Glossary

A waste load allocation is the maximum load of pollutants each discharger of waste is allowed to release into a particular waterway. Discharge limits are usually required for each specific water quality criterion being, or expected to be, violated. Waste load allocation can also refer to the portion of a stream's total assimilative capacity assigned to an individual discharge.

The waterborne equipment exclusion is found in a contractors equipment policy and excludes coverage for equipment that is mounted on or being operated from a barge or other watercraft when such watercraft is actually on the water. Equipment in transit by ferry, lighter, or car float is often covered by exception. This exclusion can often be removed or modified by attaching a waterborne equipment coverage endorsement to the policy.

Water quality based limitations are effluent limitations applied to dischargers when mere technology-based limitations would cause violations of water quality standards. This term is usually applied to discharges into small streams.

A water quality based permit is one with an effluent limit more stringent than one based on technology performance. Such limits may be necessary to protect the designated use of receiving waters (i.e., recreation, irrigation, industry, or water supply).

Water quality standards may refer to any standards adopted and Environmental Protection Agency-approved ambient standards for water bodies. The standards prescribe the use of the water body and establish the water quality criteria that must be met to protect designated uses.

A weapon of mass destruction is a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapon that causes damage, destroys, or contaminates an extraordinarily wide area or inflicts wide-scale sickness, death, or injury.

Weather risk transfer contracts provide holders with compensation for economic losses arising from extreme weather events. Weather risk transfer contracts protect cedents against the impacts of both routine weather variability and weather extremes. First adopted by users in weather-sensitive industries like energy utilities and agriculture, the instruments are now being expanded to address the needs of other industries whose financial performance is affected by changes in the weather.

Website accessibility discrimination refers to an assertion by people with disabilities (mostly individuals with visual and, to a lesser extent, hearing impairments) who allege that, because a company's website is inaccessible to them, the business has violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At least one federal district court has ruled that a business did violate Title III of the ADA by discriminating against a visually impaired customer who could not access the company's website. While there is no federal law requiring companies to adhere to specific Web accessibility standards, the World Wide Web Consortium (an international standards organization) has promulgated guidelines aimed at making website content accessible to people with disabilities. The federal district court referred to above ruled that compliance with such standards absolves a business of liability for website accessibility discrimination. Since persons who bring website accessibility discrimination lawsuits are almost always customers rather than employees, website accessibility lawsuits suits are third-party employment liability claims. Thus, they are addressed by Coverage B of employment practices liability insurance policies.

Web hosting is a service typically offered by Internet service providers or Web hosting specialists that provides space on Internet servers for the storage of an individual's or organization's website and makes the website available to computers connected to the Internet. Web hosting also includes related services such as leasing of hard disk space, maintenance of hardware and software, credit card processing, and high-speed Internet connection.

Wedding insurance is a specific type of insurance that is available to people preparing for a wedding. This coverage provides indemnification due to (1) wedding cancellation or postponement for a variety of reasons such as weather-related catastrophes, (2) theft of wedding presents or rings, (3) loss of deposits due to the cessation of the provider's business, or (4) injuries at wedding events.