the United States?

A.   Reservoir

B.   Point of entry

C.   Outfall

D.   Dam

E.   Creek

33: What is the term for the point at which water flows from one waterbody to another?

A.   Outlet

B.   Tributary

C.   Reservoir

D.   Drainage

E.   Intake

34: What is a primary design factor of a stormwater runoff facility?

A.   Size

B.   Width

C.   Location

D.   Peak discharge

E.   Length

35: What are streams that flow year-round called?

A.   Dry creeks

B.   Mountain Streams

C.   Intermittent streams

D.   Dry Streams

E.   Perennial Streams

36: What sort of life do perennial streams support?

A.   Aquatic

B.   Boreal

C.   Invertebrate

D.   Terrestrial

37: What does pervious mean?

A.   A surface that has been previously wetted

B.   Passing wind

C.   Any material that allows for the passage of liquid through it

D.   Passing gas

E.   A material that is porous

38: What is the keystone pollutant in determining pollutant removal efficiencies for various best management practices?

A.   Fluoride

B.   Sulfur

C.   Nitrogen

D.   Phosphorus

39: Phosphorus is the keystone pollutant in determining pollutant removal efficiencies for what?

A.   Various best management practices

B.   Precipitation

C.   Evaporation

D.   Acid rain

E.   Sulfur dioxide

40: What is the term used to refer to a confined conveyance?

A.   Tunnel

B.   Pipe

C.   Point Source

D.   Can

41: What does the EPA define as an air pollution "point source"?

A.   Any discernible, confined conveyance

B.   A quarry

C.   Manufacturing plants

D.   Any inhabited area

E.   A motor vehicle

42: Any substance introduced to water that degrades its physical chemical or biological quality is considered to be what?

A.   Waste

B.   Chemical

C.   Bactericide

D.   Pollutant

E.   Toxicant

43: What type of pollutant degrades the water's quality?

A.   Saltwater

B.   Any substance introduced to water

C.   Nitrogen

D.   Pollutants from automobiles

E.   Phosphorus

44: Pollutant Loading is typically determined by what and expressed in terms such as pounds per acre, per year?

A.   Pollutant loading

B.   Water quality modeling

C.   The weight of the pollutant

D.   How much fertilizer can be used per acre

E.   Pollution Abatement Technology

45: What is the term used to describe how much a pollutant enters a surface water or groundwater system?

A.   Pollution

B.   Pollutant Discharge

C.   Contamination

D.   Pollutant Loading

46: What is a term used to describe the reach of a stream between two riffles?

A.   Creek

B.   Brook

C.   Rivulet

D.   River

E.   Pool

47: What is the pool: The reach of a stream between two riffles; a small and relatively deep body of quiet water in a stream or river?

A.   A reservoir

B.   Natural streams often consist of a succession of pools and riffles

C.   A meadow

D.   A small and shallow body of water in a stream or river

48: What is the term used to describe post development of property?

A.   Post-Development

B.   Pre-Development

C.   Construction

D.   Post-Construction

49: What does Pre-Development refer to when plans for land development of a tract of land are approved?

A.   The time it takes for a project to be completed

B.   The layout of the land

C.   The amount of money a company spends on preparing plans

D.   The conditions that exist at the time

E.   The preliminary design of the land

50: What could a property be before it is developed?

A.   Vacant

B.   Under Construction

C.   Vacant Non-Development

D.   Pre-Development