Glossary

A
abate: To reduce or eliminate amount, degree, and/or intensity, generally in
reference to hazardous materials.
aboveground storage tank (AST): A tank device situated in such a way that
the entire surface area of the tank is completely above the ground.
abutting properties: Two or more adjacent properties that share a common
public easement (e.g., roadway).
accessory structure: A structure on a site that is detached from the main
facility (e.g., a parking lot).
adjacent properties: Properties that share a common property line.
air pollution: The existence of contaminants in the air in concentrations too
high to allow the normal dispersal ability of the air and that interfere
directly or indirectly with human health, safety, welfare, or comfort,
and/or inhibit the full use and enjoyment of property.
aquifer: A water-containing layer of rock, sand, or gravel that will yield
usable supplies of water. It may be a few feet or hundreds of feet
thick, lying just beneath the surface or hundreds of feet down.
archaeological site: Site evidencing ancient living areas; ancient farming,
hunting, or gathering activities; or burials and funerary remains,
artifacts, and structures of all types. These sites usually date from
prehistoric or aboriginal periods, or from historic periods of which
only vestiges remain.
artesian aquifer: An aquifer in which groundwater is held under pressure
by a confining layer or layers of rock, forcing water to rise in wells
above the top of the aquifer.
asbestos: A naturally occurring fibrous mineral that is mined for its fire-
resistant properties and has been identified as a hazardous mate
rial. Some forms include chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite,
anthophylite, and actinolite.
asbestos-containing material (ACM): Any material that contains more
than 1% asbestos.
assessment: The act of appraising value.

B
bedrock: Rock formation that underlies soil or other unconsolidated
material.
brownfield site: A parcel of land that contains or contained abandoned
or underutilized commercial or industrial facilities, the expan

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 252 Environmental Site Assessment Phase I

sion or redevelopment of which may be complicated by the pres

ence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or
contaminants.

C
capital improvements: Items, including renovation and construction modi
fications, ordinarily treated as long-term investments (capitalized)
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because of their substantial value and life span.

carcinogenic: A substance that may cause cancer to those exposed either
through ingestion, inhalation, or skin absorption.
coastal aquifer: An aquifer that is formed of alternating layers of clay, silt,
sand, and gravel. Water can pass between these layers at various
points, forming a large, leaky artesian aquifer system.
confined, artesian aquifer: An aquifer that is overlain by impermeable rock
layers that prevent free movement of water. Therefore, the water is
under pressure and, thus, drilling a well into a confined aquifer is
like puncturing a water pipe. The water under pressure gushes into
the well, sometimes even rising to the surface and overflowing.
contaminant: Any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance
or matter in water. The impacts on the groundwater from contami
nants may range from aesthetic effects (such as unpleasant taste or
warm temperature) to actual health hazards.
corrective action (CORRACT): Any action taken in order to come into
compliance with any federal, state, or local statutory or regulatory
requirement for the treatment, storage, or disposal of any hazardous
waste.
critical or unique habitat: The essential segment(s) of habitat that contains
the unique combination of conditions (soils, vegetation, predator
species, etc.) necessary for the continued survival of an endangered
species.

D
DDT: A colorless to white powder that, when suspended in water, has in the
past been used as an insecticide and has since been banned due to
its anticipated accumulative toxic health effects.
debris: Loose material arising from the disintegration of rocks and vegeta
tive material (transportable by streams, ice, or floods), trash, ruins,
and the accumulation of broken and detached matter (e.g., discarded
household products and building materials).
deed: A legal document used as an instrument of bond, contract, or
conveyance.

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 Glossary 253

dioxins: Commonly used term for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins,

which are extremely toxic in small doses and known to be car
cinogenic and teratogenic.
discharge: The flow of surface water in a stream or canal, or the outflow of
groundwater from a flowing artesian well, ditch, or spring.
drainage well: A well drilled to carry excess water off agricultural fields.
Because they act as a funnel from the surface to the groundwater below,
drainage wells can contribute to groundwater contamination.
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drawdown: The vertical drop of the water level in a well during groundwater
pumping.

E
easement: The legal assignment of right by a property owner to another that
allows the other party to make limited use of the property.
endangered species: Those species in danger of extinction throughout all or
a significant portion of their native habitat or range.
environmental database: A computer-generated collection of information
specific to an environmental issue.
erosion: Deterioration of surface soil characteristics by weathering, dissolu
tion, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation.

F
floodplain: An area around a body of surface water that is subject to
flooding.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): Federal law that provides for public
access to government documents and information.
friable: Material that can be easily crumbled by hand pressure, generally in
reference to asbestos-containing materials.

G
generator: Any owner or operator whose site activities, or processes, pro
duce hazardous waste or whose actions first cause a hazardous
waste to become subject to a regulation.
grantee: Recipient of real property.
grantor: Owner of real property who is extending a right to title or interest
in real estate.
groundwater: Water that saturates cracks, caverns, sand, gravel, and other
porous subsurface rock formations.
groundwater reservoir: For any given area, the total subsurface storage
space between the water table and the bottom of the aquifer.

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 254 Environmental Site Assessment Phase I

H
hardness: A characteristic of water caused by the presence of various salts,
calcium, magnesium, and iron.
hazardous waste number, EPA: The number assigned by EPA to each haz
ardous waste listed or characterized in Part 261 of 40 CFR.
hydrology: The scientific study of the properties, distribution, and effects
of water on the earths surface, in the soil and underlying rocks, and
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in the atmosphere.

I
identification number, EPA: The number assigned by EPA to each genera
tor, transporter, and treatment, storage, or disposal facility.
impoundment: A facility or part of a facility that is a natural topographic
depression, man-made excavation, or dike area, formed primarily
of earthen materials (often lined with non-impervious man-made
materials), that is designed to hold an accumulation of liquid wastes
or wastes containing free liquids and is not an injection well (e.g.,
holding, storage, and settling ponds; aeration pits; and lagoons).
indigenous: Native or original to a specific area.
industrial waste: Solid and liquid waste materials that are generated inci
dental to the various manufacturing processes employed at indus
trial plants and establishments and that require disposal.

J
jurisdiction: The power of a governmental entity or court to review, permit,
and determine compliance issues on specific types of project activi
ties; the authority granted under a citys police powers to act over a
particular activity.

L
lagoon: An impoundment area into which wastewater is discharged at a
rate low enough to permit oxidation to occur without causing sub
stantial nuisances due to odor and insects.
landfill: A disposal facility or part of a facility where waste is placed in or on
land and which is not a land treatment facility, a surface impound
ment, or an injection well.
leaching: The downward movement by water of dissolved or suspended
minerals, fertilizers, agricultural chemicals, and other substances
through the soil.
legal description: Recorded description, recognized by law, which is suf
ficient to locate and identify the property without oral testimony.

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 Glossary 255

M
manifest: A shipping document that is signed by the generator and used
to track transported hazardous waste from its point of origin to its
destination, which may be a recycling plant, temporary storage facil
ity, or landfill.
material safety data sheet (MSDS): Document that contains information
regarding a materials components, physical characteristics, health
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hazards, reactivity, flammability, and recommended control

measures.
maximum contaminant level (MCL): An enforceable regulatory standard
for maximum permissible concentrations of agricultural chemicals in
water. They are health-based numbers that by law must be set as close
to the no-risk level as feasible.
medical waste: Hospital, veterinary clinic, medical clinic, and laboratory
wastes that are known to or may potentially contain pathogens.
monitoring wells: Special wells drilled at strategic locations which are used
to monitor groundwater and provide a means of access so samples
and testing may be performed.

N
nitrate: An important plant nutrient and type of inorganic fertilizer. In
water, the major sources of nitrates are septic systems, animal feed
lots, agricultural fertilizers, manure, industrial wastewater, sanitary
landfills, and garbage dumps.
NOAEL (sometimes written as NOEL): Exposure levels producing no
observable adverse effects in long-term toxicity studies con
ducted with agriculturally active ingredients. These values indi
cate a safe lifetime exposure level to a given chemical and are
used to establish tolerances for human ingestion of the chemical
in the diet.
non-point source: A generalized discharge of waste into the air, or water,
with a specific source that cannot be located, or a source discharging
pollutants into the environment that is not a singular location.
non-point source contaminants: Water contaminants coming from non-
specific sources (e.g., runoff from agriculture).

O
open dump: A solid waste land disposal site where wastes are not landfilled
but remain uncovered and accessible.
operations and maintenance plan (O&M plan): Written instructions of
procedures to manage specific situations and incidents.

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 256 Environmental Site Assessment Phase I

P
perched water: A zone of unpressurized water held above the water table
by a layer of impermeable rock or sediment. Rarely used as a source
of drinking water.
permeability: The ability of a porous medium to transmit fluids under a
hydraulic gradient. The property or capacity of a porous rock, sedi
ment, or soil for transmitting a fluid. A measure of relative ease of
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fluid flow under unequal pressure.

pH: A numerical measure of acidity used to distinguish alkaline, neutral,
and acidic water. The scale is 1 to 14. Neutral is pH 7.0. Values below
7.0 are acid, and values above 7.0 are alkaline.
placard: A DOT-required sign that is affixed to the front, rear, and sides of
all vehicles transporting hazardous materials and/or wastes.
point source: Any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including,
but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well,
discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feed
ing operation, or vessel or other floating craft, from which pollutants
are or may be discharged.
point source contaminants: Water contaminants from specific sources, such
as leaking underground gasoline storage tanks, runoff from a cattle
feed lot, back-siphoning of an agricultural chemical into a well, or
spillage of a chemical near a water supply.
pollutant: [Under the law, this term has several meanings. See Appendix 1.]
pollution: Presence of a contaminant to such a degree that the water, air, or
soil is not suitable for a given use and/or human habitation.
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB): Any of a family of compounds produced
by the chlorination of biphenyls. They are noted environmentally
for their accumulation in animal tissue with resultant carcinogenic
and/or teratogenic effects.
potable water: Freshwater that is safe for human consumption.
potentially responsible party (PRP): Any person, group of people, agen
cies, businesses, or combination of the same (such as owners, opera
tors, generators, and transporters) who are potentially responsible
for, or are contributing to, the contamination problems at a hazard
ous waste site.
public water supply system: A system that provides piped water that is
used for human consumption and has a minimum of fifteen service
connections and/or regularly serves at least twenty-five individuals
on a daily basis or sixty days per year. This includes any collection,
treatment, storage, and distribution facilities under control of the
operator of such a system and is used primarily in connection with
the system, and any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not
under such control that are used primarily in connection with the
system.

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 Glossary 257

R
real property: Land, which includes the surface of the earth, and whatever
is or has been constructed on it, is growing on it, or is affixed to it.
recharge zones: The process and areas of land that allow water to replenish
an aquifer. This process occurs naturally when rainfall filters down
through the soil or rock into an aquifer. Artificial recharge is through
drainage wells or by spreading water over the surface of land (i.e.,
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ponds) where it can seep into the groundwater aquifers.

records: Any report, document, writing, photograph, tape recording, or
other electronic means of data collection and retention that pertains
to defendant/respondent compliance with federal, state, and local
governmental rules and regulations.
release: Any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, dis
charging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing into
the environment, including the abandonment or discarding of bar
rels, containers, and other closed receptacles containing any hazard
ous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
remediation: Cleanup where there is a release or threatened release of
hazardous substances that could affect the public health or welfare
and/or the environment. The actual construction or implementation
phase that follows the remedial design of the selected cleanup alter
native at a site; permanent remedy taken instead of, or in addition
to, removal actions in the event of a release or threatened release
of a hazardous substance into the environment; and/or preventing
or minimizing the release of hazardous substances so that they do
not migrate to cause substantial danger to present or future public
health or welfare or the environment.

S
salinity: The concentration of dissolved salts in water.
sanitary landfill: A facility for the disposal of solid waste.
saturated zone: That portion of the soil profile where all pores are filled with
water. Aquifers are located in this zone. There may be multiple satu
rated zones at different soil depths, separated by layers of clay or rock.
septic tank: A land receptacle designed to receive or process (e.g., liquid
separation and biological digestion) the sewage discharged from a
building, the effluent of which is distributed for disposal through
the soil, with the settled solids and scum from the tank pumped out
periodically and hauled to a treatment facility.
sole-source aquifer: An aquifer that is the sole or principal source of drink
ing water, as established under the Safe Drinking Water Act, which,
if contaminated, would create a significant hazard to large popula
tions and their drinking water.

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 258 Environmental Site Assessment Phase I

solid waste: Solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous materials resulting

from industrial, commercial, mining, agricultural, and community
activities.
special resource: Site attribute that indicates a resource of natural, cultural,
recreational, or scientific value of special significance.
spill: An intentional or unintentional spill, leak, or other uncontrolled
discharge.
sump: A pit or reservoir that meets the definition of a tank, including the
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trenches connected to it.

Superfund: Nickname for the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act.
surface water: Body of water that is above ground, open to the atmosphere,
and subject to surface runoff (e.g., rivers, lakes, streams).

T
tank: A stationary device, primarily designed to contain/store accumu
lations of hazardous liquid wastes. Typically constructed of non-
earthen materials (e.g., wood, concrete, steel, plastic), which provide
impervious surfaces and structural support.
teratogenic: A substance that may result in birth defects in infants borne
by women exposed either through ingestion, inhalation, or skin
absorption.
thermal system insulation (TSI): Any asbestos-containing material that is
or has been applied to pipes, fittings, boilers, breaching, tanks, ducts,
or other structural components to prevent heat loss or gain.
topography: The natural and artificial surface contour features of an area.
topsoil: The surface layer of soil to a depth of about 1 foot.
toxic wastes: Solid, chemical, and liquid waste materials, generated inciden
tal to manufacturing processes at a laboratory or industrial commer
cial site, which may impair human health.
trustee: A county official whose office has been created by statute to whom
title to real property is conveyed by a Trust Deed for the use and
benefit of the beneficiary, who usually is the lender.
turbidity: A measure of water cloudiness caused by suspended solids.

U
unconfined, water table aquifer: An aquifer in which atmospheric pressure
changes move freely downward through an unsaturated zone of soil
or rock to the water table. Aquifers provide water to wells by drain
ing the aquifer material surrounding the well.
underground storage tank (UST): Any one of a combination of tanks,
including the pipes that connect them, used to contain an accumula

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 Glossary 259

tion of regulated substances, and the volume of which is 10% or more

beneath the surface of the ground.
unsaturated zone: A portion of the soil profile that contains both water and
air. These soil formations do not yield usable amounts of free-flow
ing water.

W
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wastewater: Used residential, commercial, and industrial water that includes

liquid and water-carried wastes.
water table: The top of an unpressurized aquifer, below which the pore
spaces generally are saturated with water. The aquifer is held in place
by an underlying layer of relatively impermeable rock. The water
table depth fluctuates with climate conditions on the land surface
above and with the rate of discharge and recharge of the aquifer.
watershed: Area from which a stream or other body of water receives its
waters.
well: Any shaft or pit dug or bored into the earth, generally of a cylindrical
form, and often walled with bricks or tubing to prevent earth from
caving in.
wetland: Low-lying lands that are near bodies of water, periodically cov
ered by fresh, brackish, or saltwater, and largely covered by vegeta
tion (e.g., swamps, marshes, bogs, intermittent creeks, and streams).
wild and scenic river: A river and the adjacent area within the boundaries
of a designated Natural Wild and Scenic Rivers system.
wilderness area: Undeveloped federal land retaining its pristine character,
with no permanent improvements or human habitation.
wildlife habitat: Areas that provide food, shelter, and living environments
for wild animal populations.

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