Words not otherwise defined but used in this title or the materials referenced herein are defined in the federal clean water act, and any rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto, and any applicable state laws, rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, the UPDES and NPDES programs. As used herein, the following terms, phrases and words shall have the following meanings:
AQUIFER RECHARGE AREAS: Retention basins, detention basins with retention attributes, or other locations in which a creek, stream, or canal infiltrates the ground.
AUTHORIZED ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL: City employees designated to administer and enforce this title.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs): Includes schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, design standards and other management practices to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants directly or indirectly into the waters of the United States. BMPs also include treatment requirements, operating procedures, educational activities and practices to control site runoff spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage.
CATCH BASIN: A basin combined with a storm drain inlet used to trap solids.
CITY APPROVALS: Any permit or approval required by the city prior to any construction activity, including, but not limited to, site preparation, grading, excavation or construction.
CLEAN WATER ACT: The federal water pollution control act, 33 USC 1251 et seq., and any subsequent amendments thereto.
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY: Any land disturbance or activities, such as clearing, grubbing, grading, excavating, building and demolition.
CONVEYANCE SYSTEM: Any channel or pipe for collecting and directing the stormwater.
CULVERT: A covered channel or large diameter pipe that directs water flow below the ground surface.
DEGRADATION:
Biological Or Chemical: The breakdown of chemical compounds into simpler substances, usually less harmful than the original compound, as with the degradation of a persistent pesticide.
Geological: Wearing down by erosion.
Water: The lowering of the water quality of a watercourse by an increase in the amount of pollutant(s).
DETENTION: The process of collecting water from developed areas and releasing it at a slower rate than it enters the collection system. The excess of inflow over outflow is temporarily stored in a pond or a vault and is typically released over a few hours or a few days.
DETENTION BASIN: A depression, designed with an inlet and outlet that regulates water flow and allows debris to settle out, that is capable of detaining stormwater runoff until it can be released downstream.
DISCHARGE: The release of stormwater or other substance from a conveyance system or storage container.
DRAIN INLET: A point of entry into a detention basin, storm drain or other inlet used to trap solids.
DRAINAGE: The collection, conveyance, containment and/or discharge of surface and stormwater runoff.
ENTITY: Any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, organization, association, trust, governmental agency or any other legal entity.
ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS: Those areas with fragile biophysical characteristics or with significant environmental resources as identified by the city. Environmentally sensitive areas include but are not limited to: aquifer recharge areas, frequently flooded areas, steep slopes, delineated wetlands, streams, creeks, canals, and lake floodplain areas.
EROSION: The wearing away of land surface by wind or water. Erosion occurs naturally from weather or runoff, but can be intensified by land clearing practices related to farming, residential or industrial development, road building or timber cutting.
FILL: A deposit of earth material placed by artificial means.
FINAL STABILIZATION: All soil disturbing activities at the site have been completed, and that a uniform (e.g., evenly distributed, without large bare areas) perennial vegetative cover with a density of seventy percent (70%) of the native background vegetative cover for the area has been established on all unpaved areas and areas not covered by permanent structures, or equivalent permanent stabilization measures (such as the use of riprap, gabions or geotextiles) have been employed.
FREQUENTLY FLOODED AREAS: Areas flooded at least annually for three (3) of the past five (5) years.
GENERAL PERMIT: A permit issued under the NPDES or UPDES program to cover a class or category of stormwater discharges.
GRADING: The cutting and/or filling of the land surface to a desired slope or elevation.
HAZARDOUS WASTE: Byproducts of society that can pose a substantial or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly managed. Possesses at least one of four (4) characteristics (flammable, corrosive, reactive or toxic), or appears on special EPA lists.
ILLEGAL DISCHARGE: Any direct or indirect nonstormwater discharge to the storm drain system, except discharges from firefighting activities and other discharges exempted in this title.
ILLICIT CONNECTION: Any physical connection to a publicly maintained storm drain system allowing discharge of nonstormwater which has not been permitted by the public entity responsible for the operation and maintenance of the system.
IMPERVIOUS SURFACE: Any hard surface area which prevents or retards the penetration, absorption or entry of water into the ground, or any hard surface area which causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities or at an increased rate of flow from that present under natural conditions preexistent to development. Common impervious surfaces include, but are not limited to: roofs; sidewalks; concrete or asphalt paving; walkways; patios; decks; driveways; parking lots; storage areas; trafficked or compacted gravel; road base; or other surfaces which similarly impede the natural infiltration of storm and surface water.
INDIVIDUAL PERMIT: A permit issued under the NPDES or UPDES program for a specific facility, whereby the unique characteristics of that facility may be addressed through the imposition of special conditions or requirements.
INFILTRATION: The downward movement of water from the surface to the subsoil. The infiltration capacity is expressed in terms of inches per hour.
INLET: An entrance into a ditch, storm sewer or other waterway.
MULCH: A natural or artificial layer of plant residue or other materials covering the land surface which conserves moisture, holds soil in place, aids in establishing plant cover and minimizes temperature fluctuations.
MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM (MS4): A municipally owned and operated stormwater collection system that may consist of any or all of the following: curb, gutter, drainage swales, piping, ditches, canals, detention basins, inlet boxes, or any other system used to convey stormwater that discharges into canals, ditches, streams, rivers or lakes not owned and operated by that municipality.
NPDES (NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM): The EPA's program to control the discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States.
NPDES PERMIT: An authorization or license, or equivalent control document, issued by EPA or an approved state agency to implement the requirements of the NPDES program.
NONPOINT SOURCE: Pollution caused by diffuse sources (not a single location, such as a pipe) such as agricultural or urban runoff.
NONSTRUCTURAL PRACTICES: A preventative action to protect receiving water quality that does not require construction. Nonstructural BMPs rely predominantly on behavioral changes in order to be effective. Major categories of nonstructural BMPs include education, recycling, maintenance practices and source controls.
OFF SITE: Any area lying upstream of the site that drains onto the site, any area lying downstream of the site to which the site drains, and any area that is not on site of the project.
ON SITE: The entire property that includes the proposed development.
OUTFALL: The point, location or structure where wastewater or drainage discharges from a sewer pipe, ditch or other conveyance to a receiving body of water.
PERSON: Any individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, organization, association, trust, governmental agency or any other legal entity.
POINT SOURCE: Any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance, including, but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation or vessel, or other floating craft, from which pollutants are or may be discharged.
POLLUTANT: Generally, any substance introduced into the environment that adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. Pollutants may include, but are not limited to: paints, varnishes and solvents; oil and other automotive fluids; nonhazardous liquid and solid wastes and yard wastes; sand, dirt, refuse, rubbish, garbage, litter or other discarded or abandoned objects and accumulations, so that same may cause or contribute to pollution; floatables; pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers; hazardous substances and wastes; sewage, fecal coliform and pathogens; dissolved and particulate metals; animal wastes; wastes and residues that result from constructing a building or structure; and noxious or offensive matter of any kind.
RECEIVING WATERS: Bodies of water or surface water systems receiving water from upstream constructed or natural systems.
RETENTION: The process of collecting and holding surface and stormwater runoff with no surface outflow.
RIPARIAN: A relatively narrow strip of land that borders a stream or river.
RUNOFF: That part of precipitation, snowmelt or irrigation water that runs off the land into streams or other surface water. It can carry pollutants from the air and land into the receiving waters.
SOURCE CONTROL: A practice or structural measure to prevent pollutants from entering stormwater runoff or other environmental media.
STEEP SLOPE: A slope greater than an eighteen inch (18") vertical rise in a ten foot (10') horizontal plane (i.e. >15% slope).
STORM DRAIN: A closed conduit for conducting stormwater that has been collected by inlets or collected by other means.
STORM DRAIN SYSTEM: The city's storm drain system comprised of storm and subsurface water facilities, improvements, streets, gutters, drains, swales, detention basins, property or other interests therein made, constructed or acquired by the city for purposes of managing and controlling storm or subsurface water.
STORMWATER: Water produced by storms, surface drainage, snow and ice melt, and spring flows and drainage. Stormwater does not include infiltration.
STORMWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLAN (SWPPP): A document which describes the BMPs and activities to be implemented by a person or business to identify sources of pollution or contamination at a site and the actions to eliminate or reduce pollutant discharges to stormwater, stormwater conveyance systems and/or receiving waters.
STRUCTURAL PRACTICES: Constructed facilities or measures to help protect receiving water quality and control stormwater quantity. Examples include storage, vegetation, infiltration and filtration.
SWALE: An elongated depression in the land surface that is at least seasonally wet, is usually heavily vegetated, and is normally without flowing water. Swales direct stormwater flows into primary drainage channels and allow some of the stormwater to infiltrate into the ground surface.
UPDES PERMIT: An authorization or license, or equivalent control document, issued by the state of Utah to implement the requirements of the NPDES and UPDES program.
WATERS OF THE STATE: Surface waters and groundwaters within the boundaries of the state of Utah and subject to its jurisdiction.
WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES: Surface watercourses and water bodies as defined in 40 CFR 122.2, including all natural waterways and definite channels and depressions in the earth that may carry water, even though such waterways may only carry water during rains and storms and may not carry stormwater at and during all times and seasons. (Ord. 2008-03, 1-8-2003; amd. Ord. 2023-54, 9-19-2023)