GLOSSARY

 

 

ALGAL BLOOMS – A rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system.

 

AQUIFER - A formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that contains enough saturated permeable material to yield significant quantities of water.

 

BEDROCK - The solid rock that underlies the soil and other unconsolidated material or that is exposed at the surface.

 

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs) - State-approved and published practices that have been determined to be the most practical and effective means of controlling point and non-point pollutants levels for environmental quality goals.

 

BIOMONITORING - The science of inferring the ecological condition of an area by examining the organisms that live there. Although biomonitoring can occur in any ecosystem, it is most often used to assess water quality of rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands.

 

BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD) - A chemical procedure for determining how fast biological organisms use up oxygen in a body of water.

 

BUFFER - An upland area adjacent to the wetland, lake, or stream that is covered with natural vegetation experiencing little to no human impact such as mowing.  The buffer begins at the delineated wetland edge or top of bank of a stream.

 

BOARD OF WATER AND SOIL RESOURCES (BWSR) - The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources is the state’s administrative agency for 91 soil and water conservation districts, 46 watershed districts, 23 metropolitan watershed management organizations, and 80 county water managers. The agency’s purpose, working through local government, is to protect and enhance the state’s soil and water resources by implementing the state’s soil and water conservation policy, comprehensive local water management, and the Wetland Conservation Act as it relates to the 41.7 million acres of private land in Minnesota.

 

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) - A long-range plan which identifies capital projects and equipment purchases, provides a planning schedule and identifies options for financing the plan.

 

CHANNEL - The physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.

 

CITIZEN ASSISTED MONITORING PROGRAM (CAMP) - An opportunity for citizens to become more aware of the lakes in their communities.

 

CLEAN WATER LEGACY ACT (CWLA) - www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/statute and enter 114d in the box for chapter to see the entire statute.

 

CONVEYANCE SYSTEM - A surface water transport system that may include rivers, streams, man-made channels, grass waterways, storm water sewers, culverts, and other control structures.

 

CRITICAL EVENT - For a given frequency (i.e. 100-year frequency), it is the event that produces the highest water level and/or the highest discharge rate.  For example, the runoff from a 24-hour duration rainfall versus the runoff from a 10-day snowmelt may be greater and therefore be considered the critical event.

 

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (DNR) – For more information visit the DNR website at:  www.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/history.

 

DISSOLVED OXYGEN (DO) - A relative measure of the amount of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium (in this case, water).

 

DRIFT (Glacial) – The rock material transported by glacial ice or material deposited by streams from glaciers.

 

EASEMENT - The right to do something or the right to prevent something over the real property of another.

 

EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH COMMITTEE (EPOC) - coordinates both general Commission education and outreach as well as NPDES Phase II education and public outreach activities for the cities in the two watersheds.  The EPOC is open to anyone who chooses to participate, including city representatives, the general public, and Commissioners.  The Committee meets monthly in non-summer months and reviews and advises the Commissions on education and water quality grants, NPDES activities, educational messages, and other topics of interest.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) – For more information visit the EPA website at:  www.epa.gov

 

EROSION - Process by which land is worn away by water or wind.

 

EUTROPHIC - A condition where a body of water has a reduced level of dissolved oxygen producing an increased level of plant life.  A water body with a Trophic State Index from 51 to 70.

 

FLOOD FRINGE - The areas adjacent to the floodway within the 100-year floodplain.

 

FLOODWAY - Channel of a watercourse, such as a stream or river, and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation.

 

FREEBOARD - A factor of safety expressed in feet above the 100-year floodplain.

 

GEOMORPHOLOGY - The geologic study of the configuration and evolution of land forms.

 

GREENWAY - A linear open space established along either a natural corridor, such as a riverfront, stream, valley, or ridgeline, or overland along a railroad right-of-way converted to recreational use, a canal, scenic road or bicycle passage.  An open space connector linking parks, nature reserves, cultural features, or historic sites with each other and with populated areas.  Locally, certain strip or linear parks designated as parkway or greenbelt.

 

HENNEPIN COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (HCDES) - The OVERARCHING GOAL of Environmental Services is to preserve and enhance Hennepin County's environment for future generations through the responsible management of wastes and natural resources and the promotion of environmental stewardship.

 

HENNEPIN COUNTY NATURAL RESOURCE INCENTIVES FOR CRITICAL HABITAT (NRICH) - Encourages the use of BMPs that protect and improve our natural resources.  The program provides financial and technical assistance to landowners and local governments (including schools and city operated nature centers) that implement BMPs to preserve and/or restore critical habitats, reduce erosion, and protect and improve water quality.  More information can be found on the Hennepin County website www.co.hennepin.mn.us.

 

 

 

HIGH WATER LEVEL (HWL) - The highest water level achieved in a pond that is predicted by the 100-year critical event.

 

HYDRAULIC - Involving, moved, or operated by a fluid, especially water, under pressure.

 

HYDRIC SOIL - Soil that is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part.

 

HYDROLOGIC BOUNDARY - The boundary defining a watershed or subwatershed unit.

 

HYDROLOGY - The science concerned with waters of the earth, their occurrence, distribution, and circulation; their physical and chemical properties; and their reaction to the environment.

 

IMPERVIOUS SURFACE – Artificial structures, such as pavements and building roofs, which replace naturally pervious soil with impervious construction materials.

 

INDEX OF BIOTIC INTEGRITY (IBI) – How capable a body of water is to support native species. A ranking is given in several categories receiving a score of five points if it had a value similar to that expected for a fish community characteristic of a system with little human influence, a score of one point if it had a value similar to that expected for a fish community that departs significantly from the reference condition, and a score of three points if it had an intermediate value.

 

INFILTRATION - The passing of water or other substance through pores or small openings, such as through soil.

 

JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT (JPA) – An agreement made between multiple cities to manage the watershed business jointly.

 

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT (LGU) – An Agency (city, town board, or watershed management organization) having the primary responsibility for administration of the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA).

 

LOCAL WATERSHED PLAN (LWP) – A city’s plan for protecting the water resources within their boundaries.

 

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (MDNR) – See DNR above.

 

MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY (MPCA) – For more information visit the website at:  http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.cfm.

 

MINNESOTA RULES CHAPTER 8410 - See www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/arule/8410/ for a complete listing.

 

MINNESOTA STATUTE 103B – See www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/statute  and enter 103B in the box for chapter for a complete listing.

 

MnRAM - A structured tool for evaluating wetland function and value that was developed by the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) and a Technical Advisory Group and is periodically updated (most recent version is 3.1).  It is a series of questions that are scored on various scales, with the results compiled into an index that provides an overall assessment of wetland condition.  The evaluation is best performed by a trained, experienced field technician with plant identification skills and an understanding of surface and groundwater hydrology.

 

MUNICIAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEMS (MS4s) – A sewer system built for the express purpose of managing stormwater runoff.

 

NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (PHASE I/II) (NPDES I/II) - As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States.

 

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT (NAWQA) – Provides an understanding of water-quality conditions and how those conditions may vary locally, regionally, and nationally; whether conditions are getting better or worse over time; and how natural features and human activities affect those conditions.  The USGS implemented the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in 1991 to develop long-term consistent and comparable information on streams, rivers, ground water, and aquatic systems in support of national, regional, State, and local information needs and decisions related to water-quality management and policy.

 

NONPOINT EDUCATION FOR MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS (NEMO) - Was created in the early 1990’s to provide information, education and assistance to local land use boards and commissions on how they can accommodate growth while protecting their natural resources and community character. The program was built upon the basic belief that the future of our communities and environment depend on land use, and, since land use is decided primarily at the local level, education of local land use officials is the most effective, and most cost-effective, way to bring about positive change.

 

NONPOINT SOURCE - Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water.

 

NORMAL WATER LEVEL (NWL) - The lowest controlling elevation of a pond.

 

100-YEAR FLOOD PLAIN - That flood plain associated with an event that has a 1 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded during any year (100-year frequency or recurrence interval).  Usually calculated assuming a 100-year frequency critical event.

 

OUTWASH - Stratified sand and gravel produced by glaciers and carried, sorted, and deposited by glacial melt water.

 

OUTWASH PLAIN - A land form of mainly sandy or coarse textured material of glacial origin created by melting glaciers.  An outwash plain is commonly smooth; where pitted, it is generally low in relief.

 

PERMEABILITY - A characteristic of soil that enables water to move downward through the profile.  Measured in inches per hour.

 

POINT SOURCES - Discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches.

 

PUBLIC WATERS AND WETLANDS - Those waters of the state identified as Public Waters or Wetlands under Minnesota Statutes 6115.0170.  Generally including Type 3, 4, and 5 wetlands as identified in the U.S. Department of Interior Circular 39, Wetlands of the United States, 1971.  Public waters and wetlands are generally those 10 or more acres in size in unincorporated areas, or 2.5 or more acres in size in incorporated area.

 

RIFFLES - Shallow water where the flow is rippling over gravel deposits.

 

RIPARIAN ZONE - The interface between land and a flowing surface water body.

 

SOIL ASSOCIATION - A group of soils geographically associated in a characteristic repeating pattern defined and delineated as a single map unit.

 

STORMWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLAN (SWPPP) – Or stormwater management program (both using BMPs) that effectively reduce or prevent the discharge of pollutants into receiving waters.

 

SUBWATERSHED - A minor drainage unit and a hydrologic component of a watershed.

 

SURFACE RUNOFF - A term used to describe the flow of water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources, over the land surface, and is a major component of the water cycle.

 

SURFICIAL MATERIAL - Unconsolidated deposits of variable content and texture that overlay the bedrock surface.  Major textural categories include alluvium, terraced sands and gravels, loess, till and outwash.

 

TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD (TMDL) – A calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that amount to the pollutant's sources.

 

TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS) - TSS of a water sample is determined by pouring a carefully measured volume of water (typically one liter; but less if the particulate density is high, or as much as two or three liters for very clean water) through a pre-weighed filter of a specified pore size, then weighing the filter again after drying to remove all water. The gain in weight is a dry weight measure of the particulates present in the water sample expressed in units derived or calculated from the volume of water filtered (typically milligrams per liter or mg/l).

 

TURBIDITY - The cloudiness or haziness of a fluid, or of air, caused by individual particles (suspended solids) that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air.

 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS) – For more information visit the USGS website at:  www.usgs.gov.

 

VOLATILE ORGANIC CHEMICAL (VOC) – is an organic chemical compound that has high enough vapor pressure under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere.

 

WATER QUALITY PLAN (WQP) - is intended to help achieve a Second Generation Management Plan goal of protecting and improving water quality.

 

WATER RESOURCE LIBRARY - A compilation of information from various agencies and cities used in the Preparation of the Watershed Management Plan.  This library is available at the Watershed offices.

 

WATERSHED - All lands that are enclosed by a continuous hydrologic drainage divide and lay upslope from a specified outlet point.

 

WETLAND - Transitional land between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table if usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water.  Wetlands must have a predominance of hydric soils, be inundated or saturated with water at a frequency and duration to support a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, and under normal circumstances, support a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation.

 

WETLAND BANK - System of identifying wetlands restored or created for replacement credit, providing for, and facilitating and tracking the exchange of wetland banking credits for projects that require replacement plans or wetland mitigation.

 

WETLAND CONSERVATION ACT (WCA) – For more information visit the BWSR website at:  www.bwsr.state.mn.us/wetlands/wca/WCAfactsheet1.html.

 

WETLAND FUNCTIONS are defined as a process or series of processes that take place within a wetland.  These include the storage of water, transformation of nutrients, growth of living matter, and diversity of wetland plants, and they have value for the wetland itself, for surrounding ecosystems, and for people.

 

WETLAND HEALTH EVALUATION PROGRAM (WHEP) – utilizes volunteers to collect macroinvertebrate and plant data on wetlands.  The data is used to calculate an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for each monitored wetland.  The IBI can be used as an indicator of general wetland health, and also as a metric to help detect change.  Changes in hydrology, water quality, etc., will be reflected in the types of plant communities in the wetland and by the pollution-tolerance of the macroinvertebrates