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Important Terms
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Question | Answer |
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Land Capability Analysis | Determines the requirements and cost of a development project by examining the land's geologic, hydrologic, and soil characteristics. |
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) | CEQ manages federal environmental actions by supervising environmental impact assessments at the federal level and coordinating with federal agencies in creating environmental policies. |
Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) | Bodies and agencies who may be responsible for certain environmental cleanups. Maintained by the Superfund Enforcement Tracking System. |
Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) | HAP is a harmful pollutant that is not tracked by the NAAQS |
Esker | A long and thin hill that was previously covered by ice but now consists of sand and gravel. |
Drumlin | An egg-shaped piece of land formed by a glacier. The glacier flows along the long axis. |
Moraine | A rock and soil formation deposited by a glacier |
Hydric soil | A soil type commonly found in wetlands |
Vernal pool | A type of wetland that holds water only during certain seasons. although it holds no fish, it serves as a breeding ground for amphibians. |
Tidal Range | The difference between the water height at high tide and the water height at low tide. |
Wrack | The organic material (algae, plants and animals) deposited onto the beach at high tide. |
Volatile organic compounds | Organic compounds that evaporate very quickly, such as petroleum, hydrocarbons, and solvents. |
Lacustrine | An environment with lake-type characteristics, including wetlands. |
Palustrine | A non-tidal wetland possessing cattails, such as swamp or marsh |
Limnology | The study of lakes and ponds, and their biological, chemical, and hydrologic characteristics |
Oligotrophic | A deep lake containing a minimal amount of organic matter. |
Littoral | Describes a water zone extending form the high water mark to permanently submerged shoreline areas. These zones contain aquatic plants that are permanently rooted. |
Sole source aquifer | Supplies the majority of drinking water to a particular area. The EPA has designated 7 aquifers as sole source, which protects them against contamination. |
Tributary | A stream, subterranean, or above-ground source of water flow that feeds into a larger stream. A tributary may be intermittent. |
100th Meridian | The dividing line between east and west in the US. The East receives 20% more precipitation than the West. |
Maximum contaminant level (MCL) | The highest amount of a particular contaminant that drinking water can legally contain. For instance, 10 ppm (parts per million) is the MCL for nitrates in drinking water. 4 ppm is the MCL for fluoride in drinking water. |
total maximum daily load (TDL) | the highest amount of a particular contaminant that a body of water can contain while still meeting federal water quality standards. |
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) | Used in electrical transformers until 1976. It was banned in 1979 because it causes health problems and, if present, as a long lasting negative impact upon the environment. |
Prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) | Requires persons and organizations to make an application and to complete a review process before creating stationary sources of pollution in areas that conform to NAAQS standards, aka "containment areas". PSD is part of the Clean Air Act. |
Empowerment Zone | An area that receives tax incentives to locate businesses and hire local residents to empower an economically disadvantaged area. |
Enterprise Zone | An area where policies are implemented to encourage economic growth and development. |
Land Suitability Analysis | Developed by Ian McHarg. Determines the fitness of a parcel for a particular use. General area study. Understanding the potential and limitations of the land for a use as they are affected by multiple factors. |