XI. GLOSSARY of TECHNICAL TERMS
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Santa Maria Integrated Waste Management Facility EIR Section XI Glossary of Technical Terms XI. GLOSSARY of TECHNICAL TERMS AB 939 (Assembly Bill 939): Enacted as the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989. California law requiring each city and county to prepare plans detailing how the jurisdiction will meet specified waste diversion goals. The Act establishes a waste-management hierarchy for the State, emphasizing (in order of importance) source reduction, recycling and composting, and environmentally-safe transformation and environmentally safe landfilling. Acre: A unit of land equal to 43,560 square feet. Acre-foot: A unit of measure for water demand and supply. The volume of one acre-foot would cover one acre to a depth of one foot and is equal to 325,851 gallons. Air Basin: An area of the state designated by the Air Resources Board pursuant to Subdivision (a) of § 39606 of the California Health and Safety Code for air quality planning purposes. Air District: A political body responsible for managing air quality on a regional or county basis. California is currently divided into 35 air districts. Air Pollution Control District (APCD): A regional government bureau responsible for attainment and management of air quality standards through permitting and regulating of the emission sources. Alternative Daily Cover (ADC): ADC is any non-soil material used for covering waste deposited in a landfill at the end of each working day, that meets regulatory requirements (Title 27 CCR, §20690) and the approval of the LEA. Ambient: Surrounding on all sides. Ambient Air: Any unconfined portion of the atmosphere; the outside air. Ambient Air Quality Standard (AAQS): A federal and state measure of the level of air contamination that is not to be exceeded in order to protect human health. Aquifer: a geological formation, group of formations, or portion of a formation capable of yielding significant quantities of ground water to wells or springs. Alquist-Priolo Special Study Zone: In 1972, the State of California began delineating Special Studies Zones around active and potentially active faults in the State. The zones extend about 660 feet on either side of identified fault traces. No structures for human occupancy may be built across an identified fault trace. An area of 50 feet on either side of an active fault trace is assumed to be underlain by the fault unless proven otherwise. Proposed construction within the Special Studies Zone can take place only following completion of a geotechnical report prepared by a California Registered Geologist or Certified Engineering Geologist. Average Daily Trips (ADT): Number of vehicles traveling per normal day on a roadway. City of Santa Maria XI-1 Santa Maria Integrated Waste Management Facility EIR Section XI Glossary of Technical Terms Beneficial Use: Beneficially using a waste instead of disposing of it in a landfill. Examples include agricultural land application of ash or dewatered sludge for soil amendment purposes. Best Available Control Measure (BACM): A term used to describe the “best” measures (according to U.S. EPA guidance) for controlling small or dispersed sources of particulate matter and other emissions from sources such as roadway dust, woodstoves, and open burning. Best Available Control Technology (BACT): BACT is defined as the most stringent emissions control which for a given air emission source has been 1) achieved in practice; 2) is identified in a State Implementation Plan; or 3) has been found by the air district to be technologically achievable and cost-effective. Best Management Practice (BMP): Any program, technology, process, siting criteria, operational method, measure, or device which controls, prevents, removes, or reduces pollution. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): California law requiring the disclosure of environmental effects of proposed projects before discretionary approval can be issued. Carbon dioxide (CO2): A colorless, odorless gas produced when any carbon-based fuel is burned. Also produced via animal respiration. Carbon monoxide (CO): A colorless, odorless, toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion of carbon in fossil fuels. Cell: That portion of compacted solid wastes in a landfill that is enclosed by natural soil or cover material during a designated period. Class II Landfill: Landfill permitted to accept municipal solid waste (MSW) and designated wastes. Class II landfill construction design and operation requires more stringent groundwater protection than Class III landfills. Class III Landfill: Sanitary landfill typically permitted to accept only municipal solid waste (MSW). Clay Liner: A continuous layer of clay installed beneath or on the sides of a waste management unit, which acts as a barrier to vertical or lateral movement of fluid, including waste and leachate. Commercial Solid Wastes: Commercial solid wastes include all types of solid wastes generated by stores, offices, and other commercial sources. Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL): A noise compatibility level established by California Administrative Code, Title 21, Section 5000. Represents a time-weighted 24-hour average noise level based on the A-weighted decibel. The CNEL scale includes an additional 5 dB adjustment to sounds occurring in the evening (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and a 10 dB adjustment to sound occurring in the late evening and early morning between (10 p.m. and 7 a.m.). City of Santa Maria XI-2 Santa Maria Integrated Waste Management Facility EIR Section XI Glossary of Technical Terms Composite Liner: Liner system that is constructed of a single clay liner, over which a synthetic liner (such as a liner made of high density polyethylene plastic) is placed in direct contact. Composting: The process by which discarded organic materials – including (for example) tree trimmings, grass clippings, yard waste, agricultural wastes, leaf debris and sewage sludge – are converted to usable products through controlled biological decomposition. Co-composting: Composting of biosolids (sewage sludge) with yard waste or other materials. Containment System: The portion of the disposal cell that is comprised of the liner and leachate collection and removal system. County Integrated Waste Management Plan (CIWMP): Plan submitted by each county to the California Integrated Waste Management Board consisting of the following: All city and regional agency Source Reduction and Recycling Elements (SRREs) and Household Hazardous Waste Elements (HHWEs); SRRE and HHWE prepared for the unincorporated areas of the county; The Countywide Siting Element and Summary Plan; and The Nondisposal Facility Element. County Solid Waste Management Plan (CSWMP): Waste management plan required prior to passage of AB 939. Under AB 939, the plan is to be superseded by the CIWMP. Countywide Siting Element (Countywide Solid Waste Facility Siting Element): Under AB 939, each county must prepare a Countywide Siting Element which includes a description of the area to be used for development of adequate transformation or disposal capacity consistent with the development and implementation of the county and city SRREs. Cover Material: Material (usually soil) used at a landfill to cover compacted waste at specific, designated intervals. Its purpose is to serve as a barrier to: the emergence or attraction of vectors, the progress of fires within the landfill, the escape of odor, and excess infiltration of surface water runoff. Daily Cover: Cover material spread and compacted on the entire surface of the active face of the sanitary landfill at least at the end of each operating day in order to control vectors, fire, water infiltration, erosion, and to prevent unsightliness and scavenging. Decibel: A unit used to express relative difference in power or intensity, usually between two acoustic or electric signals. The A-weighted decibel scale (dBA) represents the relative insensitivity of the human ear to low pitched sounds; decibels are logarithmic units that compare the wide range of sound intensives to which the human ear is sensitive. Designated Waste: Can be either 1) non-hazardous waste that consists of or contains pollutants that, under ambient environmental conditions at the landfill, could be released at concentrations in excess of applicable water quality objectives, or that could cause degradation of waters of the state; or 2) hazardous waste that has been granted a variance from hazardous waste management requirements pursuant to §66310 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR). City of Santa Maria XI-3 Santa Maria Integrated Waste Management Facility EIR Section XI Glossary of Technical Terms Effluent: Wastewater or other liquid, partially or completely treated or in its natural state, flowing from a treatment plant. Emission: Unwanted substances released by human activity into air or water. Erosion: The process by which material is removed from the earth's surface (including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, and transportation), most commonly by wind or water. Equivalent Noise Level (Leq): A single-number representation of the fluctuating sound level in decibels over a specified period of time. It is a sound-energy average of the fluctuating level. Expansive Soils: Soils that swell when they absorb water and shrink as they dry. Fault: A fracture or zone of fractures in rock strata which have undergone movement that displaces the sides relative to each other, usually in a direction parallel to the fracture. Abrupt movement on faults is a cause of most earthquakes. Fugitive