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Polluter Pays Principal

Policies that emphasize the interaction between politics and economics and that have political and economic effects.

Pollution

A change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the air, water, or soil that can affect the health, survival, or activities of humans in an unwanted way. Some expand the term to include harmful effects on all forms of life.

Pollution Fee or Tax

Charge for the amount of waste or pollution. Examples include the BTU tax that was an early casualty in the President's budget bill. Several European nations have air and water pollution charges; Unit pricing for trash pickup, charging by the amount of trash collected (or the size of the container). The charge makes it worthwhile for a producer to cut back, right up to the point where it begins to cost more to reduce pollution than to pay the tax. A system like this also raises money for government, allowing government, if it chooses, to reduce taxes in other areas while collecting the same amount of total revenue.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

A polymer of vinyl chloride. It is tasteless, odorless and insoluble in most organic solvents. A member of the family vinyl resin, used in soft flexible films for food packaging and in molded rigid products, such as pipes, fibers, upholstery, and bristles.

Pondage

Small-scale storage at a waterpower plant to equalize daily or weekly fluctuations in riverflow or to permit irregular hourly use of the water for power generation to accord with fluctuations in load.

Pool

A deep reach of a stream. The reach of a stream between two riffles. Natural streams often consist of a succession of pools and riffles.

POPs

Probability of Precipitation is the likelihood of occurrence (expressed as a percent) of a precipitation event at any given point in the forecast area.

Population

Group of individual organisms of the same species living within a defined area.

Potable Water

Water that is safe for consumption, being free from harmful constituents.

Potential evapotranspiration

Water loss that will occur if at no time there is a deficiency of water in the soil for use of vegetation.

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