All words used in this chapter shall have their customary meanings as defined in Webster's New World Dictionary and/or Rainwater and Land Development: Ohio's Standards for Storm Water Management, Land Development and Urban Stream Protection, current edition, except those specifically defined in this section.
(a) "Approval authority." An official, organization, or group designated to review and approve or disapprove storm water pollution prevention plans (SWP3s).
(b) "Authorized agent." An official, organization, or group designated to provide technical guidance in the development and implementation of site development plan and storm water management plan and to review and approve/disapprove such plans as authorized.
(c) "Best Management Practices (BMPs)." Schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the pollution of waters of the United States. "BMPs" also include but may not be limited to treatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant and/or construction site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage.
(d) "Buffer." A designated transition area around water resources or wetlands that is left in a natural, usually vegetated, state so as to protect the water resources or wetlands from runoff pollution. Construction activities in this area are restricted or prohibited.
(e) "Critical storm." A storm which is calculated by means of the percentage increase in volume of runoff by a proposed earth-disturbing activity or development area. The critical storm is used to calculate the maximum allowable storm water discharge rate from a site.
(f) "Cut." An excavation. The difference between a point on the original ground and a designated point of lower elevation on the final grade.
(g) "Detention basin." An impoundment area created by constructing an embankment, excavating a pit, or both, for the purpose of temporarily storing storm water.
(h) "Detention facility." A detention basin or alternative structure designed to temporarily store storm water runoff and gradually release the stored water at a controlled rate.
(i) "Development." A group of houses, apartments, industrial, institutional, or commercial buildings, usually constructed as part of a single project.
(j) "Development area." Any area upon which earth-disturbing activities are planned or underway for a development.
(k) "Earth-disturbing activity." Any grading, excavation, filling, or other alteration of the earth's surface where natural or man-made ground cover is destroyed.
(l) ''Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)." The agency with the overall responsibility for administering the National Flood Insurance Program.
(m) "Fill." Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock, or any other material is placed, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported, or moved to a new location above the natural surface of the ground or on top of the stripped surface. The difference in elevation between a point on the original ground and a designated point of higher elevation on the final grade.
(n) "Grubbing." Machine or manual clearing of vegetation. Usually performed as the first step in the development of land.
(o) "Non-structural controls." Storm water runoff control and treatment techniques that use natural measures to control runoff and/or reduce pollution levels. Examples include, but may not be limited to, minimizing impervious area, buffer strips along streams, and preserving natural vegetation.
(p) "NPDES." National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
(q) "Parcel." Any legally described piece of land created by a partition, subdivision, deed, or other instrument recorded with the appropriate entity or agency.
(r) "Peak rate of runoff." The maximum rate of runoff for any 24-hour storm of a given frequency.
(s) "Pre-development conditions." Site conditions as they existed prior to any improvement activities.
(t) "Riparian." Relating to the banks of a natural course of water.
(u) "Sediment basin." A barrier, dam or other facility built to reduce the velocity of water in order to settle and retain sediment.
(v) "Site development plan." The written document or set of plans meeting the requirements of this chapter that provides information on the location of the area proposed for development, the site in relation to its general surroundings, and existing characteristics of the site, including limits of earth-disturbing activities.
(w) "Silviculture." A branch of forestry dealing with the development and care of forests.
(x) "Stop-work order." An order issued which requires that all work on the site must cease except work associated with bringing the site into compliance with the approved SWM plan or site development plan.
(y) "Storm water management (SWM) plan." The written document meeting the requirements of this chapter that sets forth the plans and practices to be used to minimize storm water runoff from a site and to safely convey or temporarily store and release post-development storm water runoff at an allowable rate to minimize flooding and erosion.
(z) "Storm water pollution prevention plan (SWP3)." The document required by the Ohio EPA for compliance with its NPDES Construction Activity General Permit #OHC000004. The requirements of the SWP3 are required as part of the local jurisdiction's storm water management plan as described above and in this regulation.
(aa) "Storm frequency." The average period of time in years within which a storm of a given duration and intensity can be expected to be equaled or exceeded.
(bb) "Structural controls." Any human-made facility, structure, or device that is constructed to provide temporary storage and/or treatment of storm water runoff. Examples include, but may not be limited to, retention and detention basins, rock check dams, swales, and constructed wetlands.
(cc) "Swale." A low-lying stretch of vegetated land which gathers and carries surface water.
(dd) "Temporary vegetation." Short term vegetative cover such as oats, rye, or wheat, used to stabilize the soil surface until final grading and installation of permanent vegetation.
(ee) "Watercourse." Any natural waterway (including, but not limited to, streams, rivers, creeks, ditches, channels, canals, waterways, gullies, ravines, or washes) in which waters flow in a definite direction or course either continuously or intermittently and including any area adjacent thereto which is subject to inundation by reason of overflow of flood water.
(ff) "Pollutant of concern." Sediment or a water quality measurement that addresses phosphorus which has been identified as a cause of impairment of any water body that will receive a discharge from the land development activity.
(gg) "Maintenance easements(s)." Legal recorded instrument between the site owner and/or applicant and the Municipality of Grafton to provide access to the facility for periodic inspection.
(hh) "Maintenance agreement." Formal maintenance agreement for stormwater management control facilities binding on all subsequent landowners and recorded in the office of the Lorain County Clerk as a deed restriction on the property prior to plan approval.
(ii) "OEPA." Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
(Ord. 13-030. Passed 10-15-13; Ord. 21-021. Passed 11-16-21.)