Ambient Monitoring - Monitoring of air, water or soil that is done to determine existing environmental conditions, contaminant levels, rates, or species in the environment, against which future conditions can be compared.

Best Management Practice (BMP) - Activities, practices, facilities, and/or procedures that when implemented to their maximum efficiency will prevent or reduce pollutants in discharges.

Breaching - The act of making an opening made by a breakthrough as in a wall, dam, or dike. A breach can occur naturally, or be man-made.

California Coastal Commission - A state commission of political appointees (four each from the Governor, Senate and Assembly) charged with upholding the California Coastal Act of 1976.

Clean Water Act -The Federal water quality control law governing surface waters establishing water quality objectives, waste discharge standards, and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit process; also called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act; amended.

Coastal Zone Act - The act provides for the conservation and development of California's 1,100 mile coastline. The act requires that maximum public access to coastal resources be provided, protects marine and land resources, maintains productive coastal agricultural lands, protects the scenic beauty of the coastline, and locates coastal energy and industrial facilities where they will have the least impacts.

Coliform Bacteria - A type of bacteria that is coil or helix shaped. Fecal coliform bacteria are those found in the intestinal tracts of mammals and birds. Total coliform bacteria come from soil and vegetation in addition to feces. The presence of high numbers of fecal coliform bacteria in a water body can indicate the recent release of untreated wastewater and/or the presence of animal feces. These organisms may also indicate the presence of pathogens that are harmful to humans. High numbers of fecal coliform bacteria therefore limit things such as swimming and shellfish harvesting. This bacteria is regularly tested, along with enterococcus, by the City and County of Los Angeles. We use this data to produce our monthly Beach Report Card.

Confined Aquatic Disposal Site (CAD site) - A site designed for sediments too contaminated for regular ocean disposal. CAD sites have engineered barriers between the sediments and the water, and the contaminated sediments are capped with clean sediments.

Contaminant - A substance that is not naturally present in the environment or is present in amounts that can, in sufficient concentration, adversely affect the environment.

Conventional Pollutant - Conventional pollutants as specified under the Clean Water Act are total suspended solids, fecal coliform bacteria, biochemical oxygen demand, pH, and oil and grease. Today a large number of nonconventional and toxic contaminants are of concern in addition to the conventional pollutants.

Dredge Spoils - Sediments dredged from harbors, marinas, bays and other drainages.

Ecosystem - A community of living organisms interacting with one another and with their physical environment, such as a rain forest, bay or estuary. Damage to any part of a complex system, such as Santa Monica Bay, may affect the whole. A system such as Puget Sound can also be thought of as the sum of many interconnected ecosystems such as the wetlands, creeks and lagoons.

Effluent - The liquid waste that is discharged from a facility or household into a water body or sewer system. For example, the treated liquid waste discharged by the Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant is an effluent.

Enterococcus - Any of a genus (Streptococcus) of nonmotile, usually parasitic, bacteria occurring in the intestine. This bacteria is regularly measured in the Bay to provide an indication of the presence of disease-causing bacteria.

Environmental Impact Report (EIR) - A document prepared to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) which describes for a proposed project, the existing environment and the potential impacts to that environment from the construction and operation of the proposed project. The public is allowed to comment on EIRs.

Environmental Protection Agency - The Federal agency charged with regulation and enforcement of most of the country's environmental laws. Some of these include the Clean Water Act [INTERNAL LINK to Learning Center-Fact Briefs-Glossary-Clean Water Act] , Clean Air Act, and Superfund.

General Industrial Activity Storm Water Discharge Permit- The NPDES permit adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board which authorizes the discharge of storm water from a specific industrial facility under certain conditions.

Hazardous Waste - Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance which, because of its source or measurable characteristics, is classified under state or federal law as hazardous and is subject to special handling, shipping, storage and disposal requirements.

Heavy Metals - Naturally occurring toxic metal elements also found in sewage sludge and urban runoff, including cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, arsenic, nickel, etc.

Industrial Pre-Treatment - A requirement that certain industries which discharge effluent to the sewer system treat the wastewater prior to discharge to eliminate harmful contaminants.

Land Use - The way land is developed and used in terms of the types of activities allowed (agriculture, residences, industries, etc.) and the size of buildings and structures permitted. Certain types of pollution problems are often associated with particular land use practices, such as sedimentation from construction activities.

Microorganisms - Microscopic organisms (bacteria, viruses and protozoans) that are not visible to the unaided eye. Some cause disease in humans, animals and plants; some are important because they are involved in breaking down and stabilizing sewage and solid waste.

Mitigation - An action which avoids, minimizes, rectifies, reduces, eliminates or compensates for an action which would have significant environmental impacts.

Municipal Storm Water Permit - A permit issued by the Regional Water Quality Control Board that regulates the discharge of storm water and dry weather runoff into the streets, gutters, conduits, natural or artificial drains, channels and watercourses, or other facilities that are owned, operated, maintained or controlled by a specific municipality and used for the purpose of collecting, storing, transporting, or disposing of storm water.

Nonpoint Source Pollution - Pollution that enters water from dispersed and uncontrolled sources, such as surface runoff, rather than through a pipe from a particular industry. Nonpoint sources like forest and agricultural practices, on-site sewage disposal, storm drain runoff and recreational boats, may contribute pathogens, suspended solids and toxics to the water. The cumulative impact of nonpoint source pollution is significant.

Point Source Pollution - A source of pollutants from a known single point of discharge conveyance, such as a pipe. For example, the discharge pipe from a sewage treatment plant or a factory is a point source.

Pollutant - A contaminant that adversely alters the physical, chemical or biological properties of the environment.

Regional Water Quality Control Board - Local division of the State Water Resources Control Board. The RWQCB is charged with enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act,state and local legislation.

Sewage Treatment - Levels of sewage treatment. The Clean Water Act requires publicly owned treatment facilities to upgrade their treatment to full secondary treatment before discharging into the ocean.

• Primary Treatment - Settling and screening that separates sewage solids from liquid waste.
• Secondary Treatment - Introduction of bacteria which bind to the remaining solids and aid in their removal. The liquid wastewater is also partially disinfected.
• Tertiary Treatment - Full disinfection of liquid waste. Methods include chlorination and ozonation. Tertiary treatment produces drinkable water and is required for discharge into fresh water bodies.

Sludge - The solid matter removed during the sewage treatment process. Also known as biosolids.

Storm Drains - A system of gutters, catch basins, and over- and underground channels which carry runoff from city streets to the ocean. Storm drains can carry a variety of substances such as sediments, fecal waste, metals, bacteria, oil, and antifreeze which enter the system through runoff, deliberate dumping, or spills.

Storm Water Runoff - The part of precipitation (rainfall or snowmelt) which travels via flow across surfaces to the storm drain system or receiving waters. In Los Angeles County, this water picks up large amounts of pollutants in the storm drain system before reaching the beach.

Suspended Solids - The small particles of solid matter in any water sample which are suspended. The term is usually used for solids in the effluent discharged from sewage treatment.

Water Reuse - Wastewater treated with filtration and disinfection that meets California Health Code requirements for non-potable water uses, such as irrigation and industrial cooling water.

Watershed - The total land area from which rain water drains into a particular stream, drain, or body of water; the drainage basin.

Wetlands - Habitats where the influence of surface or groundwater has resulted in the development of plant or animal communities adapted to aquatic or intermittently wet conditions. Wetlands include tidal flats, shallow subtidal areas, swamps, marshes, wet meadows, bogs, and similar areas.