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| Activated Sludge -
Product that results when primary effluent is mixed with bacteria-laden
sludge and then agitated and aerated to promote biological
treatment, speeding the breakdown of organic matter in raw
sewage undergoing secondary waste treatment. |
| Air Quality Standards -
The level of pollutants prescribed by regulations that are
not be exceeded during a given time in a defined area. |
| Air Quality Criteria -
The levels of pollution and lengths of exposure above which
adverse health and welfare effects may occur. |
| Ambient Air -
Any unconfined portion of the atmosphere - open air, surrounding
air. |
| Ambient Measurement -
A measurement of the concentration of a substance or pollutant
within the immediate environs of an organism; taken to relate
it to the amount of possible exposure. |
| Ambient Medium -
Material surrounding or contacting an organism (e.g. outdoor
air, indoor air, water, or soil) through which chemicals or
pollutants can reach the organism. |
| Ambient Temperature -
Temperature of the surrounding air or other medium. |
| Area Source -
Any source of air pollution that is released over a relatively
small area but which cannot be classified as a point source.
Such sources may include vehicles and other small engines,
small businesses and household activities, or biogenic sources,
such as a forest, that release hydrocarbons. |
| BACT -
(Best Available Control Technology) An emission limitation
based on the maximum degree of emission reduction (considering
energy, environmental, and economic impacts) achievable through
application of production processes and available methods,
systems, and techniques. BACT does not permit emissions in
excess of those allowed under any applicable Clean Air Act
provisions. Use of the BACT concept is allowable on a case
by case basis for major new or modified emissions sources in
attainment areas and applies to each regulated pollutant. |
| Benefit-Cost
Analysis - An economic method for assessing the benefits
and costs of achieving alternative health-based standards
at given levels of health protection |
| Biomass -
All of the living material in a given area; often refers to
vegetation. |
| Biomonitoring -
1. The use of living organisms to test the suitability of effluents
for discharge into receiving waters and to test the quality
of such waters downstream from the discharge. 2. Analysis of
blood, urine, tissues, etc. to measure chemical exposure in
humans. |
| Bioremediation -
Use of living organisms to clean up oil spills or remove other
pollutants from soil, water, or wastewater; use of organisms
such as non-harmful insects to remove agricultural pests or
counteract diseases of trees, plants, and garden soil. |
| Biota -
The animal and plant life of a given region. |
| Biotic Community -
A naturally occurring assemblage of plants and animals that
live in the same environment and are mutually sustaining and
interdependent. |
| Community -
In ecology, an assemblage of populations of different species
within a specified location in space and time. Sometimes, a
particular subgrouping may be specified, such as the fish community
in a lake or the soil arthropod community in a forest. |
| Conservation -
Preserving and renewing, when possible, human and natural resources.
The use, protection, and improvement of natural resources according
to principles that will ensure their highest economic or social
benefits. |
| Contamination -
Introduction into water, air, and soil of microorganisms, chemicals,
toxic substances, wastes, or wastewater in a concentration
that makes the medium unfit for its next intended use. Also
applies to surfaces of objects, buildings, and various household
and agricultural use products. |
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| Degasification -
A water treatment that removes dissolved gases from the water. |
| Ecological/Environmental
Sustainability - Maintenance of ecosystem components
and functions for future generations. |
| Ecological Exposure -
Exposure of a non-human organism to a stressor. |
| Ecological Impact -
The effect that a man-caused or natural activity has on living
organisms and their non-living (abiotic) environment. |
| Ecological Risk
Assessment - The application of a formal framework,
analytical process, or model to estimate the effects of human
actions(s) on a natural resource and to interpret the significance
of those effects in light of the uncertainties identified
in each component of the assessment process. Such analysis
includes initial hazard identification, exposure and dose-response
assessments, and risk characterization. |
| Ecology -
The relationship of living things to one another and their
environment, or the study of such relationships. |
| Ecosystem -
The interacting system of a biological community and its non-living
environmental surroundings. |
| Emission -
Pollution discharged into the atmosphere from smokestacks,
other vents, and surface areas of commercial or industrial
facilities; from residential chimneys; and from motor vehicle,
locomotive, or aircraft exhausts. |
| Endangered Species -
Animals, birds, fish, plants, or other living organisms threatened
with extinction by anthropogenic (man-caused) or other natural
changes in their environment. Requirements for declaring a
species endangered are contained in the Endangered Species
Act. |
| Environment -
The sum of all external conditions affecting the life, development
and survival of an organism. |
| Environmental
Assessment - An environmental analysis prepared pursuant
to the National Environmental Policy Act to determine whether
a federal action would significantly affect the environment
and thus require a more detailed environmental impact statement. |
| Environmental
Audit - An independent assessment of the current status
of a party's compliance with applicable environmental requirements
or of a party's environmental compliance policies, practices,
and controls. |
| Environmental/Ecological
Risk - The potential for adverse effects on living
organisms associated with pollution of the environment by
effluents, emissions, wastes, or accidental chemical releases;
energy use; or the depletion of natural resources. |
| Environmental
Equity/Justice - Equal protection from environmental
hazards for individuals, groups, or communities regardless
of race, ethnicity, or economic status. This applies to the
development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental
laws, regulations, and policies, and implies that no population
of people should be forced to shoulder a disproportionate
share of negative environmental impacts of pollution or environmental
hazard due to a lack of political or economic strength levels. |
| Environmental
Exposure - Human exposure to pollutants originating
from facility emissions. Threshold levels are not necessarily
surpassed, but low-level chronic pollutant exposure is one
of the most common forms of environmental exposure. |
| Environmental
Fate - The destiny of a chemical or biological pollutant
after release into the environment. |
| Environmental
Fate Data - Data that characterize a pesticide's fate
in the ecosystem, considering factors that foster its degradation
(light, water, microbes), pathways and resultant products. |
| Environmental
Impact Statement - A document required of federal
agencies by the National Environmental Policy Act for major
projects or legislative proposals significantly affecting
the environment. A tool for decision making, it describes
the positive and negative effects of the undertaking and
cites alternative actions. |
| Environmental
Indicator - A measurement, statistic or value that
provides a proximate gauge or evidence of the effects of
environmental management programs or of the state or condition
of the environment. |
| Environmental
Site Assessment - The process of determining whether
contamination is present on a parcel of real property. |
| Environmental
Sustainability - Long-term maintenance of ecosystem
components and functions for future generations. |
| Feasibility Study -
1. Analysis of the practicability of a proposal; e.g., a description
and analysis of potential cleanup alternatives for a site such
as one on the National Priorities List. The feasibility study
usually recommends selection of a cost-effective alternative.
It usually starts as soon as the remedial investigation is
underway; together, they are commonly referred to as the "RI/FS".
2. A small-scale investigation of a problem to ascertain whether
a proposed research approach is likely to provide useful data. |
| Floodplain -
The flat or nearly flat land along a river or stream or in
a tidal area that is covered by water during a flood. |
| Ground Water -
The supply of fresh water found beneath the Earth's surface,
usually in aquifers, which supply wells and springs. Because
ground water is a major source of drinking water, there is
growing concern over contamination from leaching agricultural
or industrial pollutants or leaking underground storage tanks. |
| Ground-Water
Discharge - Ground water entering near coastal waters
which has been contaminated by landfill leachate, deep well
injection of hazardous wastes, septic tanks, etc. |
| Habitat -
The place where a population (e.g. human, animal, plant, microorganism)
lives and its surroundings, both living and non-living. |
| Hazard Assessment -
Evaluating the effects of a stressor or determining a margin
of safety for an organism by comparing the concentration which
causes toxic effects with an estimate of exposure to the organism. |
| Human Health
Risk - The likelihood that a given exposure or series
of exposures may have damaged or will damage the health of
individuals. |
| Hydrogeology -
The geology of ground water, with particular emphasis on the
chemistry and movement of water. |
| Hydrology -
The science dealing with the properties, distribution, and
circulation of water. |
| Industrial Source
Reduction - Practices that reduce the amount of any
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any
waste stream or otherwise released into the environment.
Also reduces the threat to public health and the environment
associated with such releases. Term includes equipment or
technology modifications, substitution of raw materials,
and improvements in housekeeping, maintenance, training or
inventory control. |
| Industrial Waste -
Unwanted materials from an industrial operation; may be liquid,
sludge, solid, or hazardous waste. |
| Joint and Several
Liability - Under CERCLA, this legal concept relates
to the liability for Superfund site cleanup and other costs
on the part of more than one potentially responsible party
(i.e. if there were several owners or users of a site that
became contaminated over the years, they could all be considered
potentially liable for cleaning up the site.) |
| Leachate -
Water that collects contaminants as it trickles through wastes,
pesticides or fertilizers. Leaching may occur in farming areas,
feedlots, and landfills, and may result in hazardous substances
entering surface water, ground water, or soil. |
| Mining Waste -
Residues resulting from the extraction of raw materials from
the earth. |
| Monitoring -
Periodic or continuous surveillance or testing to determine
the level of compliance with statutory requirements and/or
pollutant levels in various media or in humans, plants, and
animals. |
| Monitoring Well -
1. A well used to obtain water quality samples or measure groundwater
levels. 2. A well drilled at a hazardous waste management facility
or Superfund site to collect ground-water samples for the purpose
of physical, chemical, or biological analysis to determine
the amounts, types, and distribution of contaminants in the
groundwater beneath the site. |
| National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) - A provision
of the Clean Water Act which prohibits discharge of pollutants
into waters of the United States unless a special permit
is issued by EPA, a state, or, where delegated, a tribal
government on an Indian reservation. |
| New Source Review
(NSR) - A Clean Air Act requirement that State Implementation
Plans must include a permit review that applies to the construction
and operation of new and modified stationary sources in nonattainment
areas to ensure attainment of national ambient air quality
standards. |
| Nitrogen Dioxide
(NO2) - The result of nitric oxide combining with
oxygen in the atmosphere; major component of photochemical
smog. |
| Nitrogen Oxide
(NOx) - The result of photochemical reactions of nitric
oxide in ambient air; major component of photochemical smog.
Product of combustion from transportation and stationary
sources and a major contributor to the formation of ozone
in the troposphere and to acid deposition. |
| Oil Fingerprinting -
A method that identifies sources of oil and allows spills to
be traced to their source. |
| Oil Spill -
An accidental or intentional discharge of oil which reaches
bodies of water. Can be controlled by chemical dispersion,
combustion, mechanical containment, and/or adsorption. Spills
from tanks and pipelines can also occur away from water bodies,
contaminating the soil, getting into sewer systems and threatening
underground water sources. |
| Plume -
1. A visible or measurable discharge of a contaminant from
a given point of origin. Can be visible or thermal in water,
or visible in the air as, for example, a plume of smoke. 2
The area of radiation leaking from a damaged reactor. 3. Area
downwind within which a release could be dangerous for those
exposed to leaking fumes. |
| Release -
Any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying,
discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing
into the environment of a hazardous or toxic chemical or extremely
hazardous substance. |
| Remedial Action
(RA) - The actual construction or implementation phase
of a Superfund site cleanup that follows remedial design. |
| Remedial Design -
A phase of remedial action that follows the remedial investigation/feasibility
study and includes development of engineering drawings and
specifications for a site cleanup. |
| Remedial Investigation -
An in-depth study designed to gather data needed to determine
the nature and extent of contamination at a Superfund site;
establish site cleanup criteria; identify preliminary alternatives
for remedial action; and support technical and cost analyses
of alternatives. The remedial investigation is usually done
with the feasibility study. Together they are usually referred
to as the "RI/FS". |
| Remedial Response -
Long-term action that stops or substantially reduces a release
or threat of a release of hazardous substances that is serious
but not an immediate threat to public health. |
| Remediation -
1. Cleanup or other methods used to remove or contain a toxic
spill or hazardous materials from a Superfund site; 2. for
the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response program, abatement methods
including evaluation, repair, enclosure, encapsulation, or
removal of greater than 3 linear feet or square feet of asbestos-containing
materials from a building. |
| Response Action -
1. Generic term for actions taken in response to actual or
potential health-threatening environmental events such as spills,
sudden releases, and asbestos abatement/management problems.
2. A CERCLA-authorized action involving either a short-term
removal action or a long-term removal response. |
| Restoration -
Measures taken to return a site to pre-violation conditions. |
| Retrofit -
Addition of a pollution control device on an existing facility
without making major changes to the generating plant. Also
called backfit. |
| Risk Assessment -
Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the risk posed to
human health and/or the environment by the actual or potential
presence and/or use of specific pollutants. |
| Risk Management -
The process of evaluating and selecting alternative regulatory
and non-regulatory responses to risk. The selection process
necessarily requires the consideration of legal, economic,
and behavioral factors. |
| River Basin -
The land area drained by a river and its tributaries. |
| Site Assessment
Program - A means of evaluating hazardous waste sites
through preliminary assessments and site inspections to develop
a Hazard Ranking System score. |
| Sludge -
A semi-solid residue from any of a number of air or water treatment
processes; can be a hazardous waste. |
| Stakeholder -
Any organization, governmental entity, or individual that has
a stake in or may be impacted by a given approach to environmental
regulation, pollution prevention, energy conservation, etc. |
| Toxic Substance -
A chemical or mixture that may present an unreasonable risk
of injury to health or the environment. |
| Toxic Waste -
A waste that can produce injury if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed
through the skin. |
| Turbidity -
1. Haziness in air caused by the presence of particles and
pollutants. 2. A cloudy condition in water due to suspended
silt or organic matter. |
| Urban Runoff -
Storm water from city streets and adjacent domestic or commercial
properties that carries pollutants of various kinds into the
sewer systems and receiving waters. |
| Watershed -
The land area that drains into a stream; the watershed for
a major river may encompass a number of smaller watersheds
that ultimately combine at a common point. |
| Well Monitoring -
Measurement by on-site instruments or laboratory methods of
well water quality. |
| Wetlands -
An area that is saturated by surface or ground water with vegetation
adapted for life under those soil conditions, as swamps, bogs,
fens, marshes, and estuaries. |
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