The etymological meaning of this term is "flowing forth out of." For geologists, this word refers to a wide range of situations, from lava flowing from a volcano to a river flowing out of a lake. However, effluent is now most commonly used by environmentalists in reference to the Clean Water Act of 1977. In this act, effluent is a discharge from a point source, and the legislation specifies allowable quantities of pollutants. These discharges are regulated under Section 402 of the act, and these standards must be met before these types of industrial and municipal wastes can be released into surface waters.

See Also

Industrial Waste Treatment; Thermal Pollution; Water Pollution; Water Quality