Northwest Environmental Advocates--Resources

Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Anadromous fish: Salmon, steelhead, and other species of fish which migrate upstream from a salt water environment to a fresh water environment. (Opposite of catadromous, an organism that spends its life in salt and freshwater, but returns to the sea to breed.)

Bathymetric Survey: A method of creating a topographic map the floor of an ocean or river to ascertain its general landscape.

Beach nourishment: A type of disposal where dredged material is placed along the shore to replace eroded material. Also referred to as shoreline disposal.

Benthic: Living organisms on the bottom of the river or ocean floor, from mussels and clams to microalgae, insect larvae, and other benthic invertebrates.

Biodiversity: The variety of living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur throughout different ecosystems. This term can also be expanded to encompass the variety within a species and the variability throughout their genes.

Biomagnification: Cumulative increases in the concentration of a substance (such as mercury and PCBs) in successively higher levels of a food web.

Carbon dioxide: A colorless, odorless non-poisonous gas normally part of ambient air, a result of fossil fuel combustion.

Consistency Determination: A process by which localities review proposed projects and determine if the plans comply with applicable regulations found in Shoreline Management Plans and other laws pertaining to development projects.

Criteria: Descriptive factors taken into account by EPA in setting standards for various pollutants. These factors are used to determine limits on allowable concentration levels, and to limit the number of violations per year. When issued by EPA, the criteria provide guidance to the states on how to establish their standards.

Endangered: Defined by the Endangered Species Act as any living organism (plant or animal) which is in danger of becoming extinct.

Estuary: The segment of a river which meets and is influenced by tidal currents. The intersection between ocean and fresh water where the salt water is diluted through integration of the fresh water.

Estuary Turbidity Maximum (ETM): The ETM identifies an ever-shifting area within the estuary that is characterized by elevated levels of suspended organic matter in the water column that supports populations of small organisms (ie. zooplankton) that form the base of the estuary food web. The phenomenon is caused by strong tidal forces pushing saline (salty) water upriver beneath the out-flowing freshwater, causing dissolved material in the fresh water to flocculate.

Exotic Species: A species that is not indigenous (native) to a region. Exotic species can be introduced to a region naturally or by human activity, such as the discharge of ballast water by ships. Exotic species disrupt the native ecosystem by competing for resources needed by indigenous species.

Flowlane disposal: The disposal of dredged material in the river both in and adjacent to deep areas of the navigation channel.

In-water disposal: The disposal of dredged material in the river, both in or near the area from which it was dredged. (also referred to as flowlane disposal)

Mitigation: Minimizing adverse affects of a project on the environment by: canceling the activity or parts of the activity, down-scaling the size of the project, and/or by providing retribution for the impacts through restoration of the affected area.

Nitrogen Oxide (NOx): A major component of photochemical smog created by the reactions of nitric oxide (from burning of fuels, including gasoline and coal) in ambient air. It is a product of combustion from transportation and stationary sources and a major contributor to the formation of ozone and acid rain.

Non-point source pollution (NPS): Water pollution that is diffused and can not be traced to a specific source. Sources of NPS pollution include runoff from agriculture, silviculture, urban development, mining, construction, dams and channels, inappropriate land disposal of waste, marinas, and saltwater intrusion.

Ocean disposal: The process of dumping manmade materials into the ocean environment such as solid waste, industrial waste, radioactive waste, incinerator residue, dredged materials, vessels, and other wastes.

Oregon Coastal Management Program: A set of laws guiding the use and protection of Oregon's coastal zone resources, administered by the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) and local governments. Three components of the program are Oregon's Statewide Planning Goals, Local Comprehensive Plans, and state laws and agency programs. Oregon's "coastal zone" boundaries are the western end of Puget Island (near the Clatsop County line), the Columbia River, and three territorial sea miles off-shore. However, DLCD also considers areas beyond these boundaries for activities which will affect natural resources or land and water uses within it.

Particulate Matter (PM-10): Dust, soot and other tiny bits of solid materials that are released into and move around in the air. Particulates are produced by many sources, including burning of diesel fuels by trucks and buses, incineration of garbage, mixing and application of fertilizers and pesticides, road construction, industrial processes such as steel making, mining operations, agricultural burning (field and slash burning), and operation of fireplaces and wood stoves. Particulate pollution can cause eye, nose and throat irritation and other health problems.

Point source pollution: Pollution entering a stream at specific, detectable points.

Raw Sewage: Untreated spent or used water from a home, community, farm, or industry that contains dissolved or suspended matter which is harmful or objectionable to the quality of water.

Restoration: The process of rebuilding the original characteristics of a degraded or destroyed site. This could involve increasing biological productivity, replacing cultural resources, or removing manmade objects such as dams.

Riparian: Riparian areas are the margins of streams, rivers, lakes, or other water features that are typically dominated by water-dependent vegetation. These areas have higher numbers of wildlife and a greater diversity of species per acre than in any other habitat-types. Riparian areas also act as filters for non-point source pollution and prevent erosion when vegetation is properly managed.

Rip-Rap: Stones or other hard materials used as a retaining wall facing an embankment or structure to prevent erosion, scour, or sloughing.

Salinity wedge: A concentration of dissolved salts, ranging from zero to about 33parts per thousand (ppt), that develops in estuaries where the ocean water meets the fresh water.

Salmonids: Fish in the family called Salmonidae including salmon, trout, char, and whitefish.

Sediment: Soil, sand, and other materials washed away from land into waterways.

Sedimentation: The outcome of sediment settling to the bottom of a waterway. When too much sediment accumulates on gravel used by salmon to spawn, it deprives the developing eggs of the needed oxygen that normally percolates among the pebbles.

Silt: Fine particles of soil suspended or deposited in water and streams, usually from upstream erosion.

Smolt: A developing salmon or steelhead which is undergoing changes to adapt to a saltwater environment form as it migrates from the fresh water environment to the ocean.

Species: A group of interbreeding organisms which have similar attributes, are reproductively isolated, and are designated by a common name.

Stakeholder: An individual or organization with a 'stake' in a natural resource or other issue by virtue of livelihood or simple personal interest.

Straying: Most salmon return to the stream where they hatched, a process called 'homing.' When a fish does not return to its natal stream, it is called 'straying.' Straying may be influenced by many factors including water temperature, flow, sediment turbidity, presence of other salmon, habitat quality, and so on. Non-native hatchery fish (salmon) can "stray" into the native fish groups and reproduce with native fish, and disrupt or 'depress' the genetic diversity of the native fish population.

Substrate: The material that makes up the bottom layer of the stream, such as gravel, sand, or bedrock.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2): A heavy, pungent, colorless gas formed primarily by the combustion of fossil fuels such as burning coal, most notably in power plants. This major air pollutant is associated with atmospheric ozone depletion, ground-level ozone (smog) productions and acid rain, and is unhealthy for plants, animals, and people.

Superfund: Superfund is the common term for CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), a pool of federal funds used by the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate, evaluate, and cleanup hazardous waste sites where the responsible party can not pay. Once a contaminated site is identified, it is considered for listing on CERCLA's National Priorities List, and if listed, becomes a "Superfund" site.

Threatened: A plant or animal species, as defined by the Endangered Species Act, which is in danger of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future.

Tributary: A stream or river flowing into a larger stream or river.

Turbidity: A measure of water cloudiness caused by suspended solids such as sediments, pollutants, or plankton.

Watershed: A river drainage system consisting of tributaries and their surroundingland where dissolved materials, sediments and water drains and flows into a larger river, lake, estuary, ocean or stream. Also referred to as the "drainage basin" of the receiving water body.

Water Quality Standards: State-adopted and EPA-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.

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