a

Agricultural byproducts
Pesticides, fertilizers, hormones and more that can harm the health of humans and wildlife. For example, antibiotics used to treat animals could facilitate antimicrobial resistance.
This term can be found in: Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees
Agritourism
Farms that contain a recreational or educational enterprise, such as tours or pick-your-own fruits.
This term can be found in: Preserving Local Character and Landscapes, Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies
Airshed
The area of land over which airborne pollutants can travel to reach a particular river, lake, bay or other body of water. The Chesapeake Bay’s airshed is 570,000 square miles, stretching north to Canada, west to Ohio and south to South Carolina.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Algae
Simple aquatic plants that can be single-celled or grow in clumps or slimy mats.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works, Foundations of Clean Water, Clean Water for the Economy, Protecting Your Infrastructure Through Stormwater Resilience
Aquaponics
Growing fish and plants in recirculating water.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works

b

Bacteria
Microorganisms that can make humans and wildlife sick. For example, E. coli, Salmonella, and Vibrio.
This term can be found in: Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees
Best management practices (BMPs)
Actions people can take to prevent pollution from entering their local waterways.
This term can be found in: Preparing Your Community for Water Extremes, Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies
Bioaccumulate
The uptake and storage of chemical contaminants by living animals and plants. This can occur through direct contact with contaminated water or sediment, or through the ingestion of another contaminated organism.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Biological nutrient removal (BNR)
Wastewater treatment technology that uses microorganisms to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from effluent.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Brownfield
A property for which expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.
This term can be found in: Building the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow, Your Health and the Environment

c

CAFO
A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation is an animal farm that meets certain animal size thresholds, and confines those animals for 45 days or more in any 12-month period, in an area that does not produce vegetation.
This term can be found in: Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies
Clean energy
Energy that comes from renewable, zero-emission sources that, when used, does not pollute the atmosphere.
This term can be found in: Building the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow
Climate
The average weather conditions for a particular location over a long period of time.
This term can be found in: Preparing Your Community for Water Extremes
Climate resiliency
The ability of communities, public infrastructure, living resources, and habitats to withstand the adverse impacts of changing environmental and climate conditions, such as flooding and increased air and water temperatures.
This term can be found in: Foundations of Clean Water, Preparing Your Community for Water Extremes

d

DEIJ
Commonly framed as DEI, JEDI, EDI, REI or READI, this acronym is used as a noun to identify a concept, effort, initiative or foundation for enhancing social justice in organizations or communities. Common words included in variations of this acronym include diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, race and access.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Derelict dam
Dam that was created for a past purpose, but is now obsolete, abandoned and dangerous.
This term can be found in: Clean Water for the Economy
Diversity
The practice of including many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures and beliefs, including underserved communities, as defined in Executive Order 14035 (“Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce”).
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment

e

Enhanced nutrient removal (ENR)
Wastewater treatment technology that improves upon the nutrient reductions achieved through biological nutrient removal (BNR).
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Environmental justice
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
This term can be found in: Preserving Local Character and Landscapes, Building the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow, Your Health and the Environment
Equity
The quality of being fair or impartial.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Estuary
A partially enclosed body of water where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works

f

Family farm
Any farm that is organized as a sole proprietorship, partnership or family corporation. This excludes farms that are organized as nonfamily corporations or cooperatives, as well as farms with hired managers.
This term can be found in: Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies
Floodplain
Area that is susceptible to being inundated by floodwaters.
This term can be found in: Preparing Your Community for Water Extremes

g

Gray infrastructure
Traditional, human-made structures that collect water before releasing it into rivers and streams. This includes pipes, reservoirs and treatment plants.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works
Green construction
The practice of erecting buildings and using building processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient.
This term can be found in: Building the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow
Green infrastructure
Nature-based solutions that use soil and vegetation to slow the flow of runoff and manage rainwater where it falls.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works, Preserving Local Character and Landscapes, Protecting Your Infrastructure Through Stormwater Resilience, Building the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow, Your Health and the Environment
Green job
Work at a business that produces goods or provides services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources; a job in which workers’ duties involve making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly and/or less consumptive of natural resources.
This term can be found in: Building the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow
Groundwater
Water stored under the earth’s surface in the cracks and spaces between particles of soil, sand and rock. Also called aquifers.
This term can be found in: Foundations of Clean Water

i

Impervious surface
Paved or hardened surface that does not allow water to pass through, such as roads, rooftops, sidewalks, pools, patios or parking lots.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works, Clean Water for the Economy, Preserving Local Character and Landscapes, Protecting Your Infrastructure Through Stormwater Resilience
Inclusion
The practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or intellectual disabilities and members of other minority groups.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves
Graphical tools that describe the likelihood of a range of extreme rainfall events. Used in flood forecasting and civil engineering, the tools relate rainfall intensity with its duration and frequency of occurrence.
This term can be found in: Preparing Your Community for Water Extremes
Interpretive outdoor experience
Outdoor exploration guided by a person with the goal of educating and engaging.
This term can be found in: Clean Water for the Economy

j

Justice
The quality of being fair and reasonable; just behavior or treatment.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment

l

Leachate
Liquid that is formed when rainwater filters through waste placed in a landfill. When leachate comes into contact with buried wastes, it leaches—or draws out—chemicals or constituents from those wastes.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Living shoreline
A protected, stabilized coastal edge made of natural materials, such as plants, sand or rock.
This term can be found in: Preserving Local Character and Landscapes

m

Microplastics
The tiny (<5 millimeters) fragments, fibers and microbeads that are formed when larger plastic litter breaks apart. Microplastics persist in the environment for an extremely long time.
This term can be found in: Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees, Protecting Your Infrastructure Through Stormwater Resilience, Your Health and the Environment
Modeling
Computer-based mathematical representations of the real world that estimate environmental conditions. Models can be used to simulate large or complex ecosystems to aid in decision-making around resource management.
This term can be found in: Foundations of Clean Water
Monitoring
Water collection and analysis that provides a snapshot of qualities such as temperature, nutrient content and chemical contaminant concentrations over time.
This term can be found in: Foundations of Clean Water
MS4
A Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System is a collection of structures designed to gather and discharge stormwater into local streams and rivers.
This term can be found in: Foundations of Clean Water, Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees, Protecting Your Infrastructure Through Stormwater Resilience

n

NPDES
The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System is a permitting program that regulates the point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States.
This term can be found in: Foundations of Clean Water
Nutrient management plan
A document that describes the optimal amount, form and application process of the nutrients that are needed to achieve optimum agricultural yields while preventing excess nutrients from impacting local waterways.
This term can be found in: Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies
Nutrients
Chemicals that, in excess amounts, can harm aquatic environments. Elevated levels of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus are the main cause of poor water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
This term can be found in: Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees

o

Organic farm
A farm that does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, but may still use naturally derived fertilizers or pesticides.
This term can be found in: Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies

p

Particulate matter (PM)
Also called particle pollution, a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
PCBs
A chemical contaminant that was once used as a flame retardant in electrical equipment. Though their production has been banned since 1977, PCBs persist in the environment, posing a risk to humans and wildlife.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
PFAS
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances are widely used chemicals that break down very slowly over time. They are used in leather, textiles, paper, paints, cleaners, wire insulation and more to help these products resist heat, water and grease.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
POPs
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which last in the environment for years. These include PCBs.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment

r

Riparian forest buffer
An area of trees, shrubs and other perennial plants adjacent to a river, stream or other waterway.
This term can be found in: Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees, Preserving Local Character and Landscapes, Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies
Runoff
Precipitation that does not evaporate or soak into the ground, but instead runs across the land and into the nearest waterway.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works, Foundations of Clean Water, Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees, Preserving Local Character and Landscapes, Protecting Your Infrastructure Through Stormwater Resilience, Building the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow

s

Salinity
The amount of salt dissolved in water. The ocean has more salt, and therefore higher salinity, than a river.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works
Saltwater intrusion
The inland migration of saltwater due to sea level rise, the excessive pumping of groundwater or other factors. Saltwater intrusion can endanger the groundwater that is used for drinking and irrigation.
This term can be found in: Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies
Sediment
Loose particles of sand, silt and clay that settle on the bottom of rivers, lakes, estuaries and oceans. Excess sediment can harm underwater grasses, oysters and other aquatic life.
This term can be found in: Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees
Spawning grounds
A location where animals, such as fish, go to lay eggs.
This term can be found in: Clean Water for the Economy
Sunny day flooding
Temporary, localized flooding that is associated with high tide rather than rainfall.
This term can be found in: Protecting Your Infrastructure Through Stormwater Resilience
Superfund
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) is informally called Superfund. It allows the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up contaminated sites, and forces the parties deemed responsible for the contamination to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-led cleanup work.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment

t

TMDL
A Total Maximum Daily Load is a federal “pollution diet” that sets limits on the amount of pollution that can enter a waterbody while still meeting water quality standards.
This term can be found in: Foundations of Clean Water, Your Health and the Environment
Toxic contaminants
Pesticides, pharmaceuticals, metals and other substances that can harm the health of humans and wildlife. For example, mercury is toxic to nervous, digestive and immune systems, as well as lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.
This term can be found in: Protecting Your Infrastructure Through Stormwater Resilience
Transpiration
The release of water vapor from plant leaves.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works
Trash trap
A device that collects the litter, sediment and other pollutants that are washed into a river system from rainwater that is concentrated over impervious surfaces.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Tree canopy
The layer of leaves and branches that covers the ground when viewed from above.
This term can be found in: Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees

u

Urban farming
The cultivation, processing and distribution of agricultural products in urban areas.
This term can be found in: Understanding and Supporting Your Agricultural Allies
Urban heat island
An urbanized area that experiences higher temperatures than outlying areas.
This term can be found in: Capitalizing on the Benefits of Trees, Preserving Local Character and Landscapes

v

Vibrio
An infectious bacteria that is present in brackish coastal waters, including the Chesapeake Bay. As waters warm, concentrations of Vibrio rise.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment

w

Wastewater
Used water that includes substances such as human waste, food scraps, oils, soaps and chemicals. In homes, this includes water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers. Businesses and industries also contribute their share of wastewater that must be cleaned.
This term can be found in: Your Health and the Environment
Watershed
An area of land that drains into a particular river, lake or other body of water.
This term can be found in: How Your Watershed Works
Weather
The state of the atmosphere, including temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation and cloud cover.
This term can be found in: Preparing Your Community for Water Extremes
WIP
A Watershed Implementation Plan includes detailed, specific steps an individual jurisdiction will take while working with federal and local governments to achieve the pollution reductions outlined in a Total Maximum Daily Load.
This term can be found in: Foundations of Clean Water