Water Glossary: B

bacterium	A microscopic unicellular organism that lacks a nuclear membrane. Some can cause disease.
bacteria	Plural of bacterium.
base	A substance that has a pH value between 7 and 14.
bedrock	The solid rock that underlies all soil, sand, clay, gravel, and other loose materials on the earth's surface. Unfractured bedrock is impermeable while fractured bedrock may store and transmit groundwater.
blackwater	Water that contains animal, human or food wastes.
blue baby syndrome	A pathological condition, called methemoglobinemia, in which blood's capacity for oxygen transport is reduced, resulting in a bluish skin discoloration in infants. Ingestion of water contaminated with nitrates or certain other substances is the cause.
brackish	A mixture of freshwater and saltwater.
buffer	A solution or liquid whose chemical makeup neutralizes acids or bases without a great change in pH.
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