Acre-foot- An acre of water one foot deep (approximately 326,000 gallons). The typical California family of five uses an acre-foot of water in and around the home each year.

Ambient- Refers to the overall conditions surrounding a place or thing. For example, ambient monitoring refers to comprehensive monitoring of water quality, biota, sediments, etc.

Anadromous- Fish that live some or all of their adult lives in salt water but migrate to fresh water to spawn (reproduce).

Anthropogenic- Effects or processes that are derived from human activities, as opposed to natural effects or processes that occur in the environment without human influence.

Beneficial Use- Uses of the waters of the state that may be protected against quality degradation, including domestic, municipal, agricultural, and industrial supply; recreation and navigation; and the preservation of fish and wildlife.

Benthos- Zone at the bottom of a body of water inhabited by mussels, clams, crustaceans, and other aquatic life.

Best Available Technology- The best economically achievable technology that reduces negative impacts on the environment.

Best Management Practice- A method, activity, maintenance procedure, or other management practice for reducing the amount of pollution entering a water body. The term originated from the rules and regulations developed pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act (40 CFR 130).

Best Development Practice- Those codes, procedures, or other land-use practices that minimize adverse environmental impacts.

Bioaccumulation- Accumulation by organisms of contaminants by ingestion or from contact with the skin or respiratory tissue.

Bioassay- A laboratory test using live organisms to measure biological effects of a substance, factor, or condition.

Bioavailability- The extent to which a compound is obtainable for biological use by organisms.

Bioconcentration- Chemicals that increase in living organisms resulting in concentrations greater than those found in the environment.

Biota- All living organisms that exist in a region.

Brackish- Somewhat salty water that is less salty than sea water.

Brine- Concentrated solution of salts.

Buffer areas- Zones created or sustained to minimize the negative effects of land development on animals and plants and their habitats.

Carcinogenic- Capable of causing or inciting cancer.

Conjunctive Use- The use of land, air, or water for more than one purpose or by more than one person. Conjunctive uses exist side by side or in tandem.

Conservation Easements- Areas that allow for unrestricted movement of biota by connecting protected wildlife regions to each other. These corridors are usually established by joint agreement between landowners and state or federal agencies and may be temporary or perpetual.

Contamination- The impairment of water quality by waste to a degree that creates a hazard to public health through poisoning or through the spread of disease.

Cumulative Effects- The combined environmental impacts that accrue over time and space from a series of similar or related individual actions, contaminants, or projects. Although each action may seem to have a negligible impact, the combined effect can be severe.

DDE and DDT- Dichloro-diphenyldichloro-ethlyene and dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane are two formerly commonly-used pesticides that are now banned in the United States.

Delta- An area formed by alluvial deposits of sand, silt, mud, and other particles at the mouth of a river.

Detritus- Small particles of organic matter, largely derived from the breakdown of dead vegetation. Detritus is an important source of food in marshes and mudflats.

Diking- A method of artificially changing the direction of a course of water or confining water.

Diversion- The act of turning the natural course of water for use in other purposes.

Draft- The measure of the portion of a ship that is below the water's surface.

Dredging- The removal of sediments from the estuary and ocean floor.

Effluent- Waste water discharged into the Estuary from point sources.

EIR/EIS- Environmental Impact Reports and Statements that are required by state law (California Environmental Quality Act) and federal law (National Environmental Policy Act) for major projects or legislative proposals that significantly affect the environment. EIRs (state) and EISs (federal) facilitate decision making as they describe the positive and negative effects of the action and prescribe alternative actions.

Endemic- A native species defined in terms of a restricted geographical range.

Entrapment Zone- The area where salty ocean water moving upstream mixes with fresh water flowing downstream. The mixing dynamics in this zone trap nutrients, organic and inorganic materials (e.g., fish and invertebrate eggs), and other food sources. These circumstances enable considerable plant and animal growth, but an entrapment zone's success depends on its location and surrounding conditions.

Entrainment- The collection and transport of objects caught by the flow of a fluid moving at high velocity. For example, fish are often inadvertently entrained by water diversions.

Estuary- A body of water at the lower end of a river, which is connected to the ocean and semi-enclosed by land. In an estuary, sea water is measurably diluted by fresh water from the land.

Fill- Soil, sand, and debris deposited in aquatic areas, such as wetlands, to create dry land, usually for agricultural or commercial development purposes.

Food Web- Network of interconnected food chains and feeding interactions among organisms.

Groundwater recharge- Replenishment of water that circulates in underground aquifers.

Habitat- The specific area or environment in which a particular type of plant or animal lives. An organism's habitat must provide all of the basic requirements for life and should be free of harmful contaminants.

Impermeable layer- Layer of clay below ground surface that can impede downward percolation of water.

Indicator Species- A species whose characteristics show the presence of specific environmental conditions and are representative of a certain habitat type or function.

Indigenous- Species whose origin has not been introduced from elsewhere.

Invertebrates- Small organisms, such as clams and worms, that lack a spinal column. Many of these filter bottom sediments and water for food.

Leach- To pass out or through soil by water percolation.

Leaching- The removal of salts and trace elements from soil by the downward percolation of water.

Levee- Raised bank of earth built to control or confine water (also known as a dike).

Marsh- A wetland where the dominant vegetation is non-woody plants, such as grasses and sedges, as opposed to a swamp, where the dominant vegetation is woody plants like trees.

Mean- Mid-point between high and low.

Mitigation- Actions taken to alleviate the negative effects of a particular project. Wetland mitigation usually takes the form of restoration, or enhancement of a previously damaged wetland or creation of a new wetland.

Mounding- Refers to dredged sediments disposed of in the water that build up instead of dispersing with currents and tides.

Mutagenic- A substance that tends to increase mutations or chromosomal alterations.

Native- Refers to those species originating naturally in a particular region.

Non-Indigenous- Species not naturally living or growing in a particular area. (NOTE: For the purposes of the CCMP, desirable non-indigenous species are those that provide beneficial use to the Estuary. For example, the striped bass are considered beneficial because they provide an important recreational opportunity.)

Nonpoint Source Pollution- Pollution that enters water from dispersed and uncontrolled sources, such as surface runoff, rather than through pipes. Nonpoint sources (e.g., forest practices, agricultural practices, on-site sewage disposal, automobiles, and recreational boats) may contribute pathogens, suspended solids, and toxicants. While individual sources may seem insignificant, the cumulative effects of nonpoint source pollution can be significant.

NPDES- National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a provision of the Clean Water Act that prohibits discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States unless a special permit is issued by EPA, a state, or another delegated agency.

PAHs- Polycyclic or Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons. A class of complex organic compounds, some of which are persistent and cancer-causing. These compounds are formed from the combustion of organic material and are ubiquitous in the environment. PAHs are commonly formed by forest fires and by the combustion of gasoline and other petroleum products. They often reach the environment through atmospheric fallout and highway runoff.

PCBs- Polychlorinated Biphenyls. A group of manufactured chemicals, including about seventy different but closely related compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine. If released to the environment, PCBs persist for long periods and can biomagnify in food chains because they have no natural usage in the food web. PCBs are suspected of causing cancer in humans and other animals. PCBs are an example of an organic toxicant.

Peat- Partially carbonized vegetable tissue that forms as plants decompose in water and are deposited and compacted.

Permeable- Able to be infiltrated by water.

Phytoplankton- Tiny floating plants that are eaten by minute animals, fish larvae, and other larger organisms.

Plankton- Microscopic plants and animals that drift with the currents.

Plume- An elongated cloud of suspended sediment.

Point Source Pollution- A source of pollutants from a single point of conveyance, such as a pipe. For example, the discharge from a sewage treatment plant or a factory is a point source.

Pollutant- A harmful chemical or waste material discharged into the environment. Persistent pollutants are those that do not degrade, causing potential long-term chronic toxicity to biotas.

Pollution- Impairment of land, air, or water quality by agricultural, domestic, or industrial waste to a degree having an adverse effect on beneficial uses or the facilities that serve such beneficial uses.

POTWs- Publicly Owned Treatment Works treat municipal sewage and waste water before discharging it into the Estuary.

Remediation- A way of correcting or alleviating a problem or situation. Legally, remediation is either a means of compensating for a violation of the law or for unavoidable impacts resulting from legal activities.

Restore- For the purposes of the CCMP, restoration implies improving the health of the Estuary. Rather than attempting to completely restore the Estuary to its historical state, the CCMP strives to maintain, protect, and enhance the ecological integrity of the Estuary within the given urban context. The CCMP attempts to regain as much of the altered or destroyed wetlands as possible, to establish the highest restoration or target goals, to ensure continuance of beneficial uses, and to generally provide a sustainable ecosystem.

Reverse Flows- When freshwater inflow is low and export pumping is high, the lower San Joaquin River changes direction and flows upstream.

Riparian- Habitat occurring along the bank of a natural and freshwater waterway (e.g., a river, stream, or creek) that provides for a high density, diversity, and productivity of plant and animal species.

Runoff- Water from rain, melted snow, or agricultural or landscape irrigation that flows over the land surface.

Salts- A class of compounds that includes common table salts, sodium chloride, as well as salts of concern in irrigated agriculture, e.g., the various carbonated, bicarbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and chlorides of sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Savanna- A grassland area containing scattered trees and drought-resistant undergrowth.

Sediment- Mud, sand, silt, clay, shell debris, and other particles that settle on the bottoms of waterways.

Selenium- A naturally occurring element essential to human and animal sustenance. However, selenium is toxic at little over the suggested nutritional levels. Selenium is used in a variety of products, is a bi-product of many industrial activities, and is leached from the soil and becomes agricultural runoff.

Slough- A channel through a marsh or mudflat.

Slurry- Sediments mixed with water.

Source Reduction- An approach that uses raw material substitution and technological improvements to eliminate toxic wastes at their source.

Spawn- The act of reproduction of fish, which includes egg laying and fertilization, and sometimes nest building (e.g., salmon).

Special Status Species- Federal and state classifications for plant and animal species that are either listed as threatened or endangered, are formally recognized candidates for a listing, or are declining to a point where they may be listed.

Subsidence- Lowering or sinking of land caused by compaction, wind and water erosion, oxidation of peat soils, and other causes.

Subsurface Drainage- When an impermeable clay layer causes water to accumulate just beneath the land's surface. Tile drains remove water from the root zone to a stream, drainage ditch, or evaporation pond.

Suspended Sediments- Undissolved particles floating in water.

Tailwater and Seepage- Tailwater is the excess irrigation water that runs off the surface of a field; seepage is the excess that sinks in.

TBT- Tributyltin. An organic compound used as an additive in many marine antifoulant paints used to prevent algal and barnacle growth. Tributyltin is highly toxic to many marine organisms.

THMs- Trihalomethanes are carcinogens that are by-products of the water disinfection process. They are formed when organic compounds found in water come into contact with chlorine used for disinfection during water treatment.

Tide- The alternating rise and fall of the ocean and bay surface that occurs twice a day, caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon upon the earth and by the rotation of the earth, moon, and sun.

Tile Drains- A network of pipes, formerly made of ceramic tile but now usually plastic, buried in fields below the root zone of plants. The drains are designed to collect excess water and carry it by gravity flow to one point where it can be pumped out to a canal, stream, or evaporation pond.

Trace Elements- Members of the set of ninety-two naturally occurring elements (such as selenium and silver) found in low concentrations, usually less than one part per million. Trace elements can be found in rocks, soil, and water.

Treatment- Waste water treatment is divided into three steps: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary treatment uses screens and sedimentation tanks to remove most materials likely to float on the water or settle on the bottom. Secondary treatment uses a biological process to consume organic materials in the waste and disinfect the effluent. Tertiary treatment removes additional nutrients, suspended solids, and other pollutants.

Turbidity- The clouding of a naturally clear liquid due to suspension of fine solids. Because turbidity reduces the amount of light penetrating the water column, high turbidity levels are harmful to aquatic life.

Water Column- The layer of water between surface and bottom sediments. The water column contains dissolved and particulate matter and provides habitat for plankton, fish, and marine mammals.

Wetlands- Lands that are transitional areas between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. Two major wetland types of concern are seasonal wetlands inundated by winter and spring rainfall and flooding, and tidal wetlands flooded daily by ocean tides.

Vernal Pools- Depressions that fill with rain water in the wet season and dry out in late spring. Vernal pools often contain plants that can withstand extremes in water availability.

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