Advection The usually horizontal movement of a mass of water (as in an ocean current); or the transport of pollutants or plankton by such movement. Aerial deposition The process by which airborne toxic contaminants enter the Bay via aerial fallout. Anti-fouling hull paint Paint that retards the growth of organisms (i.e. barnacles, corals, algae, worms, etc.) on boat hulls. These paints may contain toxic elements such as cuprous oxide. Aquatic biota The flora and fauna living in the water. Bacterial indicators Specific bacteria whose presence can indicate the recent release of untreated wastewater and/or the presence of pathogens that are harmful to humans. Benthic infauna Any of a diverse group of aquatic animals that live within marine and fresh water sediments. Best Management Practices Activities, practices, facilities, and/or procedures that when implemented to their maximum efficiency will prevent or reduce pollutants in discharges. Bilge pads Absorbent pads designed to absorb fuel and oil while “repelling” the absorption of water. These oil-absorbent pads can absorb between 12 oz. and 1 gallon of liquid petroleum product (fuel or oil), depending on the size and shape of the pad. Biomass The amount of living matter (as in a unit area or volume of habitat). Brackish A mixture of fresh and saltwater typically found in estuarine areas. Catchbasin Curbside opening that collects rainwater from streets and serves as an entry point to the storm drain system. Channelization The straightening and/or the surfacing of rivers and streams to permit water to move rapidly and/or directly downstream. Chemical treatment Any one of a variety of technologies that use chemicals or a variety of chemical processes to treat waste. Clean Water Act Clean Water Act -The Federal water quality control law governing surface waters establishing water quality objectives, waste discharge standards, and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Culvert Concrete or corrugated steel drainage pipes used to convey water under structures such as roads, highways, or bridges. DDT Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane. The first chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide. It has a half-life of 15 years and can collect in fatty tissues of certain animals. EPA banned registration and interstate sale of DDT for virtually all but emergency uses in the United States in 1972 because of its persistence in the environment and accumulation in the food chain. dredging Removal of sediment from the bottom of water bodies. This can disturb the ecosystem and causes silting that kills aquatic life. Dredging of contaminated sediments can expose biota to heavy metals and other toxins. dry weather diversion Devices that allow dry-weather storm drain flows to be diverted to the sewer system for treatment year-round. Diversions are stopped during storm events. These diversions serve to significantly reduce the amount of untreated dry weather runoff reaching coastal waters. E. coli A bacterium (Escherichia coli) occurring in various strains that can live as harmless inhabitants of the human lower intestine, or can produce a toxin causing intestinal illness. Public Health officials use E. Coli to indicate the presence of pathogenic bacteria in water. Effluent Wastewater, treated or untreated, that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers to wastes discharged into surface waters. El Niсo El Niсo, or El Niсo Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is an anomalous oceanographic and atmospheric event in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that usually occurs every three to seven years and is characterized by an increase in the sea-surface temperature in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. ENSO is thought to be responsible for anomalous climatic conditions spanning most of the globe. Many of the resulting impacts of El Niсo are negative, causing drought, famine, and floods. Enteric Of intestinal origin, especially applied to wastes or bacteria. Enterococcus Any of a genus (Streptococcus) of nonmotile, usually parasitic, bacteria occurring in the intestine. This bacteria is regularly measured in the Bay to provide an indication of the presence of disease-causing bacteria. Epidemiologic Dealing with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population. Eutrophic Eutrophic conditions occur when the concentration of nutrients in rivers, estuaries, and other bodies of water increases and results in anaerobic (lack of oxygen) conditions in the water column. The increase of nutrients stimulates algae "blooms" as the algae decays and dies, the availability of dissolved oxygen is reduced resulting in high BOD; as a result, creatures living in the water accustomed to aerobic conditions perish. Fecal coliform Bacteria found in the intestinal tracts of humans and warm-blooded animals. The presence of high numbers of fecal coliform bacteria in a water body can indicate the recent release of untreated wastewater and/or the presence of animal feces. While these bacteria do not directly cause disease, high quantities of fecal coliform bacteria suggest the presence of disease causing agents. The presence of fecal contamination is an indicator that a potential health risk exists for individuals exposed to this water. Fish assemblage A descriptive measurement of a fish community taking into account both species diversity and population size. Floatables Pollutants that float on the water surface such as pieces of trash and debris. Geographic Information System A computer and software system that links spatial or locational information with descriptive information. Greywater Domestic wastewater from all sources except toilets. Groin A rigid structure built perpendicular to the shoreline to protect the shore from erosion. Heavy metals Naturally occurring metal elements including cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, arsenic, nickel, etc. Can also be found in sewage sludge and urban runoff. Many are toxic at low concentrations and tend to accumulate in the food chain. Household hazardous waste Leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients are considered to be "household hazardous waste" or "HHW." This includes products such as paints, cleaners, used oil, batteries, stale gas, and solvents. Hydrocarbons An organic compound (as acetylene or butane) containing only carbon and hydrogen and often occurring in petroleum, natural gas, coal, and bitumens. Hydrologic cycle Movement or exchange of water between the atmosphere and earth. Intertidal habitat The area between land and sea which is regularly exposed to the air by the tidal movement of the sea. Marine organisms that inhabit the intertidal zones have to adapt to periods of exposure to air and to the waves created by wind, which makes it the most physically demanding of the marine habitats. The shore zone between the highest and lowest tides. Invasive species A species that is non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Jetty A structure extended into a waterbody to influence the current or tide or to protect a harbor. Mass loading The mass of a pollutant entering an area per unit of time. Nonpoint sources Pollution that enters water from dispersed and uncontrolled sources, such as surface runoff, rather than through a pipe from a particular industry. Nonpoint sources like forest and agricultural practices, on-site sewage disposal, storm drain runoff and recreational boats, may contribute pathogens, suspended solids and toxins to the water. The cumulative impact of nonpoint source pollution is significant. Oily bilge water The bilge is the lowest interior point on a boat, typically where the sides of the hull meet at the bottom of the boat. As water collects in the bilge, this water can become contaminated with oil and fuel leaking or dripping from the engine. When the boat’s bilge pump is activated, often automatically, these contaminants are pumped overboard into the ocean along with the water. One pint of oil can create a one acre slick on the surface of the ocean. Organic compound Naturally occurring (animal or plant-produced or synthetic) substances containing mainly carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Outfalls Submerged pipes, used for the offshore disposal of treated municipal wastewater into the Bay. Palustrine All non-tidal wetlands dominated by trees, shrubs, persistent emergents, emergent mosses, or lichens, and all such tidal wetlands where ocean-derived salinities are below .5 ppt. This category also includes wetlands lacking such vegetation but with all of the following characteristics: (1) area less than 8 ha; (2) lacking an active wave-formed or bedrock boundary; (3) water depth in the deepest part of the basin less than 2 m (6.6 ft) at low water; and (4) ocean-derived salinities less than .5 parts per thousand. Pathogens Microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, viruses, or parasites) that can cause disease in humans, animals and plants. PCBs A group of toxic, persistent chemicals used in electrical transformers and capacitors for insulating purposes and in gas pipeline systems as a lubricant. The sale and new use of PCBs were banned by law in 1979. Phytoplankton That portion of the plankton community comprised of tiny plants; e.g. algae, diatoms. Plume A visible or measurable discharge of a contaminant from a given point of origin. Can be visible, sediment, or invisible, such as thermal in water, or visible in the air as, for example, a plume of smoke. Point sources A source of pollutants from a known single point of discharge conveyance, such as a pipe. For example, the discharge pipe from a sewage treatment plant or a factory is a point source. Primary treatment The first process in the wastewater treatment process where some of the suspended solids and organic matter are removed through sedimentation. Common usage of this term also includes preliminary treatment to remove wastewater constituents that may cause maintenance or operational problems in the system (i.e., grit removal, screening for trash and debris, oil and grease removal, etc.). Riparian Areas adjacent to rivers and streams with a differing density, diversity, and productivity of plant and animal species relative to nearby uplands. Riprap A foundation or sustaining wall of stones or chunks of concrete frequently used on embankment slopes to prevent erosion. Riverine All wetlands and deepwater habitats contained within a channel except those wetlands (1) dominated by trees, shrubs, persistent emergents, emergent mosses, or lichens, and (2)which have habitats with ocean-derived salinities in excess of .5 parts per thousand. Sea surface microlayer The sea surface microlayer covers the upper 10 to 1000 micrometer deep boundary layer of the ocean where important physical, chemical, and biological processes take place. Secondary treatment A type of wastewater treatment used to convert dissolved and suspended pollutants into a form that can be removed, producing a relatively highly treated effluent. Secondary treatment normally utilizes biological treatment processes followed by settling tanks and will remove approximately 85% of the BOD and TSS in wastewater. Secondary treatment for municipal wastewater is the minimum level of treatment required by the Clean Water Act. Sedimentation The deposition or accumulation of sediment. Source control Reducing the amount of materials entering the waste stream from a specific source. Storm drain A system of gutters, catch basins, and over- and underground channels which carry runoff from city streets to the ocean. Storm drains can carry a variety of pollutants such as sediments, fecal waste, metals, bacteria, oil, and antifreeze that enter the system through runoff, deliberate dumping, or spills. Storm water runoff The part of precipitation (rainfall or snowmelt) which travels via flow across surfaces such as streets, parking lots, construction sites and industrial facilities through L. A. County's 5,000-mile storm drain network directly to the lakes, streams and beaches of southern California. Storm water often becomes contaminated with pollutants such as pesticides, fertilizer, animal droppings, trash, food waste, automotive by-products and other toxic substances that are part of our urban environment. Suspended solids The small particles of solid matter in any water sample which are suspended. The term is usually used for solids in the effluent discharged from sewage treatment. Tertiary treatment Full disinfection of liquid waste. Methods include chlorination and ozonation. Tertiary treatment produces drinkable water and is required for discharge into fresh water bodies. TMDL A TMDL or Total Maximum Daily Load is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that amount to the pollutant's sources. Total coliform Coliform bacteria are a natural part of the microbiology of the intestinal tract of warm blooded animals, including humans. Coliform bacteria can also be found in soil, other animals, insects, etc. The total coliform group is relatively easy to culture in the lab, and therefore, has been used as the primary indicator bacteria for the presence of disease causing organisms. Urban runoff Runoff from streets and adjacent domestic or commercial properties that carries pollutants of various kinds into sewer systems or storm drains. Wastewater treatment (See primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment) Watershed The total land area from which rain water drains into a particular stream, drain, or body of water; the drainage basin. Wildlife corridor A pathway or habitat linkage that connects discreet areas of natural open space otherwise separated or fragmented by urbanization. Such a corridor allows animals to move between remaining habitats and provides escape routes from fire, predators, and human disturbances. Zooplankton Zooplankton are animals, usually microscopic, that live suspended in the water column and cannot control their overall movement with respect to water currents. They are found in all aquatic ecosystems and provide an important food link between the phytoplankton and the higher trophic levels of the ecosystem.