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.
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.
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.
Reservoir means a water impoundment project operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers that is intended to retain water or delay the runoff of water in a designated surface area of land.
Water Surface Elevation (WSE means the height, in relation to NAVD 1988, of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains of riverine areas.
Surface waters means water on the surface of the ground where water does not usually accumulate in ordinary watercourses, lakes, or ponds. This includes any waterborne objects.
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 Borings and Testing means borings, probings and subsurface explorations, laboratory tests and inspections of samples, materials and equipment; appropriate professional interpretations of all the foregoing.
Surface water means all water which is open to the atmosphere and subject to surface runoff.
Underground mining means all methods of mining other than surface mining.
Vegetation means trees, shrubs, nursery stock and other vegetation and includes the limbs or growth of any Vegetation.
Potable means water suitable for drinking by the public.
Underground storage tank or “UST” means any one or combination of tanks (including underground pipes connected thereto) that is used to contain an accumulation of regulated substances, and the volume of which (including the volume of underground pipes connected thereto) is 10 percent or more beneath the surface of the ground. This term does not include any:
Stormwater runoff means water flow on the surface of the ground or in storm sewers, resulting from precipitation.
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;
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 source of drinking water means an aquifer or its portion:
Navigable waters ’ means the waters of the United States, including the territorial sea;
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.
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”.)
Underground storage means storage of gas in a subsurface stratum or formation of the earth.
impermeable surface means a surface or pavement constructed and maintained to a standard sufficient to prevent the transmission of liquids beyond the pavement surface, and should be read in conjunction with the term “sealed drainage system” (below).
Water well means an excavation that is drilled, cored, bored, augered, washed, driven, dug, jetted, or otherwise constructed for the purpose of exploring for groundwater, monitoring groundwater, utilizing the geothermal properties of the ground, or extracting water from or injecting water into the aquifer. “Water well” does not include an open ditch or drain tiles or an excavation made for obtaining or prospecting for oil, natural gas, minerals, or products mined or quarried.
Stormwater management planning area means the geographic area for which a stormwater management planning agency is authorized to prepare stormwater management plans, or a specific portion of that area identified in a stormwater management plan prepared by that agency.
Invasive plant species means species of plants not historically found in California that spread outside cultivated areas and can damage environmental or economic resources. Invasive species may be regulated by county agricultural agencies as noxious species. Lists of invasive plants are maintained at the California Invasive Plant Inventory and USDA invasive and noxious weeds database.