Appendix A: Glossary of Terms

Appendix A

Glossary of Terms

Aquatic environment - The geochemical environment in which dredged mate-

rial is submerged underwater and remains water saturated after disposal is

completed.

Aquatic ecosystem - Bodies of water, including wetlands, that serve as the

habitat for interrelated and interacting communities and populations of plants

and animals.

Baseline - Belt of the seas measured from the line of ordinary low water along

that portion of the coast that is in direct contact with the open sea and the line

marking the seaward limit of inland waters.

Bioaccumulation - The accumulation of contaminants in the tissues of organ-

isms through any route, including respiration, ingestion, or direct contact with

contaminated water, sediment, or dredged material.

Capping - The controlled, accurate placement of contaminated material at an

open-water site, followed by a covering or cap of clean isolating material.

Coastal zone - Includes coastal waters and the adjacent shorelands designated

by a State as being included within its approved coastal zone management

program. The coastal zone may include open waters, estuaries, bays, inlets,

lagoons, marshes, swamps, mangroves, beaches, dunes, bluffs, and coastal

uplands. Coastal-zone uses can include housing, recreation, wildlife habitat,

resource extraction, fishing, aquaculture, transportation, energy generation,

commercial development, and waste disposal.

Confined disposal - Placement of dredged material within diked nearshore or

upland confined disposal facilities (CDFs) that enclose the disposal area

above any adjacent water surface, isolating the dredged material from adja-

cent waters during placement. Confined disposal does not refer to subaque-

ous capping or contained aquatic disposal.

Appendix A Glossary of Terms