Base Flood Elevation: The computed elevation to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during the base flood.
Evapotranspiration Cover System: A protective cover that will be placed on top of the landfill.
Feasibility Study: The evaluation of various clean up options for the waste and contaminated soils of a landfill.
Floodplain: Any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwaters from any source. The land area covered by the floodwaters of a given flood.
Floodway (Regulatory Floodway): The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height. Typically the portion of the floodplain needed to carry the deeper, faster moving water. All projects in the regulatory floodway must undergo review to determine their affect on the flood flows, to ensure that they do not increase flood heights.
Incremental Sampling: Removing soil from the ground so that each layer of soil can be tested separately for contaminants.
Landfill: A place to dispose of refuse and other waste material.
Leachate: Rainwater/Groundwater that passes through the waste site collecting waste particles that sometimes moves off the landfill.
Operable Unit: Zones of the landfill
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): A group of over 100 different chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil and gas, garbage, or other substances like tobacco or charbroiled meat. PAHs are usually found as a mixture containing two or more of these compounds, such as soot. For more information about the health impacts of PAHs, click here.
Pre-design Investigation: Activities to find the boundaries and location of waste and contaminated soil at a landfill.
Record of Decision: The remedial action (clean up plan) selected to protect the public health and/or welfare of the environment from actual or threatened releases of hazardous substances into the environment.
Remedial Action: The implementation of the clean up plan.
Remedial Investigation: The collection of soil, water and air samples to determine the nature and extent of contamination, as well as develop a human health assessment and ecological assessment.
Superfund Site: An uncontrolled or abandoned place where hazardous waste is located, possibly affecting local ecosystems and/or people.
100-YR Flood: One percent (1 out of 100) chance of a flood occurring in any given year. Does not mean once every 100 years.