Surface water means all water which is open to the atmosphere and subject to surface runoff.
Surface waters means all waters of the state as defined in G.S. 143-212 except underground waters
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.
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.
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.
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.
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;
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.
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.
Water means the chemical element defined as H2O in any of its three natural states, liquid, solid and gaseous.
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.
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.
Drainage area means a geographic area within which stormwater, sediments, or dissolved materials drain to a particular receiving waterbody or to a particular point along a receiving waterbody.
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.
Navigable waters ’ means the waters of the United States, including the territorial sea;
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.
Surface owner means any person who holds record title to the surface of the land as an owner.
Area of shallow flooding means a designated AO or AH Zone on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with one percent or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one to three feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable and indeterminate; and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.
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.
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.
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.
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;
drainage work means any watercourse and includes any land which is expected to provide flood storage capacity for any watercourse and any bank, wall, embankment or other structure, or any appliance, constructed or used for land drainage or flood defence;
Underground mining means all methods of mining other than surface mining.