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Glossary
Aquifer:
Water bearing layer of the earth's crust.
Best Management
Practices (BMPs): Good housekeeping solutions that
include the proper handling, storage and disposal of toxic
materials to prevent stormwater pollution. BMPs can include source
controls (controls that keep pollutants out of runoff) and
treatment controls (controls that remove pollutants from runoff).
Catch Basin (also known as a storm
drain): Box-like underground concrete structure with
openings in curbs and gutters designed to collect runoff from
streets and pavements.
Conduit: Any channel or pipe
for directing the flow of water.
Construction General Permit:
An NPDES permit issued by the State Water Resources Control Board
(SWRCB) for the discharge of stormwater associated with
construction activity from soil disturbance of one (1) acres or
more.
Conveyance System: Any channel
or pipe for collecting and directing stormwater.
Culvert: A channel or a large
diameter pipe that crosses under a road, sidewalk, etc.
Detention Basin:
Reservoir designed to temporarily store stormwater.
Delta: A delta is usually a
triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of the river. The San
Joaquin Delta is the convergence of the Sacramento River and the
northbound San Joaquin River which creates a 700-mile maze of
waterways. The San Joaquin Delta provides the largest inland port
in the State of California.
Discharge: A release or flow
of stormwater or other substance from a conveyance system or
storage container.
Erosion:
The wearing away of land surface by wind or water. Erosion occurs
naturally from weather. Runoff can be intensified by land-clearing
practices.
Estuary:
Body of water at the lower end of a river which is connected to
the ocean and is semi-enclosed by land. In an estuary, sea water
is measurably diluted by freshwater from the land.
Fertilizer: A substance, such
as manure or chemical mixtures, that is used to make soil more
fertile.
First Flush:
The first big rain after an extended dry period (usually summer)
which flushes out the accumulated pollutants in the storm drain
system and carries them straight to local waterways.
Flood Control
Channel: Open waterway that is designed to carry large
amounts of rain water. These structures are often lined with
concrete to help control flood waters.
Grading: The cutting and/or
filling of the land surface to a desired shape or elevation.
Gutter:
Area formed by the curb and the street. Helps prevent flooding by
channeling runoff to storm drains.
Hazardous
Substance: Any material that poses a threat to human
health and/or the environment. Typical hazardous substances are
toxic, corrosive, ignitable, explosive or chemically reactive.
Hazardous Waste:
By-products of society that can pose a substantial or potential
hazard to human health or the environment when improperly
managed. Possesses at least one of four characteristics
(flammable, corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity) or appears on
special Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists.
Herbicide:
A chemical substance used to kill unwanted plants and weeds.
Household Hazardous
Waste: Common, every-day products that people use in
and around their homes (including paint, paint thinner, herbicides
and pesticides) that, due to their chemical nature, can be
hazardous if not properly disposed.
Illicit Connection:
Any connection to a storm drain system for which there is no
permit or that is used for an illegal discharge. This includes,
but is not limited to: (1) any connections that convey sewage,
process wastewater and wash water to the storm drain system, (2)
all connections from indoor drains or sinks, and (3) all
unapproved, undocumented drains from loading docks and hazardous
materials handling areas directly connected to the storm drain
system.
Illegal Discharge:
Any non-stormwater flow either intentionally or inadvertently
discharged to the City's storm drainage system. This does not
include discharges authorized by an NPDES permit or discharges
resulting from fire fighting activities.
Impervious Surface:
Paved surface or other land cover that does not allow water to
percolate into the ground.
Industrial General Permit: An
NPDES permit issued by the State Water Resource Control Board for
the discharge of stormwater associated with industrial activity.
Metals:
Elements such as mercury, lead, zinc, nickel and cadmium that are
of environmental concern because they can accumulate in the food
chain and, in high enough concentrations, can be hazardous to the
environment and the public's health.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES):
Non-Point Source
Pollution: Pollution which does not come from a
single, identifiable point, but from a number of
points that are spread out and difficult to
identify and control, such as residential neighborhoods.
Non-Stormwater
Discharge: Any discharge to surface waters, storm
drains, or any other stormwater drainage facility that is not
composed entirely of stormwater. Examples include process
wastewater, non-contact cooling waters and sanitary wastewater.
Non-Stormwater Control Measure:
Low technology, low cost activities, procedures or management
practices designed to prevent pollutants associated with site
functions and activities from being discharged with stormwater
runoff. Examples include good housekeeping practices, employee
training, standard operating practices, inventory control
measures, etc.
Notice of Intent (NOI): A
formal notice to State Water Resources Control Board submitted by
the owner/developer that a construction project is about to
begin. The NOI provides information on the owner, location, type
of project, and certifies that the permittee will comply with the
conditions of the construction general permit.
Outfall:
Opening at the end of a storm drain system that allows water to
flow into a channel, lake, river, bay or ocean.
Percolation:
Process where surface waters are absorbed through the soil into
ground water.
Pesticide:
A chemical or biological agent used to kill insects.
Point Source:
Any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance from which
pollutants are or may be discharged. Examples include pipes,
ditches, channels, tunnels, conduits, wells, container collection
systems or vessels.
Point Source
Pollution: Pollution from a single identifiable source
such as a smoke stack or a sewage treatment plant.
Pollutant:
Generally are substances introduced into the environment that
adversely affect the usefulness of a resource.
Pollution:
A human or naturally caused change in physical, chemical, or
biological conditions that result in an undesirable effect on the
environment.
Regional Water
Quality Control Board (RWQCB): State agency
responsible for administration and enforcement of the NPDES
stormwater permits. In the Stockton area, the local Regional
Board is the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board,
Region 5.
Retention: The storage of
stormwater to prevent it from leaving the development site; may be
temporary or permanent.
Runoff:
Water originating from rainfall and other precipitation (such as
sprinklers) that is found in drainage facilities, rivers, streams,
springs, seeps, ponds, lakes, wetlands and shallow groundwater.
Sanitary Sewer
System: A network of pipelines carrying sewage to a
wastewater treatment facility. In Stockton, storm drains are
separate pipeline systems and are not connected to sanitary
sewers.
Secondary Containment:
Structures, usually dikes or berms, surrounding tanks or other
storage containers and designed to catch spilled material from the
storage containers.
Sediment:
Finely divided solids usually derived from rocks, soil, or
biological materials which are carried and deposited by stormwater.
Sedimentation: The process of
depositing soil particles, clays, sands, or other sediments that
were picked up by runoff.
Slough: An inlet on a river.
Source Control:
Action to prevent pollution at its origin.
Storm Drains (also
known as drop inlet, drain inlet or catch basins): Grated or
unguarded opening in or at the side of the curb or gutter into
which runoff flows.
Storm Drain System:
A vast network of underground pipes and open channels designed
for flood control, which discharges directly into local
waterways.
Stormwater:
Rain and water from irrigation, garden hoses, or other
activities that can wash materials such as motor oil, pet waste,
trash, paints,
fertilizers, and pesticides off of streets, parking lots, yards
and landscapes and into the storm drain system.
Stormwater
Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP): In compliance with
the State General Permit, the SWPPP is a document which identifies
sources and activities at a particular facility that may
contribute pollutants to stormwater and commits the operator to
specific control measures and time frames to prevent or treat such
pollutants.
Stream:
Small natural waterway originating from underground springs, snow
melt, runoff, or other natural sources which drains to lakes,
rivers, channels or oceans.
Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL): A calculation of the maximum amount of a
pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water
quality standards. It is the sum of the allowable loads of a
single pollutant from all contributing point and
non-point sources.
Treatment Control: Treatment
methods to remove pollutants from stormwater.
Watershed: Geographic area of
land from which all runoff drains into a single waterway.
Acronyms
BMP:
Best Management Practice
BOP:
Battery, Oil and Paint Recycling Center
CASQA:
California Stormwater Quality Assoc.
CEQA:
California Environmental Quality Act
CWA:
Clean Water Act
EPA:
Environmental Protection Agency
HHW:
Household Hazardous Waste
ICP:
Illicit Connection Program
IDP: Illegal Discharge Program
MEP:
Maximum Extent Possible
MUD: Municipal Utilities
Department
NOI:
Notice of Intent
NPDES:
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NPS: Non
Point Source
RWQCB:
Regional Water Quality Control Board
SWPPP:
Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
SWRCB:
State Water Resources Control Board
TMDL:
Total Maximum Daily Load
WQA: Water Quality Act
REMEMBER
Only Rain Down the Drain!
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Stockton,
CA 
