Groundwater means all water, which is below the surface of the ground in the saturation zone and in direct contact with the ground or subsoil.
Soil means all unconsolidated mineral and organic material of any origin.
Underground source of drinking water means an aquifer or its portion:
Water means the chemical element defined as H2O in any of its three natural states, liquid, solid and gaseous.
Topsoil means a varying depth (up to 300 mm) of the soil profile irrespective of the fertility, appearance, structure, agricultural potential, fertility and composition of the soil;
Potable means water suitable for drinking by the public.
Surface waters means all waters of the state as defined in G.S. 143-212 except underground waters
Underground storage means storage of hazardous liquid in a subsurface stratum or formation of the earth.
Underground injection means the subsurface emplacement of fluids through a bored, drilled or driven well; or through a dug well, where the depth of the dug well is greater than the largest surface dimension. (See also “injection well”.)
Surface water means all water which is open to the atmosphere and subject to surface runoff.
Sediment means solid material, mineral or organic, that is in suspension, is being transported, or has been moved from its site of origin by air, water or gravity as a product of erosion.
Mine drainage means any drainage, and any water pumped or siphoned, from an active mining area or a post-mining area. The abbreviation “ml/l” means milliliters per liter.
Navigable waters ’ means the waters of the United States, including the territorial sea;
Drainage means the movement of water to a place of disposal, whether by way of the natural characteristics of the ground surface or by artificial means;
Wetlands means those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.
Surface impoundment or "impoundment" means a facility or part of a facility which is a natural topographic depression, man-made excavation, or diked area formed primarily of earthen materials (although it may be lined with man-made materials), which is designed to hold an accumulation of liquid wastes or wastes containing free liquids, and which is not an injection well. Examples of surface impoundments are holding, storage, settling, and aeration pits, ponds, and lagoons.
Subsurface tracer study means the release of a substance tagged with radioactive material for the purpose of tracing the movement or position of the tagged substance in the well-bore or adjacent formation.
Uppermost aquifer means the geologic formation nearest the natural ground surface that is an aquifer, as well as lower aquifers that are hydraulically interconnected with this aquifer within the facility's property boundary.
Water surface elevation means the height, in relation to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929, the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, or other datum, where specified, of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains of riverine areas.
Underground area means an underground room, such as a basement, cellar, shaft or vault, providing enough space for physical inspection of the exterior of the tank situated on or above the surface of the floor.
Underground tank means a device meeting the definition of tank whose entire surface area is totally below the surface of and covered by the ground.
Vegetation means trees, shrubs, nursery stock and other vegetation and includes the limbs or growth of any Vegetation.
Wildlife habitat means a surface water of the state used by plants and animals not considered as pathogens, vectors for pathogens or intermediate hosts for pathogens for humans or domesticated livestock and plants.
Aquifer means a geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a formation capable of yielding a significant amount of groundwater to wells or springs.
Underground mining means all methods of mining other than surface mining.
Impervious surface means a surface that has been covered with a layer of material so that it is highly resistant to infiltration by water.