§ 26A-03-010. Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, the meaning of words or phrases shall be as defined in this section, Appendix 'F' for the 1994 ARM Plan, and Article 2 of the State Surface Mining and Reclamation Act.
"Adaptive management" means modifications to the standards, conditions, mitigation measures, or monitoring requirements set forth in the original permit approval made by the permit authority in response to monitoring results, scientific analysis, changes in project setting and/or requirements to help meet program objectives and ensure that adverse impacts are avoided or minimized during the life of the permit.
"Aggradation" means an increase in the bed elevation of a stream channel from deposition of sediment.
"Area of regional significance" Means an area designated by the State Mining and Geology Board which is known to contain a deposit of minerals, the extraction of which is judged to be of prime importance in meeting future needs for minerals in a particular region of the State within which the minerals are located and which, if prematurely developed for alternate incompatible land uses, could result in the premature loss of minerals that are of more than local significance.
"Bank" means sloping ground bordering a stream channel which normally confines the water flow.
"Bench interval" Means the difference in vertical elevation between any two (2) consecutive benches.
"Bioengineered bank stabilization measures" means approaches that utilize native woody vegetation combined structural or engineered stabilization measures.
"Degradation" means a decrease in the bed elevation of a stream channel.
"Director" means the Director of the Permit and Resource Management Department or his/her designee.
"Floodplain" means an area of alluvial deposits created by a stream and subject to inundation from the stream overtopping its banks. The area with an estimated probability of one (1) percent of being inundated in any particular year is the "one hundred-year" floodplain. The boundaries of the one hundred-year flood plain shall be assumed to be as shown as the most recent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps unless site-specific engineering analysis, field determinations, and monitoring data indicate otherwise.
"Flood, selected" means the magnitude of flood to be used for establishing minimum flood profile levels and designating the outer limits of the part of the flood plain to be regulated, i.e., the outer limits of the floodway (F1), and floodplain (F2) districts. The selected flood shall be the one hundred-year flood unless the decision-making body, upon recommendation by the chief engineer of the Sonoma County Water Agency, determines otherwise.
"Floodway" means the portion of the stream channel and the adjacent flood plain that must be reserved in order to discharge the selected flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface more than one (1) foot. The boundary of the floodway shall be assumed to be as shown on the most recent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps unless site-specific engineering analysis, field determinations, and monitoring data indicate otherwise.
"Gross channel" means the entire stream channel below the ordinary high water mark.
"Instream operations" means surface mining conducted to remove gravel and sediment deposits which have accumulated within the gross channel of a river or stream.
"Intermittent stream" means a stream having surface flow during wet periods of the year only.
"Longitudinal gradient" means the slope of the stream channel parallel to the direction of water flow, as depicted by thalweg elevations along the channel.
"Low-flow channel" means that portion of stream channel which is typically still carrying flowing water during the seasonal low-flow period extending from June 1 to November 1. If a stream goes dry in some years, the low flow channel shall be defined by either the July 1 water elevations or those channel areas not more than one (1) vertical foot above the thalweg.
"Mined lands" means the surface, subsurface, and groundwater of an area in which surface mining operations will be, have been or are being, conducted, including private roads appurtenant to the area, land excavations, workings, mining waste and areas in which structures, facilities, equipment, machines, tools or other materials or property which result from, or are used in, surface mining operations are located.
"Mining" means the process or business of taking mineral substances from a pit, quarry or excavation in the earth. Mining does not include grading and excavation in conjunction with other permitted construction activities or development of geothermal or water resources.
"Ordinary high water mark" means the line on a bank or shore of stream channel established by ordinary high water flows and indicated by changes in surface relief, soil, vegetation, and debris.
"Overburden" means earth materials which overlie resource deposits and which must be removed prior to resource extraction.
"Oversize gravel" means any stream-worked rock materials not passing a three-inch screen.
"Perennial stream" means a stream having surface flow for the entire year.
"Quarry" means a surface excavation created for the mining of bedrock geologic deposits, or soil for fill, construction or other purposes together with its processing and shipping.
"Reclamation" means the combined process of land treatment that minimizes water degradation, air pollution, damage to aquatic or wildlife habitat, flooding, erosion, and other adverse effects from surface mining operations, including adverse surface effects incidental to underground mines, so that mined lands are reclaimed to a usable condition which is readily adaptable for alternate land uses and create no danger to public health and safety. The process may extend to affected lands surrounding mined lands, and may require backfilling, grading, resoiling, revegetation, soil compaction, stabilization or other measures.
"Residual pool depth" means the difference between the elevation at the deepest part of the pool and the (lowest) elevation of the downstream riffle crest.
"Riparian vegetation" means native vegetation adjacent to, associated with, or otherwise dependent on a stream or other water body.
"Skimming" means removal of sand and gravel from gravel bars in stream channels above the water level of the low-flow channel.
"Slope ratio" means the ratio of change in horizontal distance to the change in vertical elevation expressed as two (2) numbers separated by a colon (i.e., 2:1).
"Terrace pit" means a surface mining operation that consists of excavation of pits in stream terraces and related activities to recover aggregate rock, sand and gravel.
"Thalweg" means the line or thread of a stream that constitutes the lowest or deepest part of the stream channel. On a longitudinal profile, the thalweg is indicated by the line connecting the lowest elevations.
"Transverse gradient" means the slope of the gross channel bottom generally perpendicular to its downstream direction.
"Upstream bar area" means the portion of the bar from the upstream end to a point where the bar is widest, measured from the low flow channel to the outer bank.
(Ord. No. 5909, § III, 12-7-2010; Ord. No. 5537, § 3(a), 2004; Ord. No. 5165, § 1, 1999.)