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Economic Benefits of Runoff Controls Glossary

Description:

The glossary from the Economic Benefits of Runoff Controls document

Publishing Organization:

Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds

Last Update:

September 1995

Program Site:

https://www.epa.gov/nps

Terms & Acronyms

	Term
	Best Management Practice	Definition: A practice or combination of practices that are determined to be the most effective and practicable (including technological, economic, and institutional considerations) means of controlling point and nonpoint source pollutants at levels compatible with environmental quality goals. Acronym: BMP
	Constructed Wetland	Definition: An artificial wetland system designed to mitigate the impacts of urban runoff.
	Forebay	Definition: An extra storage space provided near an inlet of a wet pond or constructed wetland to trap incoming sediments before they accumulate in the pond.
	Gabion	Definition: A rectangular basket or mattress made of steel wire in a hexagonal mesh. Gabions are generally subdivided into equal-sized cells that are wired together and filled with stones, forming a large, heavy mass used for shore protection.
	Impervious Area	Definition: A hard surface area (e.g., parking lot) that prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil, thus causing water to run off the surface in greater quantities and at an increased rate of flow.
	Nonpoint Source Pollution	Definition: Water pollution caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground which carries pollutants. A nonpoint source is any source of water pollution that does not meet the legal definition of point source in section 502(14) of the Clean Water Act.
	Nonstructural Control	Definition: A practice that does not require construction of a facility to control urban runoff.
	Premium	Definition: An additional charge for real estate property with an amenity such as a water view or a view of wooded land.
	Receiving Waters	Definition: Lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and groundwaters that receive runoff.
	Riprap	Definition: A protective layer or facing of quarrystone placed to prevent erosion, scour, or sloughing of an embankment or cliff.
	Sediment	Definition: The product of erosion processes; the solid material, both mineral and organic, that is in suspension, is being transported, or has been moved from its site of origin by air, water, gravity, or ice.
	Structural Control	Definition: A practice that involves design and construction of a facility to mitigate the adverse impact of urban runoff, and often requires maintenance.
	Urban Runoff	Definition: The portion of precipitation, snowmelt, or irrigation water that does not naturally percolate into the ground or evaporate, but runs off the land into streams or other surface water. It can carry pollutants from the air and land into the receiving waters.
	Wet Pond	Definition: Pond for urban runoff management that is designed to detain urban runoff and always contains water.

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