1177.04 DEFINITIONS.
Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this chapter its most reasonable application.
(a) "Accessory use or structure" means a use or structure on the same lot with, and of a nature customarily incidental and subordinate to, a principal use or structure.
(b) "Board" means the Board of Appeals.
(c) "Development" means any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling.
(d) "Equal degree of encroachment" means a standard applied in determining the location of encroachment limits so that flood plain lands on both sides of a stream are capable of conveying a proportionate share of floodflows. This is determined by considering the effect of encroachment on the hydraulic efficiency of the flood plain along both sides of a stream for a significant reach.
(e) "Flood" means a temporary rise in stream level that results in inundation of areas not ordinarily covered by water.
(f) "Floodway" means the channel of the watercourse and those portions of the adjoining flood plains which are reasonably required to carry and discharge the regional flood.
(g) "Floodway fringe" means that portion of the regional flood plain located outside of the floodway.
(h) "Flood frequency" means the average frequency statistically determined, for which it is expected that a specific flood level or discharge may be equaled or exceeded.
(i) "Obstruction" means any dam, wall, wharf, embankment, levee, dike, pile, abutment, projection, excavation, channel, rectification, bridge, conduit, culvert, building, wire, fence, rock, gravel, refuse, fill, structure or matter in, along, across or projecting into any channel, watercourse or regional flood hazard area which may impede, retard or change the direction of the flow of water, either in itself or by catching or collecting debris carried by such water, or that is placed where the flow of water might carry the same downstream to the damage of life or property.
(j) "Person" means any natural person, firm, partnership, association or corporation, but does not include any governmental unit.
(k) "Reach" means a hydraulic engineering term to describe longitudinal segments of a stream or river. A reach will generally include the segment of the flood hazard area where flood heights are influenced by a man-made or natural obstruction. In an urban area, the segment of a stream or river between two consecutive bridge crossings would typically constitute a reach.
(l) "Regional flood" means a flood which is representative of large floods known to have occurred generally in the area and reasonably characteristic of what can be expected to occur on a particular stream. The regional flood generally has a frequency approximately 100 years as is determined by an analysis of floods in a particular stream and other streams in the same general region.
(m) "Regional flood plain" means the area inundated by the regional flood (100 year frequency flood). This is the flood plain area which shall be regulated by the standards and criteria in this chapter.
(n) "Flood protection elevation" means the elevation to which uses regulated by this chapter are required to be elevated or floodproofed.
(o) "Structure" means anything constructed or erected, on the ground or attached to the ground, including but without limitation to buildings, factories, sheds, cabins, mobile homes and other similar uses.
(Ord. 76-23. Passed 12-20-76.)