By Don A. Wright
It has come to our attention from new and old readers, there is a trash can full of abbreviations, initials, acronyms and in general, the alphabet soup of jargon in the water world. In a perhaps vain but well intended effort to sort things out we provide the following list of common water abbreviations. But first, let’s take a look at the differences just for
fun.
According to an article at the Readers Digest all initials and acronyms are abbreviations, but not all abbreviations are initials or acronyms. Clear? We didn’t think so either, so here goes an explanation.
Abbreviations are shortening of words with the examples of Ave. for Avenue and Dec. for December given. Initials are taking the first letters from a multiple word name and stringing them together. For example: USBR for the United State Bureau of Reclamation or DWR for Department of Water Resources. An acronym is also an initial but the initials form a word that comes into common usage. Two examples are: NASA for National Aeronautics & Space Administration and one we all know – SGMA for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
As a rule, we try to always spell out jargon (The specialized language of a trade, profession, or similar group, especially when viewed as difficult to understand by outsiders – American Heritage Dictionary, we no longer trust Merriam Webster) on first usage. Then use the abbreviations. Sometimes that slips by. Sorry.
Some style guides want the word spelled out and the abbreviations in parenthesis on first usage. Like this, “. . . the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) had a time of it.” But we think it clutters things up and our readers on average are smarter and better looking anyway, so they don’t need to be led around by such a fine point.
While we’re on the subject of style – at WaterWrights quotations are in quotation marks and attributed. You’ll see a lot of paraphrasing such as –Boris said the snowpack last August wasn’t all it could be.
That is very different than – Dr. Kashmiri Boris said, “Multiple readings from a snow survey conducted last August at the higher elevations had elusive results due to varying and
unaccounted parameters.”
Just remember, “If it’s not in quotes and attributed, it’s not a quote,” said the editors. Now then, here it is, a list to help us along. Also, if you have suggestions to add to things we may have missed we welcome the opportunity of hearing from you.
A List of Water Related Abbreviations, Acronyms & Initials – ALoWRAAaI
A
AB – Assembly Bill
ACE – Army Corps of Engineers
ACWA – Association of California Water Agencies
AEWSD or Arvin – Arvin Edison Water Storage District
a/f – acre feet, some engineering resources use a-f
ASO – Airborne Snow Observatory
B
BBID – Byron Bethany Irrigation District
BLM – Bureau of Land Management
BVWSD – Buena Vista Water Storage District
C
Cal Poly SLO – California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo
CCC – Columbia Canal Company
CCID – Central California Irrigation District
CEO – Chief Executive Officer
CEQA – California Environmental Quality Act
cfs – cubic feet per second
CF&W – California Fish & Wildlife
CID – Consolidated Irrigation District
CIT – Center for Irrigation Technology
CVC – Cross Valley Canal
CVP – Central Valley Project
CVRWQCB – Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board
CVS or CV Salts – Central Valley Salts
CWA – California Women for Ag, California Water Alliance
CWC – California Water Commission, Community Water Center
CWD – Chowchilla Water District, Cawelo Water District
CWF – California Water Fix
CWI – California Water Institute
D
D – The letter “D” by itself can mean Decision
DEID – Delano Earlimart Irrigation District
DMC – Delta Mendota Canal
DWR – Department of Water Resources
E
E&O – Errors & Omissions; sometimes O&E insurance
EC – Electro Conductivity
EKGSA – East Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Area
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Act
ET – Evapotranspiration
ETGSA – Eastern Tule GSA
Ex Con – San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority
F
FCWD – Firebaugh Canal Water District
FFA – Family Farm Alliance, Future Farmers of America
FID – Fresno Irrigation District
FKC – Friant Kern Canal
FOG – Friant Operations Guidelines
FSU – Fresno State University
FWA – Friant Water Authority
G
GCID – Glenn Colusa Irrigation District
GFID – Gravely Ford Irrigation District
GKGSA – Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Area
GM – General Manager
GSA – Groundwater Sustainability Agency
GSP – Groundwater Sustainability Plan
H
HR – House of Representatives Bill
HSR – High Speed Rail
I
ID – Irrigation District
ID3 – Improvement District Three
ID4 – Improvement District Four
ITRC – Irrigation Technology Research Center
J
JDA – Joint Defense Agreement
JID – James Irrigation District
JPA – Joint Powers Authority
JPIA – Joint Powers Insurance Authority
K
KBWQA – Kaweah Basin Water Quality Association
KCWA – Kern County Water Agency
KDWD – Kern Delta Water District
KGA – Kern Groundwater Association
KGAGSA – Kern Groundwater Association GSA
KRGSA – Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency
KTWD – Kern Tulare Water District
KWBA – Kern Water Bank Authority
KWB – Kern Water Bank
L
LAFCo – Local Agency Formation Commission
LTRID – Lower Tule River Irrigation District
M
M&I – Municipal & Industrial
MPG – Mendota Pool Group
MET or MWD – Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
MID – Madera Irrigation District, Merced Irrigation District, Modesto Irrigation District
MOA – Memorandum Of Agreement
MOU – Memorandum Of Understanding
MPSA – Master Professional Services Agreement
N
NASA – National Aeronautics & Space Administration
NCWA – Northern California Water Association
NEPA – National Environmental Protection Act
NFKGSA – North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency
NKGSA – North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency
NKWSD – North Kern Water Storage District
NMFS – National Marine Fishery Service
NOAA – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
NRCD – Natural Resource Conservation District
NRDC – Natural Resource Defense Council
O
O&M – Operations & Maintenance
OHV – Off Highway Vehicle
P
PID – Pixley Irrigation District or Porterville Irrigation District
PPIC – Public Policy Institute of California
PSP – Proposed Solicitation Package
R
RFP – Request For Proposal
RFQ – Request for Qualifications
RRBWSD or Rosedale – Rosedale Rio Bravo Water Storage District
RWQCB or Regional Board – Regional Water Quality Control Board
S
SB – Senate Bill
SCVWD – Santa Clara Valley Water District
SGMA – Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014
SID – Saucelito Irrigation District
SJR – San Joaquin River
SJRECWA – San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority
SJRRP – San Joaquin River Restoration Program
SLCC – San Luis Canal Company
SLDMWA – San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority
SSJMUD – South San Joaquin Municipal Utility District
SWSD – Semitropic Water Storage District
SVWA – South Valley Water Association
SWID – Shafter Wasco Irrigation District
SWP – State Water Project
SWRCB or State Board – State Water Resources Control Board
T
TAC – Technical Advisory Committee
TBID – Terra Bella Irrigation District
TID – Tulare Irrigation District, Tranquillity Irrigation District, Turlock Irrigation District
TIE – Technology, Innovation, Evaluation part of FSU’s WET Center
U
USACE – United State Army Corps of Engineers also ACE and Army Corps
USBR – United States Bureau of Reclamation
USDA – United States Department of Agriculture
USFS – United States Forestry Service
USFWS – United States Fish & Wildlife Service
USJRBSI – Upper San Joaquin River Basin Storage Investigation
W
WD – Water District
WCD – Water Conservation District
WET Center – Water Energy Technology Center, part of FSU’s Blue Valley Tech Program
WKWD – West Kern Water District
WRMWSD – Wheeler Ridge Maricopa Water Storage District
WSD – Water Storage District
WSIP – Water Storage Investment Program
WWD – Westlands Water District
X
X2 – X2 salt barrier in the Delta
Y
Z
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