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4. Terms and Definitions |
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General Terms |
Administrative and Organizational Terms |
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Mitigation Process and Watershed Assessment and Planning Terms |
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4.1 General Terms
Calibration. The adjustment of a measuring instrument to make it accurate. The set of operations that establish, under specified conditions, the relationship between values indicated by a measuring instrument or measuring system and the corresponding values of a quantity realized by a reference standard.
Controlled. Orderly, repeatable, manageable, and predictable.
Controlled Copy. The posted electronic version of the Policy, Process, and Procedures Manual. Any printed copy is considered uncontrolled.
Design/Bid/Build Contract. A project development process whereby EEP (1) may develop a plan and secure a site; (2) hires a professional firm to design a mitigation project and produce plans, specifications, and estimates; (3) awards a construction project through the State Construction Office (SCO); and (4) continues the professional services for construction inspection and monitoring until project closeout.
Design/Build Contract. A project development process whereby EEP (1) secures a site and (2) hires a design/build (management firm) contractor to design, build, and monitor the mitigation project to closeout.
Full Delivery Contract. A project development process whereby EEP (1) hires a management firm to find a site and construct a mitigation project to certain specifications in terms of credits, and (2) pays for services according to the products produced.
Inspection or Evaluation. Activities such as measuring, examining, testing, or gauging one or more characteristics of a product or service and comparing those characteristics with specified requirements to determine conformity.
Management Representative. The person with the defined authority and responsibility to carry out the requirements of the PPPM Management System.
Noncompliance. A deviation from the requirements of the PPPM Management System.
Nonconformity. The nonfulfillment of specified requirements within the PPPM Management System.
Objective Evidence. Qualitative or quantitative information, records, or statements of fact pertaining to the quality of an item or service or to the existence and implementation of a quality system element that are based on observation, measurement, or test and that can be verified.
PPPM Management System. The organizational structure, responsibilities, policies, procedures, processes, and resources for implementing quality management.
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PPPM Management System Audit. A systematic examination to determine whether quality activities and related results comply with planned arrangements. An audit also determines whether these arrangements are implemented effectively and are suitable to achieve objectives.
Procedures. A written description of what operations are to be performed to carry out a particular process.
Process Control. A system of measurements and actions within a process intended to ensure that the output of the process conforms with pertinent specifications.
Process Flow. A series of steps resulting in an output (e.g., a product).
Process Input. Specifications or products necessary for the completion of a process.
Process Output. The end result of the process activity, such as a product, service, or input to a related process.
Quality. The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied ne
eds.
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Quality Assurance. All those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that a product or service will satisfy given requirements for quality.
Quality Control. The operational techniques and activities that are used to fulfill requirements for quality.
Quality Management. That aspect of the overall management function that determines and implements the quality policy. The attainment of desired quality requires the commitment and participation of all members of the organization, whereas the responsibility for quality management belongs to top management. Quality management includes strategic planning, allocation of resources, and other systematic activities for quality, such as quality planning, operations, and evaluations.
Quality Policy. The overall intentions and direction of an organization regarding quality, as formally expressed by top management.
Records. Written records that are retained in accordance with the requirements of Section 4.16 of the PPPM Management System.
Responsibility. Being obliged to answer, as for one's actions, to an authority that may impose a penalty for failure.
Review. A formal, documented, comprehensive, and systematic examination to evaluate the requirements and the capability to meet these requirements and to identify problems and propose solutions.
Specifications. The documents that prescribe the requirements with which the product or service must conform. A specification would refer to or include drawings, patterns, or other relevant documents and should also indicate the means and the criteria whereby conformity can be checked.
Standard. An acknowledged measure of comparison for quantitative or qualitative value; a criterion, especially ISO 9000, ISO 9001, or a related Standard.
System. A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole. An organized set of interrelated ideas or principles. See PPPM Management System.
Traceability. The ability to trace the history, application, or location of an item or activity by means of recorded identification.
Verification. Reviewing, inspecting, testing, checking, auditing, or otherwise establishing and documenting whether items, processes, services, or documents conform to specified requirements.
Work Instructions. A written description of how to carry out the operations of a particular process.
4.2 Administrative and Organizational Terms
DENR. NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources. DENR is the lead stewardship agency for the preservation and protection of North Carolina's outstanding natural resources.
EEP. Ecosystem Enhancement Program; created by the three-agency Memorandum of Agreement (between DENR, the NC Department of Transportation [NCDOT], and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USACE]) in July 2003 to develop a comprehensive approach to watershed protection in the state, to increase the ecological effectiveness of compensatory mitigation projects, and to provide mitigation projects and strategies in advance of permitted impacts, based on a watershed planning approach.
DENR Divisions with direct relationships to EEP:
BPA. Budget, Planning, and Analysis. The Controller and BPA spotlight efficiency and effectiveness through professional operations, innovative funding, budget flexibility, and new funding partnerships.
CWMTF. Clean Water Management Trust Fund. CWMTF, which was created in 1996, makes grants to local governments, state agencies, and conservation nonprofits to help finance projects that specifically address water pollution problems.
DCM. Division of Coastal Management. DCM’s objective is to conserve and manage estuarine waters, coastal wetlands, public trust areas, and estuarine and public trust shorelines, as an interrelated group of Areas of Environmental Concern (AECs), so as to safeguard and perpetuate their biological, social, economic, and aesthetic values.
DFR. Division of Forest Resources. DFR protects and develops the state's forest resources. Its programs include forest management, assistance to private landowners, reforestation, forest fire prevention and suppression, and control of forest insects and diseases.
DLR. Division of Land Resources. DLR guards our state's mineral and land resources through programs to monitor dam safety, regulate mining and reclaim abandoned mines, control sediment and erosion, and survey our land and its resources.
DMF. Division of Marine
Fisheries. DMF establishes and enforces rules governing coastal fisheries,
with programs on scientific research, cultivation, and harvesting and marketing
of shellfish and finfish.
DP&S. Division of Purchase and Services. The focus of DP&S is providing comprehensive administration and fiscal resources management.
DSWC. Division of Soil and Water Conservation conducts programs to slow the loss of millions of tons of topsoil annually across North Carolina, control agriculture pollution, protect our watersheds, and map our wetlands.
DPR. Division of Parks and Recreation. DPR administers a diverse system of state-operated parks, natural areas, trails, lakes, natural and scenic rivers and recreation areas.
DWQ. Division of Water Quality. DWQ issues permits, monitors permit compliance, evaluates water quality, and enforces water and groundwater quality regulations. Its technicians and scientists also help publicly owned and municipal wastewater and water treatment plants through technical aid and financing.
DWR. Division of Water Resources. DWR works in tandem with DLR to catalogue water supplies, plan for future use, carry out extensive water conservation programs, and take any environmental steps necessary to keep our water pure and usable.
General Counsel, The General Counsel provides legal support for DENR, and includes the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs office, which communicates with government and legislative units.
ITS. Information Technology Services. ITS provides support for divisional information technology needs.
Office of Public Affairs.
The Office of Public Affairs is the link between DENR and the public and
provides DENR with computer graphics, photography, editorial services, and Web
page design.
WRC. Wildlife Resources Commission. WRC operates under its own legislative mandate to regulate and guide the preservation and protection of the state's wildlife resources.
NCDOA. North Carolina Department of Administration. Created in 1957, the Department of Administration acts as the business manager for North Carolina state government. The department oversees governmental operations, such as acquiring and disposing of real property among many other duties. DOA offices with direct relationships to EEP:
SCO. State Construction Office.
SPO. State Property Office.
NCDOT. North Carolina Department of Transportation. The mission of NCDOT is to provide and support an integrated transportation system and related services that enhance the state’s well-being.
PDEA. NCDOT’s Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch
USACE. The United States Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington, provides North Carolina and the Virginia Roanoke River Basin with water resource and navigation project development, management, and integration; environmental remediation and restoration; regulatory permitting, enforcement, and coordination; and emergency response, recovery, and mitigation.
4.3 Mitigation Process and Watershed Assessment and Planning Terms
401/404 Permit. A permit issued jointly by USACE and DWQ for any work or activity (e.g., road construction, ditching/filling) that can impact “waters of the U.S.” (including streams and wetlands); 401 and 404 refer to sections of the Clean Water Act intended to protect water quality and minimize the loss of wetlands in the United States.
Aquatic Habitat. The wetlands, streams, lakes, ponds, estuaries, and streamside (riparian) environments where aquatic organisms (e.g., fish, benthic macroinvertebrates) live and reproduce; includes the water, soils, vegetation, and other physical substrate (rocks, sediment) upon and within which the organisms occur.
Assessment Contracts. Services contracted by EEP with (usually) private sector firms—environmental consultants—for office- and field-based watershed assessment work and the production of associated reports, memos, maps, and GIS coverages. Such contracts are usually executed as a phased sequence of tasks as part of the development of Local Watershed Plans in high-priority Cataloging Units (CUs). [See also Watershed Assessment.] The contracting process is subject to the procedures and oversight/approval of the State Building Commission.
Basin. The largest watershed management unit for planning, consisting of a group of subbasins, typically ranging in size from 500 to 10,000 square miles. There are 17 major river basins in NC, the largest being the Cape Fear and the Yadkin-Pee Dee, and the smallest the Savannah and the Watauga.
Basinwide Water Quality Plans. Plans produced by DWQ on a 5-year cycle for all 17 river basins in NC that present information on the use-support status of classified and monitored streams, identify supporting versus impaired stream reaches, and recommend water quality management solutions for degraded or impaired streams in each river basin. Impaired streams are proposed biannually for inclusion on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 303(d) list. A subset of such waters are required to have Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) developed for them under requirements of the federal Clean Water Act. Plans are available for downloading on the EEP Web site.
Benthic macroinvertebrates. Organisms living in or on the bottom substrate of aquatic habitats, including insect larvae, worms, snails, crayfish, and mussels. May be used as indicators of stream water quality and stream habitat condition.
BMPs (best management practices). Any land or stormwater management practice or structure used to address flooding, reduce erosion and sedimentation, or otherwise control water pollution from runoff; includes urban stormwater management BMPs and agriculture/forestry BMPs.
Buffer. An area adjacent to a stream, wetland, or shoreline where development activities (e.g., buildings, logging) are typically restricted or prohibited; may be managed as streamside (riparian) zones where undisturbed vegetation and soils act as filters of pollutants in stormwater runoff. Buffer zone widths vary depending on state and local rules, but are typically a minimum of 25 to 50 feet on each side of perennial streams. In North Carolina, buffer rules have been established for all (or portions) of the upper Cape Fear, lower Catawba, Neuse, and Tar-Pamlico river basins.
Build-out. The maximum total percentage of development in a watershed; typically determined assuming current zoning holds indefinitely into the future.
CAMA Permit. A permit issued by DCM for any work or activity (e.g., road construction, ditching/filling) that impacts Areas of Environmental Concern (AEC) in the 20 coastal counties. The Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) classifies areas as AECs to protect them from uncontrolled development, which may cause irreversible damage to property, public health, or the environment. Coastal Wetlands, as defined by the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA), are considered an Area of Environmental Concern.
Cataloging Unit (CU). USGS-designated 8-digit Hydrologic Units (HUs), typically composed of multiple smaller 14-digit HUs; the total area of CUs ranges from about 300 to 2,000 square miles. There are 54 individual CUs in North Carolina; they can be considered regional subbasins within the larger river basins. They represent the watershed unit within which permitted impacts to waters and wetlands and compensatory mitigation credits are accounted for.
Catchment. Per the Center for Watershed Protection, the smallest watershed management unit; defined as the area of a development site to its most downstream intersection (usually as a pipe or open channel outfall) with a stream; typically less than one square mile in area (640 acres).
Center for Watershed Protection (CWP). A nonprofit corporation that provides local governments and watershed organizations around the country with the technical tools for protecting streams, lakes, and rivers; the CWP’s multidisciplinary strategy for watershed protection includes watershed planning, watershed restoration, stormwater management, watershed research, better site design, education and outreach, and watershed training.
Coastal Marsh is considered Coastal Wetlands as defined in the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA), G.S. 113-229(n) (3) and the North Carolina Administrative Code, 15A NCAC 07H .0205, as any salt marsh or other marsh subject to regular or occasional flooding by tides, including wind tides (whether or not the tide waters reach the marshland areas through natural or artificial watercourses), provided this shall not include hurricane or tropical storm tides. Coastal wetlands contain some, but not necessarily all, of the following marsh plant species: (1) Cord Grass (Spartina alterniflora), (2) Black Needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), (3) Glasswort (Salicornia spp.), (4) Salt Grass (Distichlis spicata), (5) Sea lavender (Limonium spp.), (6) Bulrush (Scirpus spp.), (7) Saw Grass (Cladium jamaicense), (8) Cat-tail (Typha spp.), (9) Salt Meadow Grass (Spartina patens), and (10) Salt Reed Grass (Spartina cynosuroides).
Conservation Easement. A voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a conservation organization (e.g., land trust) or public agency (e.g., EEP) that limits some portion of the land’s uses; conservation easements are intended to preserve certain parcels or tracts in an undeveloped condition so as to provide a local or regional environmental benefit, such as water quality and habitat protection. Landowners voluntarily agree to give up certain development rights on the land area in question while still retaining ownership of the land; certain tax benefits may accrue to landowners who sign conservation easements with qualified conservation organizations or agencies.
Compensatory Mitigation. Any mitigation action taken to compensate for stream or wetland impacts associated with a 401/404 and/or CAMA-permitted project; includes Restoration, Enhancement, Creation, and Preservation, with varying degrees of mitigation credit granted by USACE and DWQ and/or DCM. Compensatory mitigation is the basic regulatory tool by which unavoidable impacts to streams, riparian buffers, and wetlands are compensated for in order to meet the nationwide goal of no net loss of wetlands.
Cluster (or Open Space) Development. The use of designs that incorporate open space into a development site; in cluster patterns, the layout of buildings, roads, etc. is arranged on a compact portion of the site so as to reserve areas of common open space or greenways; these areas can be used for recreation or preserved as naturally vegetated land.
Drainage Divide. The topographic boundary (dividing line) between two watersheds or basins; precipitation falling on one side of the divide will flow into one watershed (or drainage basin), and that falling on the opposite site will flow into another. In high-relief (hilly or mountainous) terrain, coincides with ridge lines and hilltops.
EEP Programmatic Plan. A plan that examines and analyzes EEP’s mitigation requirements, technical issues, and operational processes; identifies problems; and develops recommendations and solutions. The Programmatic Plan is updated annually.
The major component of the Programmatic Plan is the 54 Cataloging Unit Mitigation Strategy, which is a compilation of the implementation and planning strategies for each of the 54 cataloguing units (CUs) in North Carolina. Each CU strategy describes the EEP implementation and planning activities that need to be conducted over the next seven years to successfully implement the TriParty MOA, the Two Party MOA, the In Lieu Fee (ILF) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Nutrient Offset Program, and the Riparian Buffer Program. Each CU strategy considers NCDOT and ILF mitigation needs over the next seven years; existing Planning activities, goals, and targets; and financial and staffing resource constraints. Together, these items shape the amount and type of planning and restoration initiatives scheduled for implementation over the seven-year planning period. The CU strategies are updated annually when the NCDOT impact estimates are released.
Enhancement. Wetlands enhancement refers to actions taken to increase or enhance wetland functions through the manipulation of either vegetation or hydrology, but not both; an example would be the filling in of ditches in a previously drained wetland area. This type of compensatory mitigation does not receive as much credit as does Restoration.
Facilitation Contracts. Services contracted from appropriate entities (e.g., NC State University [NCSU], Cape Fear River Assembly, Councils of Governments [COGs], environmental consulting firms) to convene, facilitate, and coordinate stakeholder groups/teams for Local Watershed Plan development; usually accomplished through sole-source contracting executed through DENR.
Fecal Coliform. Type of bacteria used as an indicator of contamination by human or animal waste (and possible disease-causing pathogens).
Floodplain. Area of land on each side of a stream channel that is inundated periodically by flood waters; important zone for dissipating the energy of peak storm flow discharges and for storing waters that otherwise might damage in-stream habitat or cause downstream flood damage; typically includes high-quality riparian habitat (if undisturbed). Waters flowing in incised (down-cut) streams may not be able to access the adjacent floodplain area to dissipate the volume and energy of higher storm flow events.
Functions; Functional Assessment. The major functional and ecological components of a watershed (and the focus of restoration, enhancement, and protection efforts by EEP) include streams, streamside (riparian) buffer zones, and wetlands. The important landscape functions served by these watershed components, when they are not degraded, include water quality protection (pollutant removal), fish and wildlife habitat, floodwater storage, and direct human value (e.g., timber production, recreation, education). Functional assessment refers to the process whereby the status of important watershed functions is determined, including an evaluation of historical, current, and projected future impacts to (or losses of) specific functions.
GIS (geographic information system). A system consisting of computer hardware, software, and data designed for capturing, storing, updating, manipulating, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information; in EEP, desktop GIS is an important tool used in the assessment of various sets of watershed-related information (specific themes or coverages, e.g., land cover, property parcels, roads, municipal boundaries, streams, designated natural heritage areas, wetlands, soils) used in identifying the best locations for watershed project sites and management strategies.
Greenways. Areas of open space with trails, accesses, and possibly recreational facilities typically sited along riparian corridors; can be linked to form a network of trails for biking, hiking, walking, jogging, etc., in urban or suburban areas.
Habitat Degradation. Physical destruction or deterioration of in-stream and streamside aquatic habitat due to erosion and sedimentation, pollutant inputs, unstable streambanks, channel scour due to excessive storm flows, breaks in the riparian buffer zone, lack of woody debris in and along streams, loss of pools and riffles, etc.
Hydrologic Unit. Refers to the 14-digit Hydrologic Unit Codes used by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to identify local watersheds typically ranging from 10 to 100 square miles in total drainage area; used by EEP as synonymous with “local watershed.”
Impacts. In the context of EEP Strategic Planning, refers to projected NCDOT impacts to streams or wetlands for highway projects to be 401/404-permitted in the future.
Impairment. Used by DWQ to describe any impairment of the use-support classification of a given stream; basically, impairment indicates a stream (or stream reach) with decreased water quality to the degree that it is “not supporting” its designated uses (e.g., swimming, fishing, shellfishing, water supply, secondary recreation) because of point or nonpoint source pollution or aquatic habitat degradation.
Impervious Cover. A human-created or -modified surface (e.g., concrete, asphalt) that does not allow water to percolate (or infiltrate) through it; examples include parking lots, rooftops, roadways, driveways, sidewalks, and compacted soils. Urbanization and development are typically associated with significant increases in the impervious cover of a given area, which result in increased rates of stormwater runoff and inputs of non-point source pollutants into local streams.
Index of Biological (or Biotic) Integrity. A calculated parameter for assessing the biological health of a given stream (or stream reach) by comparing the condition or status of multiple groups of organisms (e.g., benthic macroinvertebrates, fish) against the conditions expected to be found in a healthy stream; used to assess the effects of stormwater runoff (or other sources of water quality impairment and habitat degradation) on local stream health and to help prioritize areas or sites for stream, buffer, or wetlands restoration projects.
Infill Development. Development of new structures within the unused (or under-used) areas of an existing urban landscape.
In Lieu Fee. A payment made by a 401/404 permittee to EEP in lieu of having to site and construct compensatory mitigation project(s) to offset permitted impacts. In such cases, EEP becomes the party responsible for instituting the required amount and type of compensatory mitigation (e.g., so many thousands of restored stream feet, so many acres of restored wetlands). The required fee is based on a statutory schedule of fees, on a per stream foot or per wetlands acre basis.
Local Watershed Planning. Process whereby local stakeholders (or a specific group of local resource agency professionals) are brought together to help EEP assess local watershed conditions, identify causes or sources of watershed impairment, identify high-priority subwatersheds and mitigation project sites, develop solutions to watershed problems, and implement watershed management strategies for the long-term protection of important watershed functions and components (streams, wetlands, riparian buffers); developed by EEP for specific Targeted Local Watersheds within 8-digit Cataloging Units (CUs) where significant NCDOT impacts are projected to occur.
Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs). Signed, written agreements between parties (e.g., government agencies, land trusts) that can be used to define roles and responsibilities; in the context of local watershed planning, MOUs are often used to help ensure cooperation among local stakeholders in exploring solutions and alternatives in water quality management issues and in the creation of committees or task forces for the implementation of those solutions. Sometimes called Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs).
Mitigation. See Compensatory Mitigation.
Modeling. The use of conceptual or computer models to simulate the response (e.g., pollutant loading to streams) of a natural system (e.g., watershed) to various management scenarios (e.g., adding stormwater retention ponds in critical subwatersheds). Useful in assessing which watershed protection techniques will yield the greatest benefit to water quality, habitat, or flooding conditions, and in determining which locations within the watershed are optimal for such practices or project sites.
Needs Assessment. A GIS-based screening assessment of 8-digit Cataloging Units as described by the Watershed Needs Assessment team (2003 report), based on watershed problems/needs and watershed assets data, used to determine the most appropriate locations for EEP Local Watershed Planning efforts. This needs assessment will likely be integrated into the development of CU-specific strategic plans, to be produced annually by the EEP Strategic Planning group as updated projected impact numbers are received from NCDOT.
NPDES. A permit issued for point source (end-of-pipe) dischargers under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (per Section 402 of the Clean Water Act); also used to regulate stormwater discharges from certain urban areas and developing counties.
Nonpoint Source. Pollution that enters waterbodies from a variety of dispersed sources and land use types (generally not end-of-pipe discharges), primarily via overland runoff during and after precipitation events.
Nonsupporting Stream. A CWP stream classification for a subwatershed with more than 25 percent total impervious cover (generally within urban or suburban settings); typically characterized by fair to poor water quality and poor aquatic habitat; such streams essentially become a conduit for stormwater flows and can no longer support a diverse stream community. [Note: DWQ considers a stream to be “not supporting” (or impaired) when available sampling data (physical, chemical, biological) indicate that a given stream or stream reach does not support its designated uses (e.g., class C = aquatic life propagation); see also Impairment and Use Support]
Operational Strategic Planning. The forecasting and analysis of projected impacts to streams, wetlands, and riparian buffers and the determination of related NCDOT mitigation needs over a 6- to 7-year period, and the development of CU-specific strategies for addressing identified impacts (e.g., use of EEP-sponsored Local Watershed Planning in critical HUs; CU-wide needs assessment, GIS-based screening analyses).
Point Source. Water pollution that can be traced to a single point or a discrete source, such as a wastewater discharge pipe; such sources are much more readily controllable than nonpoint sources and are generally regulated via NPDES permits.
Preservation. The longterm protection of an area with high habitat or water quality protection value (e.g., wetland, riparian buffer), generally effected through the purchase or donation of a conservation easement by or to a government agency or nonprofit group (e.g., land trust); such areas are general left in their natural state, with minimal human disturbance or land management activities.
Reference Reach (or Condition). Ideally, a pristine or relatively undisturbed stream reach (or area of wetlands or riparian buffer) whose physical and biological conditions can serve as a baseline to judge the success of nearby restoration projects and other watershed management efforts.
Resource Professionals. Staff of state, federal, regional, or local (city, county) natural resource agencies—parks and recreation departments, water quality programs, regional councils of government, local/regional land trusts, or other nonprofit groups with knowledge, expertise, or interest in local watershed issues and initiatives. May include planners and water resources and storm water engineers.
Restoration. The re-establishment of wetlands or stream hydrology and wetlands vegetation into an area where wetland conditions (or stable streambank and stream channel conditions) have been lost; examples include stream restoration using natural channel design methods coupled with revegetation of the riparian buffer; riparian wetlands restoration through the plugging of ditches, reconnection of adjacent stream channel to the floodplain, and planting of native wetland species; this type of compensatory mitigation project receives the greatest mitigation credit under the 401/404 regulatory framework.
Riparian. Relating to the strip of land adjacent to streams and rivers, including streambanks and adjoining floodplain area; see also Buffer; important streamside zones of natural vegetation that, when disturbed or removed, can have serious negative consequences for water quality in streams and rivers.
Rosgen Stream Classification System. A stream classification system developed by Dave Rosgen that groups stream types based on certain geomorphological characteristics (e.g., channel slope, shape, materials); useful in predicting a stream’s hydraulic and sediment transport behavior under various conditions and in the application of natural channel design methods in stream restoration work. For more information, see http://wildlandhydrology.com/index.htm.
Sedimentation. A process whereby eroded soils are deposited in streams, rivers, and lakes; accelerated by any activity that disturbs the land surface or removes vegetation (e.g., road construction, agriculture/forestry, urban development); sediment source areas include upland sites, intermediate slopes, riparian zones, and streambanks and channel scour areas.
Stakeholder. Any agency, organization, or individual involved in or affected by the decisions made in the development of a watershed plan; typically includes primary stakeholders, such as watershed residents, farmers, developers, and local government or resource agency staff with a direct say in the planning process; and secondary stakeholders, such as state or regional resource agency staff who can serve as technical resources or advisors to the local planning process.
Stormwater. Water that flows overland as a result of precipitation onto saturated or impermeable surfaces; can flow as diffuse sheet flow over impervious surfaces (e.g., parking lots) or can be concentrated into ditches, gullies, swales, or manmade conveyances such as storm pipes, culverts, or lined channels; in urban areas or other disturbed landscapes, stormwater can convey sediment, nutrients, fecal coliform, and other pollutants directly into receiving waters.
Subbasin. As defined by DWQ 6-digit codes, these are component subbasins of the larger river basins; subbasins generally range in area from about 100 to 1,000 square miles, and are in turn typically composed of several 14-digit Hydrologic Units considered to be “local watersheds.”
Subwatershed. A component drainage area within a local watershed (14-digit NRCS hydrologic unit); typically about 1 to 10 square miles in area, these areas are considered the most appropriate and effective geographic scale for local watershed planning and management (e.g., for detailed watershed characterizations, urban stream classification, and watershed-based zoning); they are sometimes delineated as the land area draining to a point where two second-order streams combine to form a third-order stream, and they may also be delineated based on the dominant land use(s) or zoning classifications they encompass.
Targeted Local Watershed (TLW). 14-digit hydrologic units [HUs], per the NRCS classification system, that are “targeted” by EEP planners (and so designated within our Watershed Restoration Plans) as having a significant need or opportunity for EEP restoration, enhancement, or preservation projects. They typically range in area from 10 to 100 square miles and often encompass a range of land use types (e.g., urban, agricultural, rapidly developing) and associated watershed stressors. The various factors used to prioritize and select TLWs are spelled out in the basinwide Watershed Restoration Plans and online plan summaries.
TMDL (total maximum daily load). The maximum amount of a given pollutant that a waterbody can receive without exceeding water quality standards; the objective of a TMDL is to estimate, through modeling, allowable pollutant loads to be allocated to various point and nonpoint sources so that a given stream or stream reach may be restored to its classified best use(s).
Use Support. Refers to the DWQ system for classifying surface waters based on their designated best use(s); at present, the DWQ primary stream classifications include the following: class C [fishing/boating & aquatic life propagation]; class B [primary recreation/direct contact]; SA [shellfish harvesting]; and WSW [water supply]. Supplemental classifications include High Quality Waters (HQW), Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW), Nutrient Sensitive Waters (NSW), Trout Waters (Tr), and Swamp Waters (Sw). All waters must at least meet the standards for class C waters.
Wetlands. By definition, these are areas characterized by three key features: hydrophytic (water-adapted) plants, hydric soils, and specific indicators of periodic saturation/indundation by water (hydrology indicators, e.g., water marks or water-carried debris on trees); in our state, several different types of wetlands are recognized, including coastal marshes, estuarine fringe forests, wet flats, pocosins, freshwater marshes, bottomland hardwood forests, headwater forests, bogs, and seeps.
Watershed. All the land area that contributes runoff to a particular point along a stream or river; also known as a “drainage basin,” although the term Basin usually implies a very large drainage system, as of an entire river and its tributary streams.
Watershed Restoration Plan. A plan that identifies restoration goals and priority areas (“targeted local watersheds”) for all 17 river basins in North Carolina. Statutory mandate requires this plan to be developed and updated at least once every 5 years, according to the DWQ basinwide planning schedule. EEP will develop individual CU-based restoration plans for high-priority CUs identified annually during the strategic plan development process.