|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
reservoir
reservoir , storage tank or wholly or partly artificial lake for storing water. Building an embankment or dam to preserve a supply of water for irrigation is an ancient practice; India and Egypt have many old and large reservoirs. In building artificial lakes for a municipal water supply it is necessary to consider all the aspects of a catchment area , including the amount and distribution of rainfall, evaporation, runoff, soil or rock conditions, and elevation (for its effect upon precipitation and upon the pressure in the conducting pipes). The ground of the reservoir may be naturally impervious enough to prevent excessive seepage, or a clay or other lining may have to be built. The embankments or retaining walls may be of earth, loose rock, or masonry. Earth forms a good embankment but must be sealed by a core of clay, and the face must be covered with masonry or a similar substance to prevent erosion. Distributing reservoirs in towns are sometimes built of masonry or of reinforced concrete. They serve to cope with fluctuations of demand and with interruptions of supply from the source. Reservoirs are also built on the headstreams of or along the courses of rivers to aid in flood control, on canals to maintain water level for navigation, and to ensure water supply for hydroelectric plants. Some reservoirs are built on the tributaries of large rivers to act as catch basins for silt. In addition to seepage, the major loss of water from a reservoir is by evaporation; chemicals that form a film on a water surface are used to minimize such losses. Covered tanks made of prestressed concrete are used for limited local water supply. |
|
|
Cite this article
"reservoir." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "reservoir." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-reservoi.html "reservoir." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-reservoi.html |
|
reservoir
res·er·voir / ˈrezə(r)ˌvwär; -ˌv(w)ôr/ • n. a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply. ∎ a supply or source of something: tapping into a universal reservoir of information. ∎ a place where fluid collects, esp. in rock strata or in the body. ∎ a receptacle or part of a machine designed to hold fluid. ∎ Med. a population, tissue, etc., that is chronically infested with the causative agent of a disease and can act as a source of further infection. |
|
|
Cite this article
"reservoir." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "reservoir." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-reservoir.html "reservoir." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-reservoir.html |
|
reservoir
reservoir
1. A surface body of water whose flow is artificially controlled by means of dams, embankments, or sluice gates in such a way that the water remains static until it is allowed to flow for a specific purpose (e.g. flood control or public water supply). 2. An underground rock formation that has sufficient void space to act as a store for water, natural gas, or oil. |
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "reservoir." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "reservoir." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-reservoir.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "reservoir." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-reservoir.html |
|
reservoir
reservoir
1. A surface body of water whose flow is artificially controlled by means of dams, embankments, or sluice gates in such a way that the water remains static until it is allowed to flow for a specific purpose, e.g. flood control or public water supply. 2. An underground rock formation with sufficient void space to act as a store for water, natural gas, or oil. |
|
|
Cite this article
AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "reservoir." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "reservoir." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-reservoir.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "reservoir." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-reservoir.html |
|
reservoir
reservoir capacious receptacle for storage, also fig. XVII; reserve supply XVIII. — F. réservoir, f. réserver RESERVE + -oir = -ORY1.
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "reservoir." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "reservoir." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-reservoir.html T. F. HOAD. "reservoir." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-reservoir.html |
|
Reservoir
Reservoira store; a collection; a reserve. Examples : reservoir of important facts, 1837; of means, 1784; of nourishment, 1813; of water, 1708. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Reservoir." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Reservoir." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505301252.html "Reservoir." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505301252.html |
|
reservoir
reservoir •Valois • chamois
•fatwa, patois
•wah-wah • Hardwar • memoir
•Renoir • peignoir • pissoir • Chippewa
•François, Françoise
•renvoi • Vaudois • boudoir
•pourboire • bourgeois • abattoir
•fille de joie • Delacroix • repertoire
•conservatoire • reservoir
|
|
|
Cite this article
"reservoir." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "reservoir." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-reservoir.html "reservoir." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-reservoir.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
