For purposes of this title, the following words and terms are hereby defined:
ACCESS: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
ACRE: Forty three thousand five hundred sixty (43,560) square feet.
ADVERSE IMPACTS: Any deleterious impact on water resources or wetlands affecting their beneficial uses including recreation, aesthetics, aquatic habitat, quality and quantity.
ALLEY: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
APPLICANT: Any person, firm or governmental agency who executes the required forms to procure official approval of a subdivision, development or a permit to carry out construction of a development, building or a structure from the county. The term applicant includes agents thereof.
BOCA: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
BASE FLOOD: The flood having a one percent (1%) probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The base flood is also known as the 100-year flood.
BASE FLOOD AREA: The land area subject to inundation by waters of the base flood.
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION (BFE): The elevation in relation to mean sea level of the crest of the base flood.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE (BMP): A measure used to control adverse impacts caused by storm water related effects of development. BMPs include practice structural devices (e.g., swales, filter strips, infiltration trenches and detention basins). Refer to the current acceptable standards (shown in the EPA urban manual and/or the soil and water conservation district standards) designed to remove pollutants, reduce runoff rates and volumes, and protect aquatic habitats. BMPs also include nonstructural approaches, such as public education efforts to prevent the dumping of household chemicals into storm water drainage systems.
BUILDING: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
BYPASS FLOWS: Storm water runoff from upstream properties tributary to a property's storm water drainage system but not under its control.
CHANNEL: Any river, stream, creek, brook, branch, natural or artificial depression, ponded area, flowage, slough, ditch, conduit, culvert, gully, ravine, wash, or natural or manmade drainageway, which has a definite bed and bank or shoreline, in or into which surface or ground water flows, either perennially or intermittently.
CHANNEL MODIFICATION: Alteration of a channel by changing the physical modification: dimensions or materials of its bed or banks. Channel modification includes damming, riprapping (or other armoring), widening, deepening or straightening, relocating, lining, and significant removal of bottom or woody rooted vegetation. Channel modification does not include the clearing of debris or removal of trash.
COMPENSATORY STORAGE: An artificially excavated, hydraulically equivalent volume of storage within the floodplain used to balance the loss of natural flood storage capacity when fill or structures are placed within the floodplain.
CONDUIT: Any channel, pipe, sewer or culvert used for the conveyance or movement of water, whether open or closed.
CONSTRUCTED: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
COUNTY DEVELOPMENT MANUAL: A manual published from time to time by the zoning administrator, with the advice and consent of the administrative committee of the county board containing standard applications, forms, permits, fee schedules and filing and notice requirements relating to zoning, development and subdivision matters.
COUNTY ENGINEER: The qualified engineer appointed by the county board to be county engineer from time to time.
CRITICAL FACILITY: Any public or private facility which, if flooded, would create an added dimension to the disaster or would increase the hazard to life and health. Examples are public buildings, emergency operations and communications centers, healthcare facilities and nursing homes, schools, and toxic waste treatment, handling or storage facilities.
CUL-DE-SAC: An area service roadway or street with a turnaround in a subdivision with more than one street.
DEAD END STREET: The one street, in a subdivision with only one street, where such street does not begin and end at a public roadway.
DETENTION BASIN: A facility constructed or modified to provide for the temporary storage of storm water runoff and the controlled release by gravity of this runoff at a prescribed rate during and after a flood or storm in a storm water drainage system.
DETENTION TIME: The mean residence time of storm water in a detention basin.
DEVELOPMENT: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
DRAINAGE PLAN: A plan including engineering drawings and supporting calculations, which describes the existing storm water drainage system and environmental features, as well as the drainage system and environmental features which are proposed after development of a property.
DRY BASIN: A detention basin designed to drain completely after temporary storage of storm water flows and to normally be dry over the majority of its bottom area.
EROSION: The general process whereby earth is removed by flowing water or wave action.
EXCESS STORM WATER RUNOFF: The volume and rate of flow of storm water discharged from a developed drainage area, which is or will be in excess of that volume and rate which pertained before development.
FEMA: Federal emergency management agency and its regulations at 44 CFR 59-79 et seq.
FIRM: Flood insurance rate maps. Maps produced by FEMA that depict the SFHA. These maps include insurance rate zones and floodplains and may or may not depict floodways.
FPE: Flood protection elevation. The elevation of the base flood plus one foot (1') of freeboard at any given location in the special flood hazard area (SFHA).
FLOOD: A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow, the unusual and rapid accumulation or the runoff, of surface areas from any source.
FLOOD FRINGE: The part of the SFHA outside of the regulatory floodway.
FLOOD PROTECTION ELEVATION (FPE): The flood protection elevation applicable under this title is base flood elevation plus one foot (1').
FLOODPLAIN: The special flood hazard area (SFHA). Those areas within the jurisdiction of the county that are subject to inundation by the base flood. The SFHA of the county are generally identified as such on the FIRM of the county prepared by FEMA July 1988. When no base flood elevation exists, the base flood elevation shall be the 100-year flood depth calculated according to the formulas presented in "Depth And Frequency Of Floods In Illinois", published by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1976. See subsection 9-1-3A of this code for regulations relating to the village of Nelson. Floodplain also includes those areas of known flooding as identified by the county or on a comprehensive plan of any townships which have adopted a comprehensive plan.
FLOODPROOF, FLOODPROOFING: Any combination of structural or nonstructural additions, changes or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate, property and their contents.
FLOODPROOFING CERTIFICATE: A form published by FEMA that is used to certify that a building has been designed and constructed to be structurally dry floodproofed to the FPE.
FLOODWAY: That portion of the SFHA required to store and convey the base flood. The floodway for each of the SFHA in the county shall be delineated on the FIRM prepared by FEMA and dated July 6, 1988, where depicted. The floodways for any remaining floodplains shall be according to the best data available to the Illinois state water survey floodplain information repository. See definition of Regulatory Floodway.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT: County health department or board of health and the health department administrator designated to act therefor.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT: County highway department.
HYDROGRAPH: A graph showing for a given location on a stream or conduit, the flow rate with respect to time.
IDNR/OWR: Illinois department of natural resources/office of water resources.
IMPROVEMENTS: Any streets, pavement, sanitary sewers, sidewalks, storm water drainage systems, potable water facilities, public or private, required by the county as a condition to the approval of a preliminary or final subdivision plat.
INFILTRATION: The passage or movement of water into the soil surfaces.
LESA: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
LOT: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
MAJOR DRAINAGE SYSTEM: That portion of a drainage system needed to store and convey flows beyond the capacity of the minor drainage system.
MINOR DRAINAGE SYSTEM: That portion of a drainage system designed for the convenience of the public. It consists of street gutters, storm sewers, small open channels and swales, and when manmade, is usually designed to handle the 10-year runoff event or less.
MITIGATION: Includes those measures necessary to minimize the negative effects which storm water drainage and development activities might have on the public health, safety and welfare. Examples of mitigation include compensatory storage, soil erosion and sedimentation control, and channel restoration.
NFIP: National flood insurance program.
NATURAL: Conditions resulting from physical, chemical and biological processes without intervention by man.
100-YEAR EVENT: A rainfall, runoff or flood event having a one percent (1%) chance of occurring in any given year.
PAVEMENT: That part of a street having an improved surface.
PLANNING COMMISSION: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
PLAT, FINAL: A representation of a subdivision of land, a PUD, a DPA, or other drawing, required to be recorded, completed in accordance with this title, the Illinois plat act and/or any other applicable county, state or federal regulations, prepared and certified to by an engineer or surveyor registered in the state, in accordance with applicable professional standards, and acceptable to the plat officer, county plat committee, and recorder of deeds for recording, whether or not actually recorded.
PLAT OFFICER: The county employee or official designated by the county board to administer the county subdivision regulations and plats. The plat officer may also be the zoning administrator and/or the zoning enforcement officer.
POSITIVE DRAINAGE: Provision for overland paths for all areas of a property including depressional areas that may also be drained by storm sewer.
PRELIMINARY PLAT: A representation of a proposed subdivision of land, prepared by a professional engineer or surveyor registered in the state, delineating lots and their dimensions, measurements of boundaries, adjoining public roadways and proposed roadways, locations of existing structures, descriptions of proposed and existing easements and rights of way, proposed names of the subdivision and streets, access points to the subdivision and location of nearest access points to adjoining properties, outline of proposed property covenants, location of floodplains and wetlands, if any, soils description and preliminary drainage plan, and containing a legal description and tax identification number, sufficient to meet the requirements of the plat officer and the planning commission.
PROPERTY: A parcel of real estate.
REGULATORY FLOODWAY: The channel, including on-stream lakes, and that portion of the floodplain adjacent to a stream or watercourse as designated by the IDNR/OWR, which is needed to store and convey the existing and anticipated 100-year frequency flood discharge with no more than 0.1 foot increase in stage due to the loss of flood conveyance or storage, and no more than a ten percent (10%) increase in velocities. The regulatory floodways are designed for county streams on the FIRM prepared by FEMA and dated July 6, 1988, or as may be updated from time to time. To locate the regulatory floodway boundary for any site, the regulatory floodway boundary should be scaled off the FIRM and located on the site plan, using reference points common to both maps. Where interpretation is needed to determine the exact location of the regulatory floodway boundary, the OWR should be contacted for the interpretation.
RETENTION BASIN: A facility designed to completely retain a specific amount of storm water runoff without release except by means of evaporation, infiltration, emergency bypass or pumping.
RIVERINE SFHA: Any SFHA subject to flooding from a river, creek, intermittent stream, ditch or any other identified channel. This term does not include areas subject to flooding from lakes (except public bodies of water), ponding areas, areas of sheet flow, or other areas not subject to over bank flooding.
SFHA: Special flood hazard area. See definition of Floodplain.
SECURITY INSTRUMENT: Any form of security, deposit, letter of credit or bond pledged to cover the cost of proposed improvements, public or private, to a subdivision prior to, and as a condition to, its development, satisfactory to the county board, which establishes good faith and the owner's or subdivider's ability to complete the proposed improvements.
SEDIMENTATION: The process that deposits soil debris, and other materials either on other ground surfaces or in bodies of water or storm water drainage systems.
SKETCH PLAN: A preliminary drawing prepared by an engineer, surveyor, architect, or other professional, for the purpose of meeting the minimal requirements of the planning commission, board of appeals, or plat officer in the process of obtaining a rezoning, variation, preliminary plat approval, or other permit relating to land use or bulk regulations.
SKETCH PLAN REVIEW COMMITTEE: A committee made up of the plat officer, zoning enforcement officer, administrator of the health department, county engineer, district conservationist and chairman of the county administrative committee.
STORM SEWER: A closed conduit for conveying collected storm water.
STORM WATER DRAINAGE SYSTEM: All means, natural or manmade, used for conducting storm water through or from a drainage area to the point of final outlet from a property. The storm water drainage system includes, but is not limited to, any of the following: conduits and appurtenant features, canals, ditches, streams, culverts, streets, storm sewers, detention basins, swales and pumping stations.
STORM WATER RUNOFF: The waters derived from melting snow or rain falling within a tributary drainage basin, which are in excess of the infiltration capacity of the soils of that basin, which flow over the surface of the ground or are collected in channels or conduits.
STREET: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
STRUCTURE: See subsection 10-1-4B, "Definitions", of this code.
SUBDIVISION: The division or resubdivision of property into two (2) or more lots, plots, sites or other divisions of land; or the consolidation of parcels, for the purpose of transfer of ownership of building development, whether immediate or future. A resubdivision of land or lots shall also be considered a subdivision.
TIME OF CONCENTRATION: The elapsed time for storm water to flow from the most hydraulically remote point in a drainage basin to a particular point of interest in that watershed.
TRIBUTARY WATERSHED: All of the land surface area that contributes runoff to a given point.
2-YEAR EVENT: A runoff, rainfall, or flood event having a fifty percent (50%) chance of occurring in any given year.
URBAN RUNOFF POLLUTANTS: Contaminants commonly found in urban runoff which have been shown to have an adverse impact on uses in receiving water bodies. Pollutants of concern include sediment, heavy metals, petroleum based organic compounds, nutrients, oxygen demanding organics (BOD), pesticides, salt and pathogens.
VARIANCES: A relaxation of the standards relating to subdivision or LESA requirements, or floodplain and/or storm water management regulations, or sewage and/or sewage disposal requirements.
WATERCOURSE: Any natural or artificial watercourse, stream, river, draw, creek, ditch, channel, canal, conduit, culvert, drain, waterway, swale, gully, ravine or wash in which water flows in a definite direction or course, either continuously or intermittently, and which has a definite channel, bed and banks, and shall include any area adjacent thereto, subject to inundation by reasons of overflow or floodwaters or designated there as on the county SFHA plan.
WET BASIN: A detention basin designed to maintain a permanent pool of water after the temporary storage of storm water runoff.
WETLAND BASIN: A detention basin designed with all or a portion of its bottom area as a wetland.
WETLANDS: Those areas designated by the DNR, the soil and water conservation district or the federal fish and wildlife service on official maps as containing hydrous soils or standing water in sufficient quantities to restrict or prohibit development. (Ord. 06-05-002, 6-21-2005)