10. GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS
10.1 Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations
| BA | Biological Assessment |
| BNSF | Burlington Northern Santa Fe |
| BOD | Biological Oxygen Demand |
| CERCLA | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and |
| Liability | Act (Superfund) |
| CEQ | Council on Environmental Quality |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
| Cfs | cubic feet per second |
| Co | Carbon monoxide |
| Corps | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| CWA | Clean Water Act |
| DB | decibel scale |
| DEIS | Draft Environmental Impact Statement |
| DO | Dissolved Oxygen |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| ESA | Endangered Species Act |
| øF | degrees Fahrenheit |
| FAC | Flood Action Council |
| FCZD | Flood Control Zone District |
| FEMA | Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| FHWA | Federal Highway Administration |
| FWCA | Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act |
| GMA | Growth Management Act |
| GRR | General Reevaluation Report |
| HAZMAT | Hazardous Material |
| HTRW | Hazardous Toxic and Radioactive Waste |
| IUGA | Interior Urban Growth Area |
| LWD | Large Woody Debris |
| Mg/L | Milligrams per liter |
| MGD | Million Gallons per day |
| NAAQS | National Ambient Air Quality Standards |
| NED | Nationally Economic Development |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act |
| NFIP | National Flood Insurance Program |
| NGVD | National Geoditic Vertical Datum |
| NHPA | National Historic Preservation Act |
| NHRP | National Register of Historic Places |
| NMFS | National Marine Fisheries Service |
| NO | Nitrous Oxide |
| NPDES | National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System |
| NWS | National Weather Service |
| PacifiCorp | Scottish paper |
| PCE | tetrachloroethylene |
| PED | Preconstruction Engineering Design |
| PFP | Probable Failure Point |
| PIE | Pacific International Engineering |
| PMF | Probable Maximum Flood |
| PNP | Probable non-failure Point |
| PSE | Puget Sound Energy |
| PUD | Public Utilities Division |
| RM | River Mile |
| ROG | Reactive Organic Gases |
| SARA | Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act |
| SR | State Route |
| SHPO | State Historic Preservation Act |
| SWCAA | Southwest Clean Air Agency |
| TMDL | Total Maximum Daily Load |
| TOC | Total Organic Carbons |
| TN | Total Nitrogen |
| TP | Total Phosphorus |
| TPI | Total Personal Income |
| TSS | Total Suspended Solids |
| USACE | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| USFWS | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| USGS | U.S. Geological Survey |
| VOC | Volatile Organic Carbons |
| WAC | Water Quality Standards Surface Water Washington State |
| WDFW | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife |
| WDOE | Washington Department of Ecology |
| WRDA | Water Resource Development Act |
| WSDOT | Washington Department of Transportation |
| WWTP | Waste Water Treatment Plant |
10.2 Glossary of Terms
A
Acre-feet : The volume of 1 foot of water over the area of 1 acre. 325,872 gallons.
Adsorption: The adhesion of a thin layer of molecules to the surfaces of solid bodies or liquids with which they are in contact.
Affected environment : A physical, biological, social, and economic environment within which human activity is proposed.
Alternatives : The different means by which objectives or goals can be attained. One of several policies, plans, or projects proposed for decision making.
Anadromous : Those species of fish that mature in the sea and swim up freshwater rivers and streams to spawn. Salmon, steelhead, and searun cutthroat trout are examples.
Aquatic : Growing, living in, frequenting, or taking place in water; in this EIS, used to indicate habitat, vegetation, and wildlife in freshwater.
Aquifer : A zone, stratum, or group of strata acting as a hydraulic unit that stores or transmits water in sufficient quantities for beneficial use.
Areal : the spatial extent or location.
Artifact : An object made or modified by humans.
Attenuate : To lessen the amount, force, or magnitude of something, i.e., floodflow.
B
BA : See Biological Assessment.
Background : (scenic distance zone.) The distant part of a landscape. The seen or viewed area located more than four miles from the viewer, and generally as far as the eye can detect objects.
Base Flow : A sustained or fair-weather flow of a stream.
Baseline data : Data gathered prior to proposed action to characterize pre-development site conditions.
Berm : A mound or wall of earth, usually with sloping sides.
Best management practices (BMP) : Management actions that are designed to maintain water quality by preventative rather than corrective means.
Big game : Large animals hunted, or potentially hunted, for sport. These include animals such as deer, bear, elk, moose, bobcats, and mountain lions.
Biological Assessment (BA) : Refers to the information prepared by or under the direction of the Federal agency concerning listed and proposed species and designated and proposed critical habitat that may be present in the action area and the evaluation of potential effects of the action on such species and habitat.
Biological Opinion (ESA) : A document that states the opinion of the U.S.D.I. Fish and Wildlife Service as to whether or not the Federal action is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat.
Biostimulatory nutrients : Substances that promote growth, usually of algal or other unicellular species, within a system by providing an excess of nutrients, which are limited under normal conditions. This commonly reduces available oxygen in a system, resulting in adverse effects on other organisms in the same system. Biostimulatory nutrients are commonly components of fertilizers, manures and silage.
C
CADD : Computer Assisted Drafting and Design.
Canopy : The more-or-less continuous cover of branches and foliage formed collectively by the crown of adjacent trees and other woody debris.
CFR : Code of Federal Regulations. A codification of the general permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
cfs : Cubic feet per second; 1 cfs equals 448.33 gallons per minute.
Channel morphology : The dimensions and composition of a stream or river channel.
Char : Any of a genus (Salvelinus ) of small-scaled trout with light-colored spots.
Climax plant communities : The stabilized plant community on a particular site. The plant cover does not change so long as the environment remains the same.
Climax species : Those species that dominate a climax stand in either numbers per unit area or biomass.
CMP : Corrugated metal pipe; culverts used in road/stream crossings.
COE : U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; agency responsible for regulating and permitting wetland disturbances.
Confluence : the place of meeting of two streams or the combined stream formed by conjunction.
Cover : Living or non-living material (e.g., vegetation) used by fish and wildlife for protection from predators, to ameliorate conditions of weather, or reproduce. The proportion of the ground occupied by a perpendicular projection to the ground from the outline of the aerial parts of the members of a plant species.
Criteria : Data and information, which are used to examine or establish the relative degrees of desirability among alternatives or the degree to which a course of action meets an intended objective.
Cultural resources : The remains of sites, structures, or objects used by humans in the past, historic or prehistoric. More recently referred to as heritage resources.
Cumulative effects or impacts : Cumulative effect or impact is the impact on the environment, which results from the incremental impact of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonable foreseeable future actions, regardless of what agency (federal or non-federal) or person undertakes such other actions. Cumulative impacts can result from individually minor but collectively significant actions taken place over a period of time (40 CFR 15089.7)
CY : Cubic yard.
D
dbA : Decibel scale, A-weighted to mimic the human ear.
Density : The number of individuals in a given area. Expressed per unit area.
Detrital : Loose material (soil, plant particles or other organic particles) that results directly from disintegration or decay.
Dike : An embankment to contain or convey water.
E
Ecosystem : An interacting system of organisms considered together with their environment; for example aquatic, marsh watershed, and lake ecosystems.
Effects : "Effect" and "impact" are synonymous as used in this document. Environmental changes resulting from a proposed action. Included are direct effects, which are caused by the action and occur at the same time and place, and indirect effects, which are caused by the action and are later in time or further removed in distance, but which are still reasonably foreseeable.
Indirect effects may include growth-inducing effects and other effects related to induced changes in the pattern of land use, population density, or growth rate, and related effects on air and water and other natural systems, including ecosystems.
Endangered Species : Any species of animal or plant that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Plant or animal species identified by the Secretary of the Interior as endangered in accordance with the 1973 Endangered Species Act.
Environment : The physical conditions that exist within the area that will be affected by a proposed project, including land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient noise, and objects of historical or aesthetic significance. The sum of all of the external conditions that affect an organism or community to influence its development or existence.
Environmental impact statement (EIS) : An analytical document prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) that portrays potential impacts to the environment of a Proposed Action and its possible alternatives.
An EIS is developed for use by decision makers to weigh the environmental consequences of a potential decision.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) : An agency of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government, which has responsibility for environmental matters of national concern.
Ephemeral stream : A stream or portion of a stream that flows only in direct response to precipitation or snow melt. Such flow is usually of short duration.
Erosion : The wearing away of the land surface by running water, wind, ice, or other geologic agents, including gravitation creep.
ESU : Evolutionarily Significant Unit. A delineation of distinct populations of a species, used for determining population status apart from the species as a whole.
F
FEMA : Federal Emergency Management Agency
Fisheries Habitat : Streams, lakes, and reservoirs that support fish populations.
Floodplain : The lowland and relatively flat area adjoining inland waters, including, at a minimum, that area subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
Fluvial : Of or relating to a stream or river.
Forage : All browse and non-woody plants that are available to livestock or game animals for grazing or harvestable for feed.
Forb : Broad-leafed, small plants composed of soft tissue, not woody material. Any herb other than grass.
Foreground : (scenic distance zone) A term used in scenic resource management to describe the area immediately adjacent to the observer, usually within ¬ to « mile.
fps : Feet per second, a measure of velocity, or speed.
Freeboard : Vertical distance above water surface elevation to top elevation of manmade or natural containment, such as stream banks, levees, dams, etc.
Freshet : A large increase in stream flow due to heavy rains or snowmelt.
FWS : Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. Department of the Interior). Also, USFWS.
G
Game Species : Any species of wildlife or fish for which seasons and bag limits have been prescribed and which are normally harvested by hunters, trappers, and fisherman under state or federal laws, codes and regulations.
Geomorphic : Pertaining to the form of the surface of the earth.
Glacial till : Glacial materials deposited directly by ice with little or no transportation by water.
Glide : A portion of the stream where stream surface flow does not have increased turbulence resulting from flow interception with submerged obstructions during low flow conditions. A glide is differentiated from a pool by the relatively uniform streambed gradient and lack of a hydraulic control at the downstream end.
GMA : Growth Management Act. An Act of the Washington State Legislature to plan and control economic growth (RCW 43.330.120)
gpd, gph, gpm : Gallons per day, gallons per hour, gallons per minute.
Grass/forb : An early forest successional stage where grasses and forbs are the dominant vegetation.
Ground water : Water found beneath the land surface in the zone of saturation below the water table.
GRR : General Reevaluation Report.
Guideline : An indication or outline of policy or conduct; i.e., any issuance that assists in determining the course of direction to be taken in any planned action to accomplish a specific objective.
H
Habitat capability : The estimated ability of an area, given existing or predicted habitat conditions, to support a wildlife, fish or plant population. It is measured in terms of potential population numbers. Often called carrying capacity.
Habitat : The natural environment of a plant or animal, including all biotic, climatic, and soil conditions, or other environmental influences affecting living conditions. The place where an organism lives.
Hazardous waste : A waste is considered hazardous by the EPA if it exhibits one or more of these characteristics: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and/or toxicity. These are listed in 40 CFR 261.3 and 40 CFR 171.8.
HAZMAT : Related to hazardous materials.
HEC-RAS : A computer model used to simulate flows during various events, including floods, storms and drought conditions.
Howell-Bunger valve : A fixed-cone valve that discharges water in a radial pattern, designed to pass a controlled amount of water without damage to the immediate environment.
HTRW : Hazardous, Toxic and Radioactive Waste,
Hydraulic : Relating to water or other liquid in motion.
Hydric soils : Soils exhibiting properties that are characteristic of frequent prolonged inundation.
Characteristics include mottled coloration, presence of reduced metals, presence of sulfur compounds or high percentage of organic materials.
Hydrograph : A graph depicting flows over time.
Hydrology : The distribution and circulation of water.
I
Incidental take (ESA): Refers to takings that result from, but are not for the purpose of, carrying out an otherwise lawful activity conducted by an agency or applicant.
Incised : A narrow, steep-walled valley caused by erosion.
Infiltration : The movement of water or some other fluid into the soil through pores or other openings.
Intermittent stream : A stream that runs water in most months, but does not contain water year round.
Interstitial : Occupying the spaces between sediment particles.
Inundate : Cover with water.
L
Landscape: The sum total of the characteristics that distinguish a certain area on the earth's surface from other areas. These characteristics are a result not only of natural forces but also of human occupancy and use of the land. An area composed of interacting and interconnected patterns of habitats (ecosystems) that are repeated because of geology, landforms, soils, climate, biota, and human influences throughout the area.
Ldn : Day-Night Sound Level measurement descriptor of total outdoor noise environment
Levee : An embankment for preventing flooding.
Listed Species (ESA) : Species that are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (as amended).
Lithic : Of relating to, or being a stone tool.
LWD : Large Woody Debris. Usually refers to woody material greater than 12 inches in diameter 25 feet from the base end of the log, within a stream channel. Upland large woody debris is often considered Coarse Woody Debris.
M
Mitigation : Reduction or reversal of an effect. For the purposes of this document, mitigation is design, planning or construction phases used to reduce, minimize or account for effects of a project on the environment, economy and population. Mitigation includes; (a) avoiding the impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action; (b) minimizing impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the action and its implementation; (c) rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affects environment; (d) reducing or elimination of the impact over time by preservation and maintenance of operations during the life of the action; and, (e) compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute resources or environments (40 CFR Part 1508.20).
N
NAAQS: National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
NFIP : National Flood Insurance Program.
Non-game species : Animal species that are not hunted, fished, or trapped.
NOx : Nitrogen Oxides
NPDES : National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System - A program authorized by Sections 318, 402 and 405 of the Clean Water Act, and implemented by regulations 40 CFR 122. NPDES program requires permits for the discharge of pollutants from any point source into waters of the United States.
NRHP : National Register of Historic Places;
O
OAHP : Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (Washington State).
Objective : A concise, time-specific statement of measurable planned results that respond to preestablished goals. An objective forms the basis for further planning to define the precise steps to be taken and the resources to be used in achieving identified goals.
Ogee : (Ogee spillway, Ogee crest) The work ogee describes the shape of the curve, in profile, on the crest of the spillway or dam. The shape is a reverse curve, similar to the letter "s".
Overtopping : Water surface elevations in exceedance of the elevation of manmade or natural containment, such as stream banks, levees, dams, etc.
Oxbow : (Oxbow lake) For the purposed of this document, an oxbow is a curved portion of a former channel that has been isolated from the main channel by bank erosion and remains in the floodplain, usually as a wetland or pond.
P
Passerine bird : Of or relating to the largest order (Passeriformes) of birds, consisting chiefly of songbirds of perching habits.
Percolation/infiltration : The act of water seeping or filtering thorough the soil without a definite channel.
Perennial stream : A stream that flows year round.
pH : Symbol for the negative common logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration (acidity) of a solution. The pH of 7 in considered neutral. The pH number below 7 indicates acidity, and a pH value above 7 indicates alkalinity or a base.
PHS : Priority Habitats and Species. Priority species are defined by the State of Washington as species that require protective measures for their perpetuation due to their population status, sensitivity to habitat alteration, and/or recreational, commercial, or tribal importance. A priority habitat may consist of a unique vegetation type or dominant plant species, successional stage, or structural element.
Plant communities : A vegetation complex unique in its combination of plants which occurs in particular locations under particular influences. A plant community is a reflection of integrated environmental influences on the site such as soils, temperature, elevation, solar radiation, slope aspects, and precipitation.
PM10 : Particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter.
PMF : Probable Maximum Flood.
Pool : A portion of the stream with reduced surface turbulence and a hydraulic control at the downstream end. Pools often have a bowl appearance resulting from high-flow scour.
ppm : parts per million.
Project : The whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in a physical change in the environment. An organized effort to achieve an objective identified by location, timing, activities, outputs, effects, and time period and responsibilities for executions.
Proposed action : A description of the project as proposed by a project proponent in a plan of operations.
Public participation : Meetings, conferences, seminars, workshops, tours, written comments, responses to survey questionnaires, and similar activities designed and held to obtain comments from the public about planning.
Public scoping : Giving the public the opportunity for oral or written comments concerning the intentions, activity, or influence of a project or an individual, the community, and/or the environment.
R
Raptor : Bird of prey, including eagles, hawks, flacons, and owls.
RCRA : Resource Conservation Recovery Act.
RCW : Revised Code of Washington.
Recharge : Absorption and addition of water to the zone of saturation.
Riffle : A portion of the stream where stream flow is intercepted by partially or completely submerged obstructions to produce increased surface turbulence and flow velocities during low flow conditions.
Riparian zone : Terrestrial areas where the vegetation and microclimate are influenced by perennial and/or intermittent water, associated high water tables and soils which exhibit some wetness characteristics; this habitat is transitional between true bottomland wetlands and upland terrestrial habitats.
Riparian : A type of ecological community that occurs adjacent to streams and rivers and is directly influenced by water. It is characterized by certain types of vegetation, soils, hydrology, and fauna and requires free or unbound water or conditions more moist than that normally found in the area.
Riverbed : The bottom of a river channel.
RM : River Mile. Distance upstream in statute miles from a zero benchmark established at the river mouth.
ROG : Reactive Organic Gases.
Rule curve : Operations procedures for flood control structures are designed to maintain reservoir elevations and downstream flows that vary throughout the year to meet biological and economic needs. Illustrating these flows in a graph depicting flow volume over time results in a curve, the "rule curve".
Runoff : Precipitation that is not retained on the site where it falls, not absorbed by the soil; natural drainage away from an area.
S
Salmonid : Any of a family (Salmonidae) of elongate bony fishes (as a salmon or trout) that have the last three vertebrae upturned.
Scour : For the purposes of this document, scour is the erosional effect of flowing water and suspended material on the stream channel.
Sensitive species : Plant or animal species which are susceptible or vulnerable to activity impacts or habitat alterations. Those species that have appeared in the Federal Register as proposed for classification or are under consideration for official listing as endangered or threatened species, that are on an official State list, or that are recognized by the State as needing special management to prevent placement on Federal or State lists.
SEPA : State Environmental Policy Act.
Setback : For the purposes of this document, setback describes the distance between a flood control structure and the associated stream bank.
Short-term impacts : Impacts occurring during project construction and operation, and normally ceasing upon project closure and reclamation. Each resource, by necessity, may vary in its definition of short-term.
Significant : Requires consideration of both context and intensity. Context means that the significance of an action must be analyzed in several contexts such as society as a whole, and the affected region, interests, and locality. Intensity refers to the severity of impacts. The severity of an impact should be weighted along with the likelihood of its occurrence.
Sluice: An artificial passage for water (as in a dam) fitted with a valve or gate for stopping or regulating flow.
Snag : A standing dead tree from which the leaves and most of the branches have fallen.
Socioeconomic : Pertaining to, or signifying the combination or interaction of social and economic factors.
Spillway: A passage for surplus water to run over or around an obstruction (as a dam).
Stand Diversity : Any attribute that makes one timber stand biologically or physically different from other stands. The difference can be measured by, but not limited to, different age classes, species, densities, or non-tree floristic composition.
Stream gradient : The rate of fall or loss of elevation over the physical length of a segment or total stream usually expressed in ft/ft (%).
SWCAA: Southwest Clean Air Agency
T
Tainter gate : A gate designed to open or close by rotating on an axle in an arc perpendicular to the flow.
Talus : Heaps of coarse debris at the foot of cliffs and steep slopes resulting from gravity transport and weathering processes.
Terrestrial : Of or relating to the earth, soil, or land; an inhabitant of the earth or land.
Threatened species : Those plants or animal species likely to become endangered species throughout all or a significant portion of their range within the foreseeable future.
Transect : A sample area in the form of a long narrow continuous strip that is used for the tabulation of data.
Turbidity : Reduced water clarity resulting from the presence of suspended matter.
U
Understory : A foliage layer lying beneath and shaded by the main canopy of a forest.
USACE : United States Army Corps of Engineers.
USDA : United Stated Department of Agriculture.
USFWS : United States Fish and Wildlife Service - United States Department of Interior.
USGS : United States Geological Survey - United States Department of Interior.
V
Velocity : Rate of speed along a straight line. For the purposes of this document, velocity refers to the speed of flow.
W
Water quality : The interaction between various parameters that determines the usability or nonusability of water for on-site and downstream uses. Major parameters that affect water quality include: temperature, turbidity, suspended sediment, conductivity, dissolved oxygen pH, specific ions, discharge, and fecal coliform.
Watershed : The entire land area that contributes water to a particular drainage system or stream.
Weir : A dam in a stream or river to raise the water level or divert its flow; a fence or enclosure set in a waterway for isolating and removing fish.
Wetlands (Biological Wetlands) : Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances, do support a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, etc.
APPENDIX A Fish, Riparian, and Wildlife Habitat Study
APPENDIX B Skookumchuck Dam Re-Operation Report
APPENDIX C Wetland and Riparian Survey
APPENDIX D Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
APPENDIX E Biological Assessment
APPENDIX F Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report
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