Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
100-year, 24-hour rainfall
event
Mean precipitation event with a probable recurrence interval of once in one
hundred years, as defined by the National Weather Service in Technical Paper
No. 40, “Rainfall Frequency Atlas of the United States,” May, 1961, or equivalent
regional or State rainfall probability information developed from this source.
25-year, 24-hour rainfall
event
Mean precipitation event with a probable recurrence interval of once in twentyfive years, as defined by the National Weather Service in Technical Paper No.
40, “Rainfall Frequency Atlas of the United States,” May, 1961, or equivalent
regional or State rainfall probability information developed from this source.
303(d) water body
Under section 303(d) of the 1972 Clean Water Act, states, territories, and
authorized tribes are required to develop lists of impaired waters. These
impaired waters do not meet water quality standards that states, territories, and
authorized tribes have set for them. The law requires that these jurisdictions
establish priority rankings for waters on the lists and develop TMDLs for these
waters.
Aboveground storage tank
Aboveground storage tanks are used as an alternative to underbuilding pit
storage and earthen basins. Current assembly practices for aboveground
storage facilities are primarily circular silo types and round concrete designs, but
the structures may also be rectangular. Such tanks are suitable for operations
handling slurry (semisolid) or liquid manure; this generally excludes open-lot
waste which is inconsistent in composition and has a higher percentage of
solids. Below and aboveground storage tanks are appropriate in situations
where the production site has karst terrain, space constraints, or aesthetics
issues associated with earthen basins. Storing manure in prefabricated or
formed storage tanks is especially advantageous on sites with porous soils or
fragmented bedrock. Such locations may be unfit for earthen basins and lagoons
because seepage and ground water contamination may occur.
Acre
1 acre=43,560 sq. ft. =0.405 hectares; or 640 acres=1 sq. mile (called a section).
Acre-foot
The volume of water that would cover one acre of land (43,560 square feet) to a
depth of one foot, equivalent to 325,851 gallons of water.
Aeration
A process causing intimate contact between air and a liquid by one or more of
the following methods: (a) spraying the liquid in the air, (b) bubbling air through
the liquid, and (c) agitating the liquid to promote absorption of oxygen through
the air liquid interface.
Aeration, soil
The exchange of air in soil with air from the atmosphere. The air in a well
aerated soil is similar to that in the atmosphere; the air in a poorly aerated soil is
considerably higher in carbon dioxide and lower in oxygen.
Aerobic
Living, active, or occurring only in the presence of free oxygen.
Aerobic bacteria
Bacteria that require free elemental oxygen for their growth. Oxygen in chemical
combination will not support aerobic organisms.
Agency.
Agency means the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Agricultural waste
management system
A combination of conservation practices formulated to appropriately manage a
waste product that, when implemented, will recycle waste constituents to the
fullest extent possible and protect the resource base in a nonpolluting manner.
1
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Agricultural wastes
Wastes normally associated with the production and processing of food and fiber
on farms, feedlots, ranches, ranges, and forests which may include animal
manure, crop and food processing residues, agricultural chemicals, and animal
carcasses.
Agronomy
The science of crop production and soil management.
Air Quality Standards
Federal and state government-prescribed levels of a pollutant in the outside air
that cannot be exceeded during a specified period of time in a specified
geographical area.
Ammonia nitrogen
The nitrogen component of the gas (NH3) released by the microbiological decay
of plant and animal proteins. (The term sometimes refers to the total of NH 3 and
the ammonium ion, NH4+)
Ammonia volatilization
The loss of ammonia gas to the atmosphere.
Ammonium
An ion (NH4+) derived from ammonia (NH3).
Anaerobic
The absence of molecular oxygen, or growing in the absence of oxygen, such as
anaerobic bacteria.
Anaerobic (anoxic)
In the absence of oxygen.
Anaerobic bacteria
Bacteria not requiring the presence of free or dissolved oxygen.
Anaerobic digester
A heated, air-tight apparatus that facilitates anaerobic digestion.
Anaerobic digestion
A biological process that occurs in the absence of oxygen. In very large animal
production operation, it is sometimes used to produce biogas (a low energy gas
which is a combination of methane and carbon dioxide) from the biodegradable
organic portion of manure. This gas can be used as an energy source. After
anaerobic digestion, the remaining semi-solid (which is relatively odor free but
still contains most of its nutrients) can be used as a fertilizer.
Anaerobic lagoon
A facility to treat animal waste by predominantly anaerobic biological action
using anaerobic organisms, in the absence of oxygen, for the purpose of
reducing the strength of the waste.
Ancillary practice
A treatment or conservation practice used to meet a specific need in planning
and carrying out soil and water conservation programs.
Animal feeding operation
Animal feeding operation means a feeding operation as defined in the Illinois
Environmental Protection Act and the rules promulgated under that Act
concerning agriculture related pollution. [510 ILCS 77/10.7]
Animal unit
“Animal unit" means a unit of measurement for any animal feeding operation
calculated as follows: “Animal unit" means a unit of measurement for any animal
feeding operation calculated as follows:
(1) Brood cows and slaughter and feeder cattle multiplied by 1.0.
(2) Milking dairy cows multiplied by 1.4.
2
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
(3) Young dairy stock multiplied by 0.6.
(4) Swine weighing over 55 pounds multiplied by 0.4.
(5) Swine weighing under 55 pounds multiplied by 0.03.
(6) Sheep, lambs, or goats multiplied by 0.1.
(7) Horses multiplied by 2.0.
(8) Turkeys multiplied by 0.02.
(9) Laying hens or broilers multiplied by 0.01 (if the facility has continuous
overflow watering).
(10) Laying hens or broilers multiplied by 0.03 (if the facility has a liquid manure
handling system).
(11) Ducks multiplied by 0.02. For species of animals in an animal feeding
operation not specifically listed in this definition, the animal unit factor shall be
determined by dividing the average mature animal weight by 1,000. The average
mature animal weight s
Aquifer material
“Aquifer material” means sandstone that is five feet or more in thickness, or
fractured carbonate that is ten feet or more in thickness; or, sand, gravel, or
sand and gravel, as defined in this Section, such that there is at least two feet
present within any five foot section of a soil boring performed in accordance with
Subpart B or Subpart C of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 506.
Aquitard
A geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a formation through which
virtually no water moves.
Artesian well
A well deriving its water from a confined aquifer in which the water level stands
above the ground surface; synonymous with flowing well.
Available nitrogen
Form of nitrogen that is immediately available for plant growth –(NO3 or NH4+)
Available nutrient
A nutrient molecule that can be adsorbed and assimilated by growing plants.
Available phosphorus
Forms of phosphorus that can be immediately used for plant growth.
Available water capacity
(available moisture
capacity)
The capacity of soils to hold water available for use by most plants. It is
commonly defined as the difference between the amount of soil water at field
capacity and the amount at wilting point. It is commonly expressed as inches of
water per inch of soil. The capacity, in inches, in a 60-inch profile is expressed
as:
• Very low
0 to 3 inches
• Low
3 to 6 inches
• Moderate
6 to 9 inches
• High
9 to 12 inches
• Very high
> 12 inches
3
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Backgrounding
Growing program for feeder cattle from time calves are weaned until they are on
a finishing ration in the feedlot.
Bacteria
A group of universally distributed, rigid, essentially unicellular procaryotic microorganisms. Bacteria usually appear as spheroid, rod-like or curved entities, but
occasionally appear as sheets, chains, or branched filaments.
Baseflow
Water that having infiltrated the soil surface, percolates to the ground water table
and moves laterally to reappear as surface runoff.
Basin
A tract of land in which the ground is broadly tilted toward a common point.
Water that falls onto any portion of the basin is carried toward the common point
by a single river system.
Bedding
Material such as straw, sawdust, wood shavings, shredded newspaper, sand or
other similar material used in animal confinement areas for the comfort of the
animal or to absorb excess moisture. Bedding can drastically affect the
characteristics of the manure, and must be taken into consideration in the design
of the storage facility.
Bedrock
The solid rock that underlies the soil and other unconsolidated material or that is
exposed at the surface.
Belowground storage tanks
Belowground storage tanks are used as an alternative to underbuilding pit
storage and earthen basins. Belowground storage can be located totally or
partially below grade and should be surrounded by fences or guardrails to
prevent people, livestock, or equipment from accidentally entering the tank.
Such tanks are suitable for operations handling slurry (semisolid) or liquid
manure; this generally excludes open-lot waste which is inconsistent in
composition and has a higher percentage of solids. Below and aboveground
storage tanks are appropriate in situations where the production site has karst
terrain, space constraints, or aesthetics issues associated with earthen basins.
Storing manure in prefabricated or formed storage tanks is especially
advantageous on sites with porous soils or fragmented bedrock. Such locations
may be unfit for earthen basins and lagoons because seepage and ground water
contamination may occur.
Best Available Technology
Economically Achievable
(BAT)
Technology-based standard established by the Clean Water Act (CWA) as the
most appropriate means available on a national basis for controlling the direct
discharge of toxic and nonconventional pollutants to navigable waters. BAT
effluent limitations guidelines, in general, represent the best existing
performance of treatment technologies that are economically achievable within
an industrial point source category or subcategory.
Best Conventional
Pollutant Control
Technology (BCT)
Technology-based standard for the discharge from existing industrial point
sources of conventional pollutants including BOD, TSS, fecal coliform, pH, oil
and grease. The BCT is established in light of a two-part "cost reasonableness"
test which compares the cost for an industry to reduce its pollutant discharge
with the cost to a POTW for similar levels of reduction of a pollutant loading. The
second test examines the cost-effectiveness of additional industrial treatment
beyond BPT. EPA must find limits which are reasonable under both tests before
establishing them as BCT.
Best management practice
(BMP) [EPA]
Permit condition used in place of or in conjunction with effluent limitations to
prevent or control the discharge of pollutants. May include schedule of activities,
prohibition of practices, maintenance procedure, or other management practice.
4
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
BMPs may include, but are not limited to, treatment requirements, operating
procedures, or practices to control runoff, spillage, leaks, or drainage from raw
material storage.
Best management practice
(BMP) [NRCS]
A practice or combination of practices found to be the most effective, practicable
(including economic and institutional considerations) means of preventing or
reducing the amount of pollution generated by non-point sources to a level
compatible with water quality goals.
Best professional judgment
(BPJ)
The method used by permit writers to develop technology-based NPDES permit
conditions, in those circumstances where there is no applicable effluent limitation
guideline, on a case-by-case basis using all reasonably available and relevant
data.
Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD)
Laboratory measurement of the amount of oxygen consumed by microorganisms
while decomposing organic matter in a product. BOD levels are indicative of the
effect of the waste on fish or other aquatic life which require oxygen to live, and
though not a specific compound, it is defined as a conventional pollutant under
the federal Clean Water Act. An indirect measure of the concentration of
biodegradable substances present in an aqueous solution. Determined by the
amount of dissolved oxygen required for the aerobic degradation of the organic
matter at 20 °C. BOD5 refers to that oxygen demand for the initial five days of
the degradation process.
Biological wastewater
treatment
Forms of wastewater treatment in which bacterial or biochemical action is
intensified to stabilize or oxidize the unstable organic matter present. Oxidation
ditches, aerated lagoons, anaerobic lagoons and anaerobic digesters are
examples.
Boar
An uncastrated male hog.
BOD
The amount of dissolved oxygen consumed in five days by biological processes
breaking down organic matter.
Breeding stock
Sexually mature male and female livestock that are retained to produce
offspring.
Broiler
Meat-type chicken typically marketed at 6.5 weeks of age. Live weight at market
generally averages 4 to 4.5 pounds per bird.
Buck
Male goat. Male goats are at times disparagingly called "Billy goats".
Buffer Zone
The region near the border of a protected area; a transition zone between areas
managed for different objectives.
Bull
Bovine male, uncastrated of breeding age.
Bushel
A dry volume measure of varying weight for grain, fruit, etc., equal to four pecks
or eight gallons (2150.42 cubic inches). A bushel of wheat, soybeans, and white
potatoes each weighs 60 pounds. A bushel of corn, rye, grain sorghum, and
flaxseed each weighs 56 pounds. A bushel of barley, buckwheat, and apples
each weighs 48 pounds.
Bypass
The intentional diversion of waste streams from any portion of a treatment (or
5
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
pretreatment) facility.
By-product
Product of considerably less value than the major product. For example, the
hide and offal are by-products while beef is the major product.
Calf
Young male or female bovine animal under 1 year of age.
Calve
Giving birth to a calf.
Capillary fringe
The zone at the bottom of the vadose zone where ground water is drawn upward
by capillary force.
Capon
Castrated male chicken.
Carbonate
A sediment formed by the organic or inorganic precipitation from aqueous
solution of carbonates of calcium, magnesium, or iron.
Cation
Positively charged ion; can adsorb to soil particle. Common soil cations are
ammonium (NH4 +), calcium (Ca+2), and potassium (K+).
Cation exchange
Ion exchange process in which cations in solution are exchanged for other
cations on the surface of a surface-active (ion exchanger) material, such as a
clay colloid or organic colloid.
Cation-exchange capacity
The total amount of exchangeable cations that can be adsorbed by a soil, or a
soil constituent expressed in terms of milliequivalents per 100 grams of soil at
neutrality (pH 7.0) or at some other stated pH value.
Certified livestock manager
Certified livestock manager means a person that has been duly certified by the
Department as an operator of a livestock waste handling facility.
Chemical Oxygen Demand
(COD)
An indirect measure of the biochemical load exerted on the oxygen content of a
body of water when organic wastes are introduced into the water. If the wastes
contain only readily available organic bacterial food and no toxic matter, the
COD values can be correlated with BOD values obtained from the same wastes.
Clay
As a soil separate, the mineral soil particles less than 0.002 millimeter in
diameter. As a soil textural class, soil material that is 40 percent or more clay,
less than 45 percent sand, and less than 40 percent silt.
Coarse textured soil
Sand or loamy sand.
Coliform Bacteria
Microorganisms which typically inhabit the intestines of warm-blooded animals.
They are commonly measured in drinking water analyses to indicate pollution by
human or animal waste.
Coliform bacteria
A group of bacteria predominantly found in the soil. The fecal coliform species
inhabits the intestines of man or animal. Coliform bacteria includes all aerobic
and facultative anaerobic, gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacilli that ferment
lactose with production of gas. This group of "total" coliforms includes
Escherichia coli (E-Coli), which is considered to be a typical coliform of fecal
origin.
Compost
Decomposed organic material resulting from the composting process. Used to
6
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
enrich or improve the consistency of soil.
Composting
A process of aerobic biological decomposition of organic material characterized
by elevated temperatures that, when complete, results in a relatively stable
product suitable for a variety of agricultural and horticultural uses.
Conductivity
See electrical and hydraulic conductivity.
Cone of depression
A depression in the ground water table or potentiometric surface that has the
shape of an inverted cone and develops around a well from which water is being
withdrawn. It defines the area of influence of a well.
Confined aquifer
A formation in which the ground water is isolated from the atmosphere at the
point of discharge by impermeable geologic formations. Confined ground water
is generally subject to pressure greater than atmospheric.
Confinement area
The animal confinement area includes but is not limited to open lots, housed
lots, feedlots, confinement houses, stall barns, free stall barns, milkrooms,
milking centers, cowyards, barnyards, medication pens, walkers, animal
walkways, and stables.
Conservation cropping
sequence
An adapted sequence of crops designed to provide adequate organic residue for
maintenance or improvement of soil tilth and for other conservation purposes.
Conservation district
Any unit of local government formed to carry out a local soil and water
conservation program.
Conservation Management
Unit (CMU)
A field, group of fields, or other land units of the same land use and having
similar treatment needs and planned management. A CMU is a grouping by the
planner to simplify planning activities and facilitate development of conservation
management systems. A CMU has definite boundaries, such as fence, drainage,
vegetation, topography, or soil lines.
Conservation plan
A combination of land uses and farming practices to protect and improve soil
productivity and water quality, and to prevent deterioration of natural resources
on all or part of a farm. Plans may be prepared by staff working in conservation
districts and must meet technical standards. For some purposes, such as
conservation compliance, the plan must be approved by the local conservation
district. Under the 1996 FAIR Act, conservation plans for conservation
compliance must be both technically and economically feasible.
Conservation practice
(EPA)
A specific structural, managerial, or cultural treatment of natural resources
commonly used to meet a specific need in planning and carrying out soil and
water conservation programs.
Conservation practice
(NRCS)
Any technique or measure used to protect soil and water resources for which
standards and specifications for installation, operation, or maintenance have
been developed. Practices approved by USDA's Natural Resources
Conservation Service are compiled at each conservation district in its field office
technical guide.
Conservation Reserve
Enhancement Program
(CREP)
A sub program of the Conservation Reserve Program, CREP is a state-federal
multi-year land retirement program developed by states and targeted to specific
state and nationally significant water quality, soil erosion, and wildlife habitat
problems. The CREP offers higher payments per acre to participants than the
7
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
CRP, and perhaps other benefits as well. States with approved programs include
Maryland, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Washington, and North
Carolina.
Conservation Reserve
Program (CRP)
A USDA program, created in the Food Security Act of 1985, to retire from
production up to 45 million acres of highly erodible and environmentally sensitive
farmland. Landowners who sign contracts agree to keep retired lands in
approved conserving uses for 10-15 years. In exchange, the landowner receives
an annual rental payment, cost-share payments to establish permanent
vegetative cover and technical assistance.
Conservation tillage
Any tillage and planting system that leaves at least 30% of the soil surface
covered by residue after planting. Conservation tillage maintains a ground cover
with less soil disturbance than traditional cultivation, thereby reducing soil loss
and energy use while maintaining crop yields and quality. Conservation tillage
techniques include minimum tillage, mulch tillage, ridge tillage, and no- till.
Containment
Structures used to control runoff of precipitation that comes into contact with
manure, feed and other wastes on open feedlots. Examples of containment
structures are lagoons and holding ponds.
Contamination
The degradation of water quality as a result of natural processes and/or the
activities of people. No specific limits are established because the degree of
permissible contamination depends upon the intended end use or uses of the
water.
Contour farming
Field operations such as plowing, planting, cultivating, and harvesting on the
contour, or at right angles to the natural slope to reduce soil erosion, protect soil
fertility, and use water more efficiently.
Conventional tillage
Those primary and secondary tillage operations that are considered standard for
the specific location and crop.
Cooperative State
Research, Education, and
Extension Service
(CSREES)
The USDA agency that administers federal funds appropriated for agricultural
and forestry research, extension, and education programs at eligible institutions,
including the land grant colleges of agriculture in the states, selected veterinary
schools, and other institutions with capabilities in the food and agricultural
science arena.
Cover crop
A close-growing crop, whose main purpose is to protect and improve the soil and
use excess nutrients or soil moisture during the absence of the regular crop, or
in the nonvegetated areas of orchards and vineyards.
Cow
Sexually mature female bovine animal that has usually produced a calf.
Cow-calf operation
A ranch or farm where cows are raised and bred mainly to produce calves
usually destined for the beef market. The cows produce a calf crop each year,
and the operation keeps some heifer calves from each calf crop for breeding
herd replacements. The rest of the calf crop is sold between the ages of 6 and
12 months along with old or nonproductive cows and bulls. Such calves often
are sold to producers who raise them as feeder cattle.
Crop rotation
The growing of different crops, in recurring succession, on the same land in
contrast to monoculture cropping. Rotation usually is done to replenish soil
fertility and to reduce pest populations in order to increase the potential for high
8
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
levels of production in future years.
Cultural eutrophication
The process of nutrient enrichment artificially accelerated by some action(s) of
human society (see “Eutrophication”).
Denitrification
The chemical or biological reduction of nitrate or nitrite to gaseous nitrogen,
either as molecular nitrogen (N2) or as an oxide of nitrogen (N2O).
Department
Department means the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Desorption
The release of sorbed ions or compounds from solid surfaces.
Detention pond
See Waste storage ponds.
Dewatering
The removal of the liquid fraction from manure slurries. This is often done to
maximize storage by increasing the solids concentration or to facilitate the
transportation of the manure. Dewatering is often accomplished by mechanical
separation (screen separator, belt-press, and centrifuge) or gravity separation
(settling basin).
Digester
A vessel used for the biological, physical, or chemical break-down of livestock
and poultry manure.
Digestion
The process of organic matter breaking down into simpler and/or more
biologically stable products; e.g., ammonia to organic nitrogen.
Direct runoff
Both surface flow and the interflow component of subsurface flow.
Director (EPA)
The Regional Administrator or State Director, as the context requires, or an
authorized representative. When there is no approved state program, and there
is an EPA administered program, Director means the Regional Administrator.
When there is an approved state program, "Director" normally means the State
Director.
Discharge
Discharge when used without qualification means the discharge of a pollutant.
Discharge of a pollutant means: (a) Any addition of any pollutant or combination
of pollutants to waters of the United States from any point source, or (b) Any
addition of any pollutant or combination of pollutants to the waters of the
contiguous zone or the ocean from any point source other than a vessel or other
floating craft which is being used as a means of transportation. This definition
includes additions of pollutants into waters of the United States from: surface
runoff which is collected or channelled by man; discharges through pipes,
sewers, or other conveyances owned by a State, municipality, or other person
which do not lead to a treatment works; and discharges through pipes, sewers,
or other conveyances, leading into privately owned treatment works. This term
does not include an addition of pollutants by any indirect discharger.
Dispersion
The spreading and mixing of chemical constituents in ground water caused by
diffusion and mixing because of microscopic variations in velocities within and
between pores.
Dissolved oxygen (DO)
The molecular oxygen dissolved in water, wastewater, or other liquid; generally
expressed in milligrams per liter, parts per million, or percent of saturation.
9
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Dry cow
A cow that is not lactating.
Dry lot (dry operation)
An operation using confinement buildings and handling manure and bedding
exclusively as dry material, an operation using a building with a mesh or slatted
floor over a concrete pit, or an operation scraping manure to a covered waste
storage facility is referred to as a “dry” operation. When such practices are
used, and are not combined with liquid manure handling systems such as
flushing to lagoons or storage ponds, these operations are referred to as “other
than liquid manure handling systems” or “dry” manure systems, or “dry”
operations.
Dry-weight percentage
The ratio of the weight of any constituent to the oven-dry weight of the whole
substance, such as plant or soil.
Duck
Term used to connote both sexes but is also used to refer to the female gender.
Ducks are typically marketed at 35 days of age at an average live weight of 7
pounds per bird.
Earthen manure storage
basin
See Waste storage pond.
Effluent
The liquid discharge from a waste treatment process.
Effluent Limitations
Guidelines (ELG)
Regulations issued by the EPA Administrator under Section 304(b) of the Clean
Water Act that establish national technology-based effluent requirements for a
specific industrial category.
Effluent standard
Designated limit in the amount of any constituent within an effluent.
Electrical conductivity
Conductivity of electricity through water or an extract of soil.
Ephemeral stream
A stream that flows only sporadically, such as after storms.
EQIP
The Federal Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) provides financial
assistance to producers to implement better conservation practices.
Equipotential line
A contour line on the water table or potentiometric surface; a line along which
the pressure head of ground water in an aquifer is the same. Fluid flow is normal
to these lines in the direction of decreasing fluid potential.
Erosion
The wearing away of the land surface by water, wind, ice, or other geologic
agents and by such processes as gravitational creep.
Erosion (accelerated)
Erosion much more rapid than geologic erosion, mainly as a result of the
activities of man or other animals or of a catastrophe in nature, for example, fire,
that exposes the surface.
Erosion (geologic)
Erosion caused by geologic processes acting over long geologic periods.
Escherichia coli (E. Coli)
One of the species of bacteria in the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. Its
presence is considered indicative of fecal contamination.
Eutrophication
A natural or artificial process of nutrient enrichment whereby a water body
becomes abundant in plant nutrients and low in oxygen content.
10
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Evaporation pond
Used in regions where evaporation exceeds rainfall to separate manure solids
from liquids. Constructed to remove moisture from livestock manure.
Evapotranspiration
The loss of water from an area by evaporation from the soil or snow cover and
transpiration by plants.
Ewe
A female sheep.
Exchange capacity
The abundance of sites (within the soil sample) which have the potential for
being actively engaged in ion adsorption. See Cation-exchange capacity.
Farm residence.
''Farm residence" means any residence on a farm owned or occupied by the
farm owners, operators, tenants, or seasonal or year-round hired workers. For
purposes of this definition, a “farm” is the land, buildings, and machinery used in
the commercial production of farm products, and "farm products" are those
plants and animals and their products which are produced or raised for
commercial purposes and include but are not limited to forages and sod crops,
grains and feed crops, dairy and dairy products, poultry and poultry products,
livestock, fruits, vegetables, flowers, seeds, grasses, trees, fish, honey and other
similar products, or any other plant, animal, or plant or animal product which
supplies people with food, feed, fiber, or fur.
Farm Service Agency
A division of the USDA that oversees the administration of all federal farm
programs. Programs include farm commodities, crop insurance, conservation
programs and farm loans. Offices are located in strategic counties in every state
in the U.S. Formerly known as ASCS, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation
Services.
Farrowing
Stage during which the pigs are born, and kept until they are weaned from the
sow.
Farrow-to-finish
Typically, a confinement operation where pigs are bred and raised to their
slaughter weight, usually 200-250 pounds.
Fecal coliform bacteria
A group of bacteria found in the intestinal tract of humans and animals, and also
found in soil. While harmless in themselves, coliform bacteria are commonly
used as indicators of the presence of pathogenic organisms.
Feeder cattle
Cattle past the calf stage that have weight increased making them salable as
feedlot replacements.
Feedlot
Lot or building or a group of lots or buildings used for the confined feeding,
breeding or holding of animals. This definition includes areas specifically
designed for confinement in which manure may accumulate or any area where
the concentration of animals is such that a vegetative cover cannot be
maintained. Lots used to feed and raise poultry are considered to be feedlots.
Pastures are not animal feedlots.
Fertilizer
Any organic or inorganic material, either natural or synthetic, used to supply
elements (such as nitrogen (N), phosphate (P2O5), and potash (K2O)) essential
for plant growth.
Fertilizer value
An estimate of the value of commercial fertilizer elements (N, P, K) that can be
replaced by manure or organic waste material. Usually expressed as dollars per
11
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
ton of manure or quantity of nutrients per ton of manure.
Field (moisture) capacity
The moisture content of a soil, expressed as a percentage of the ovendry
weight, after the gravitational, or free, water has drained away.
Filly
A female horse less than three years old.
Filter backwash
Reversing the flow of water back through the filter media to remove entrapped
solids.
Filter strips
An area of vegetation, generally narrow and long, that slows the rate of runoff,
allowing sediments, organic matter, and other pollutants that are being conveyed
by the water to be removed.
Fine textured soil
Sandy clay, silty clay, and clay.
Finish pig
To feed a pig until it reaches market weight.
Finishing stage
Stage leading to and including full adulthood for swine is called the finishing
stage. The pigs remain here until they reach market weight.
Flood fringe
Flood fringe means that portion of the floodplain outside the floodway.
Floodplain
Floodplain means that land adjacent to a body of water with ground surface
elevations at or below the 100-year frequency flood elevation.
Floodway, IL counties
excluding Chicago collar
For the remaining 96 counties, “Floodway” means the channel of a river, lake or
stream and that portion of the adjacent land area that is needed to safely store
and convey flood waters. Where floodways have been delineated for regulatory
purposes, the mapped lines show the floodway encroachment limits and will be
used. For other areas, floodway limits will be estimated, using hydrologic and
hydraulic calculations, to preserve adequate conveyance and storage so that
stage increases for the 100-year frequency flood would not exceed 0.1 foot.
Floodway, Cook, DuPage,
Kane, Lake, McHenry and
Will Counties
Floodway, for the six counties including Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry
and Will, means the channel and that portion of the floodplain adjacent to a
stream or watercourse as designated by the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources pursuant to Section 18g of the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act [615
ILCS 5/18g], which is needed to store and convey the anticipated future 100year frequency flood discharge with no more than a 0.1 foot increase in stage
due to the loss of flood conveyance or storage, and no more than a 10%
increase in velocities. [615 ILCS 5/18g(d)(1)]
Flow lines
Lines indicating the direction followed by groundwater toward points of
discharge. Flow lines are perpendicular to equipotential lines.
Flush system
In flush systems, large volumes of water flow down a sloped surface, scour
manure from the concrete, and carry it to a manure storage facility. There are
three basic types of flush systems: 1) underslat gutters, used primarily in beef
confinement buildings and swine facilities; 2) narrow-open gutters, used
predominately in hog finishing buildings; and 3) wide-open gutters or alleys,
most often seen in dairy freestall barns, holding pens, and milking parlors.
Flushing system
A system that collects and transports or moves waste material with the use of
12
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
water, such as in washing of pens and flushing confinement livestock facilities.
Forage Growth
All browse and non-woody plants that are eaten by wildlife and livestock.
Roughage of high feeding value. Grasses and legumes cut at the proper stage
of maturity and stored to preserve quality are forage. A crop that is high in fiber
and grown especially to feed ruminant animals.
Freeboard
The distance between the highest possible wastewater level in a manure
storage/treatment structure and the top edge of the structure.
Gelding
A castrated male horse.
Grassed infiltration area
An area with vegetative cover where runoff water infiltrates into the soil.
Grassed waterway
Grassed waterways are areas planted with grass or other permanent vegetative
cover where water usually concentrates as it runs off a field. They can be either
natural or man-made channels. Grass in the waterway slows the water and can
reduce gully erosion and aid in trapping sediment.
Gravel, or sand and gravel.
“Gravel” or “Sand and gravel” means unconsolidated materials that contain a
matrix (particles of two millimeters or less) that is consistent with the definition of
“sand” and particles larger than two millimeters in size.
Grazing land
Pasture, meadow, rangeland, or other similar area where livestock are put to
feed on the vegetation.
Ground water
The supply of fresh water found beneath the Earth’s surface, usually in aquifers,
which supply wells and springs. Water filling all the unblocked pores of
underlying material below the water table.
Ground water table
The surface between the zone of saturation and the zone of aeration; the
surface of an unconfined aquifer.
Growing stage
Occurs after the piglets leave the nursery. Pigs are larger and better able to
take care of themselves at this stage, so larger group pens and a less controlled
environment is needed.
Gully erosion
Also called ephemeral gully erosion, this process occurs when water flows in
small channels and larger swales. Most gully erosion occurs on highly erodible
soils, where there is little or no crop residue cover, or where crop harvest
disturbs the soil.
Head
Energy contained in a water mass; expressed in elevation (feet) or pressure
(pounds per square feet).
Head loss
That part of head energy which is lost because of friction as water flows.
Heifer
Young female bovine cow prior to the time that she has produced her first calf.
Hen
Adult female chicken or turkey.
Herd
Group of cattle (usually cows) that are in a similar management program.
Highly erodible land (HEL)
Land that is very susceptible to erosion, including fields that have at least 1/3 or
13
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
50 acres of soils with a natural erosion potential of at least 8 times their T value.
Holding pond
A pond, usually made of earthen material, that is used to store manure,
wastewater, or polluted runoff generally for a limited time.
Horizon, soil
A layer of soil, approximately parallel to the surface, having distinct
characteristics produced during soil-forming processes.
Hydraulic conductivity
The rate of flow of water in gallons per day through a cross section of one
square foot under a unit hydraulic gradient, at the prevailing temperature
(gpd/ft2). In the SI system, the units are m 3/day/m2 or m/day.
Hydraulic gradient
The rate of change in total head per unit of distance of flow in a given direction.
Hydrologic condition
Description of the moisture present in a soil by amount, location, and
configuration.
Hydrologic soil groups
A classification system used by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to
group soils according to their runoff-producing characteristics. The chief
consideration is the inherent capacity of soil bare of vegetation to permit
infiltration. The slope and the kind of plant cover are not considered, but are
separate factors in predicting runoff. Soils are assigned to four groups. In group
A are soils having a high infiltration rate when thoroughly wet and having a low
runoff potential. They are mainly deep, well drained, and sandy or gravelly. In
group D, at the other extreme, are soils having a very slow infiltration rate and
thus a high runoff potential. They have a claypan or clay layer at or near the
surface, have a permanent high water table, or are shallow over nearly
impervious bedrock or other material.
Infiltration
The downward entry of water into the immediate surface of soil or other material.
Infiltration rate
The rate at which water penetrates the surface of the soil at any given instant,
usually expressed in inches per hour. The rate can be limited by the infiltration
capacity of the soil or the rate at which water is applied at the surface.
Interflow
Water that enters the soil surface and moves laterally through the soil layers to
reappear as surface flow. Flow takes place above ground water level.
Intermittent stream
Has flowing water only during certain periods of time, when groundwater
provides water for stream flow. During dry periods, intermittent streams may not
have flowing water. Runoff from rainfall or snowmelt is a supplemental source of
water for the stream flow.
Ion
A charged element or compound that has gained or lost electrons so that it is no
longer neutral electrically.
Irrigation
Applying water (or wastewater) to land areas to supply the water (and
sometimes nutrient) needs of plants. Techniques for irrigating include furrow
irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, trickle (or drip) irrigation, and flooding.
Irrigation return flow
Part of artificially applied water that is not consumed by plants or evaporation,
and that eventually 'returns' to an aquifer or surface water body, such as a lake
or stream.
14
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Karst area.
Karst area means an area with a land surface containing sinkholes, large
springs, disrupted land drainage, and underground drainage systems associated
with karstified carbonate bedrock and caves or a land surface without these
features but containing a karstified carbonate bedrock unit generally overlain by
less than 60 feet of unconsolidated materials.
Karst topography
A type of topography that is formed in limestone, gypsum, and other similar type
rock by dissolution and is characterized by sinkholes, caves, and rapid
underground water movement. Karst areas can provide direct channels for
contaminants to reach the groundwater.
Karstified carbonate
bedrock.
Karstified carbonate bedrock means a carbonate bedrock unit (limestone or
dolomite) that has a pronounced conduit or secondary porosity due to dissolution
of the rock along joints, fractures, or bedding plains.
Kid
A young goat.
Labile
Readily coming into equilibrium.
Lagoon.
Lagoon means any excavated, diked, or walled structure or combination of
structures designed for biological stabilization and storage of livestock wastes. A
lagoon does not include structures such as manufactured slurry storage
structures or pits under buildings as defined in rules under the Environmental
Protection Act concerning agriculture related pollution.
Lamb
A young sheep. A ewe lamb or ram lamb, depending upon the sex.
Land application (EPA)
The removal of wastewater and waste solids from a control facility and
distribution to, or incorporation into the soil mantle primarily for beneficial reuse
purposes.
Land application (NRCS)
Application of manure, sewage sludge, municipal wastewater, and industrial
wastes to land for reuse of the nutrients and organic matter for their fertilizer and
soil conditioning values.
Land application area
Land application area means land under the control of an AFO owner or
operator, whether it is owned, rented, or leased, to which manure, litter, or
process wastewater from the production area is or may be applied.
Land-grant universities
State colleges and universities started from Federal government grants of land
to each state to encourage further practical education in agriculture, home
economics, and the mechanical arts.
Layer
Mature egg-type chicken over 32 weeks of age.
LC50–lethal concentration
(EPA)
The concentration at which 50 percent of the target organisms are killed in
water. Generally expressed as milligrams of toxicant per liter of water (mg/L).
LD50–lethal dose (NRCS)
The dose at which 50 percent of the target organisms are killed. Toxicant is
administered orally or subcutaneously. Generally expressed as milligrams of
toxicant per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg).
Leaching
(1) The removal of soluble constituents, such as nitrates or chlorides, from soils
or other material by the movement of water. (2) The removal of salts and alkali
from soils by irrigation combined with drainage. (3) The removal of a liquid
15
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
through a non-watertight artificial structure, conduit, or porous material by
downward or lateral drainage, or both, into the surrounding permeable soil.
Legumes
A family of plants, including many valuable foods, forages and cover species,
such as peas, beans, soybeans, peanuts, clovers, alfalfas, sweet clovers,
lespedezas, vetches, and kudzu. Sometimes referred to as nitrogen-fixing
plants, they can convert nitrogen from the air to build up nitrogen in the soil.
Legumes are an important rotation crop because of their nitrogen-fixing property.
Limestone
A sedimentary rock consisting chiefly of calcium carbonate.
Limiting nutrient
Nutrient that restricts plant growth.
Liner
Any barrier in the form of a layer, membrane or blanket, naturally existing,
constructed or installed to prevent a significant hydrologic connection between
liquids contained in retention structures and waters of the United States.
Liquid manure (EPA)
Usually less than 8.0% solids. Wash water, runoff, precipitation, and so forth are
added, if needed, to dilute the manure and lower the solids content.
Liquid manure (NRCS)
A mixture of water and manure that behaves more like a liquid than a solid,
generally less than 5 percent solids.
Liquid manure handling
system
An operation were animals are raised outside with swimming areas or ponds, or
with a stream running through an open lot, or in confinement buildings where
water is used to flush the manure to a lagoon, pond, or some other liquid storage
structure.
Litter
A combination of manure and the bedding material placed in dry chicken
production facilities. The bedding material alone may also be referred to as
litter.
Livestock management
facility
Livestock management facility means any animal feeding operation, livestock
shelter, or on-farm milking and accompanying milk-handling area. Two or more
livestock management facilities under common ownership, where the facilities
are not separated by a minimum distance of 1/4 mile, and that share a common
livestock waste handling facility shall be considered a single livestock
management facility. A livestock management facility at educational institutions,
livestock pasture operations, where animals are housed on a temporary basis
such as county and state fairs, livestock shows, race tracks, and horse breeding
and foaling farms, and market holding facilities are not subject to this Act.
Livestock shelter
“Livestock shelter” means any covered structure, including but not limited to
livestock houses or barns, in which livestock are enclosed at any time.
Livestock waste
A term sometimes applied to manure that may also contain bedding, spilled
feed, water, or soil. It also includes wastes not particularly associated with
manure, such as milking center or washing wastes, and milk, hair, feathers, or
other debris.
Livestock waste handling
facility
Livestock waste handling facility’’ means individually or collectively those
immovable constructions or devices, except sewers, used for collecting,
pumping, treating, or disposing of livestock waste or for the recovery of
byproducts from the livestock waste. Two or more livestock waste handling
facilities under common ownership and where the facilities are not separated by
16
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
a minimum distance of 1/4 mile shall be considered a single livestock waste
handling facility. Livestock waste handling facilities at educational institutions,
livestock pasture operations, facilities where animals are housed on a temporary
basis, such as county and state fairs, livestock shows, race tracks, and horse
breeding and foaling farms, and market holding facilities, are not subject to the
Livestock Management Facilities Act or the requirements of this Part.
Livestock waste
Livestock waste means livestock excreta and associated feed-losses, bedding,
wash waters, sprinkling waters from livestock cooling, precipitation polluted by
falling on or flowing onto an animal feeding operation, and other materials
polluted by livestock.
Load
Quantity of substance entering the receiving body.
Load allocation
Portions of a TMDL assigned to existing and future nonpoint sources, including
background loads.
Macronutrient
A chemical element required, in relatively large amounts, for proper plant growth.
Maintained
Animals are confined in the same area where waste is generated and/or
concentrated. Maintained can also mean that the animals in the confined area
are watered, cleaned, groomed, or medicated.
Maintained (lagoons)
“Maintained” means, with reference to a lagoon, that the lagoon is inspected
(including but not limited to inspection for burrow holes, trees and woody
vegetation, proper freeboard, erosion, settling of berm, berm top integrity, leaks,
and seepage) and preventive action is taken as necessary to assure the integrity
of the lagoon and its berm and associated appurtenances.
Managerial controls
Candidate treatments that involve changes in timing, chemical application rates,
or tillage systems and generally do not involve separate field activities.
Manure
Fecal and urinary defecations of livestock and poultry; may include spilled feed,
bedding, or soil.
Manure storage area
The manure storage area includes but is not limited to lagoons, runoff ponds,
storage sheds, stockpiles, under house or pit storages, liquid impoundments,
static piles, and composting piles.
Mare
A mature female horse or pony.
Mechanical solids
separation
The process of separating suspended solids from a liquid-carrying medium by
trapping the particles on a mechanical screen or sieve or by centrifugation.
Microclimate
Climate as experienced at the scale of a particular site. Includes such elements
as solar orientation, wind direction, temperature, and precipitation.
Micronutrient
A chemical element required, in relatively small amounts, for proper plant
growth.
Milking parlor
The area of a dairy where milking takes place.
Milking parlor wash water
Is water used to rinse the animals and equipment during the milking process to
improve sanitation. The wash water typically includes manure, feed solids, hoof
dirt along with detergents and disinfectants that are being used at the operation.
17
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
The amount of wash water used each day depends upon the number of animals
milked and the management practices followed.
Mineralization
The microbial conversion of an element from an organic to an inorganic state.
Modified
"Modified" means structural changes to a lagoon that increase its volumetric
capacity.
Molecular diffusion
Dispersion of a chemical caused by the kinetic activity of the ionic or molecular
constituents.
Molt
A process during which hens stop laying and shed their feathers. Occurs
naturally every 12 months or may be artificially induced.
Monitoring
Systematic collection of data on a routine basis and the analysis of these data
for an understanding of the changes that may occur in the sampled environment.
Morphology, soil
The constitution of the soil including the texture, structure, consistence, color,
and other physical, chemical, and biological properties of the various soil
horizons that make up the soil profile.
Mulch
Any substance that is spread on the soil surface to decrease the effects of
raindrop impact, runoff, and other adverse conditions and to retard evaporation.
Multi-year phosphorus
application (phosphorus
banking)
A practice that allows manure application in a single year at rates in excess of
the phosphorus requirements of the crops. In subsequent years, no phosphorus
would be applied until the amount applied in the single year has been removed
through plant uptake and harvest.
Municipal waste
Solid and liquid fractions of wastes produced by a municipality. Municipal wastes
may be treated or untreated and may be either used or disposed of.
New discharger
Any building, structure, facility, or installation: (a) From which there is or may be
a discharge of pollutants; (b) That did not commence the discharge of pollutants
at a particular site prior to April 14, 2003; (c) Which is not a new source; and (d)
Which has never received a finally effective NDPES permit for discharges at that
site.
New facility
New facility means a livestock management facility or a livestock waste handling
facility the construction or expansion of which is commenced on or after the
effective date of this Act. Expanding a facility where the fixed capital cost of the
new components constructed within a 2-year period does not exceed 50% of the
fixed capital cost of a comparable entirely new facility shall not be deemed a new
facility as used in this Act.
For facilities that have ceased operation on or after July 13, 1999,
commencement of operations at a facility that has livestock shelters left intact
and that has completed the requirements imposed under Section 13(k) of the
Livestock Management Facilities Act [510 ILCS 77/13(k)] and Section 900.508 of
this Part and that has been operated as a livestock management facility for 4
consecutive months at any time within the previous 10 years shall not be
considered a new or expanded livestock management or waste handling facility.
[510 ILCS 77/13(k)]
For facilities that have ceased operation prior to July 13, 1999, commencement
18
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
of operations at a facility that has livestock shelters left intact and that has been
operated as a livestock management facility or livestock waste handling facility
for 4 consecutive months at any time within the previous 10 years shall not be
considered a new or expanded livestock management or waste handling facility.
New source
Any building, structure, facility, or installation from which there is or may be a
discharge of pollutants, the construction of which commenced: a. After
promulgation of standards of performance under Section 306 of the CWA which
are applicable to such source (i.e., February 12, 2003 for CAFOs); or b. After
proposal of standards of performance in accordance with Section 306 of the
CWA which are applicable to such source, but only if the standards are
promulgated in accordance with Section 306 of the CWA within 120 days of their
proposal. c. Except as otherwise provided in an applicable new source
performance standard, a source is a new source if it meets the definition in 40
CFR 122.2; and i. It is constructed at a site at which no other source is located;
or ii. It totally replaces the process or production equipment that causes the
discharge of pollutants at an existing source; or iii. Its processes are
substantially independent of an existing source at the same site. In determining
whether these processes are substantially independent, the Director shall
consider such factors as the extent to which the new facility is integrated with the
existing plant; and the extent to which the new facility is engaged in the same
general type of activity as the existing source.
New source performance
standards (NSPS)
Technology-based standards for facilities that qualify as new sources under 40
CFR 122.2 and 40 CFR 122.29. Standards consider that the new source facility
has an opportunity to design operations to more effectively control pollutant
discharges.
Nitrate nitrogen
The nitrogen component of the final decomposition product (NO 3–) of the organic
nitrogen compounds; expressed in terms of the nitrogen part of the compound
(NO3–N).
Nitrification
The biochemical transformation by oxidation of ammonium (NH4 +) to nitrite
(NO2–) or nitrate (NO3–).
Nitrogen
A chemical element, commonly used in fertilizer as a nutrient, which is also a
component of animal wastes. As one of the major nutrients required for plant
growth, nitrogen can promote algal blooms that cause water body eutrophication
if it runs off or leaches out of the surface soil. Nitrogen is immediately usable for
plant growth in available forms (NO3–or NH4+).
Nitrogen cycle
The succession of biochemical reactions that nitrogen undergoes as it is
converted to organic or available nitrogen from the elemental form. Organic
nitrogen in waste is oxidized by bacteria into ammonia (NH 3). If oxygen is
present, ammonia is bacterially oxidized first into nitrite (NO 2–) and then into
nitrate (NO3–). If oxygen is not present, nitrite and nitrate are bacterially reduced
to nitrogen gas, completing the cycle.
Nitrogen fixation
The biological process by which elemental nitrogen is converted to organic or
available nitrogen.
Non-farm residence
“Non-farm residence" means any residence which is not a farm residence.
Nonpoint source
Diffuse pollution source (i.e. without a single point of origin or not introduced into
a receiving stream from a specific outlet). The pollutants are generally carried off
the land by storm water. Common non-point sources are agriculture, forestry,
19
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
urban, mining, construction, dams, channels, land disposal, saltwater intrusion,
and city streets.
Nonpoint source (NPS)
Entry of effluent into a water body in a diffuse manner so there is no definite
point of entry.
Normal growing season
The time period, usually measured in days, between the last freeze in the spring
and the first frost in the fall. Growing seasons vary depending on local climate
and geography. It can also vary by crop as different plants have different
freezing thresholds.
No-till
A planting procedure that requires no tillage except that done by a coulter in the
immediate area of the crop row.
No-Till farming
The soil is left undisturbed from harvest to planting except for nutrient and seed
injection. Weed control is accomplished primarily with herbicides.
Nursery building
Used for the piglets after they are weaned. Pigs are kept in small groups in this
heated, well-insulated enclosure until they reach 60 to 80 pounds. A wire or
other very porous floor is used to maintain sanitary conditions. The nursery
slotted phase is often broken up into two growth stages, called, respectively, a
"hot" and "cold" nursery, reflecting the room temperatures used.
Nutrient
A substance that provides food or nourishment, such as usable proteins,
vitamins, minerals or carbohydrates. Fertilizers, particularly phosphorus and
nitrogen, are the most common nutrients that contribute to lake eutrophication
and nonpoint source pollution.
Nutrient Management Plan
A documented record of how nutrients will be used for plant production prepared
for reference and use by the producer or landowner.
Nutrient Management
Specialist
A person who provides technical assistance for nutrient management and has
the appropriate certification.
Nutrient Management
Managing the amount, source, placement, form, and timing of the application of
nutrients and soil amendments to ensure adequate soil fertility for plant
production and to minimize the potential for environmental degradation,
particularly water quality impairment.
Nutrient Source
Any material (i.e. commercial fertilizer, animal manure, sewage sludge, irrigation
water, etc.) that supplies one or more of the elements essential for plant growth.
Nutrient transformation
The changing in the form of a plant element that may affect the stability,
availability, or mobility of the compound. An example is the changing of –
ammonium nitrogen (NH4+) to nitrate nitrogen (NO3-).
Nutrients
Elements required for plant or animal growth, including the macronutrients
(nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), which are the major nutrients required
and micronutrients, which include a number of other elements that are essential
but needed in lesser amounts.
Occupied residence.
“Occupied residence” means a house or other type of shelter that is intended or
used for human occupancy and has been occupied by humans for more than a
total of six months in the last two years at that location. For the purposes of this
definition, “intended or used for human occupancy” means running water and
20
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
sanitation are provided within the residence.
Open lot
Pens or similar confinement areas with dirt, concrete, or other paved or hard
surfaces wherein animals or poultry are substantially or entirely exposed to the
outside environment except for small portions of the total confinement area
affording protection by windbreaks or small shed-type shade areas.
Organic matter
The organic fraction of the soil exclusive of undecayed plant and animal residue.
Other Organic By-product:
Any organic material other than animal manure, sewage sludge, or urea applied
to the land (e.g. food processing waste).
Other than a liquid manure
handling system
An operation using confinement buildings with a mesh or slatted floor over a
concrete pit, where the manure is scraped into a waste storage facility or an
operation using dry bedding on a solid floor. In this case the manure and
bedding are not combined with water for flushing to a storage structure.
Overflow
The discharge of manure or process wastewater resulting from the filling of
wastewater or manure storage structures beyond the point at which no more
manure, process wastewater, or storm water can be contained by the structure.
Owner or operator.
Owner or Operator means any person who owns, leases, controls, or supervises
a livestock management facility or livestock waste-handling facility.
Pasture
Land used primarily for the production of domesticated forage plants, usually
grasses and legumes, for livestock (in contrast to rangeland, where vegetation is
naturally-occurring and is dominated by grasses and perhaps shrubs).
Pathogens
Disease causing micro-organisms; generally associated with viruses or bacteria.
Perched water
Unconfined ground water separated from an underlying main body of ground
water by an unsaturated zone (generally an aquaclude).
Percolation
The downward movement of water through soil.
Percolation rate
The rate of movement of water under hydrostatic pressure down through the
interstices of rock, soil, or filtering media except movement through large
openings, such as caves.
Permanent wilting point
The moisture content of soil, on an ovendry basis, at which a plant (specifically a
sunflower) wilts so much that it does not recover when placed in a humid, dark
chamber.
Permeability
The quality of the soil that enables water to move downward through the profile.
Permeability is measured as the number of inches per hour that water moves
downward through the saturate soil. Terms describing permeability are:
Very slow
less than 0.06 inches/hr
Slow
0.06 to 0.2 inches/hr
Moderately Slow
0.2 to 0.6 inches/hr
Moderate
0.6 to 2.0 inches/hr
Moderately rapid
2.0 to 6.0 inches/hr
21
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Rapid
6.0 to 20 inches/hr
Very Rapid
more than 20 inches/hr
Permitting authority
The NPDES permit issuance authority that has been authorized under part 123
of the Clean Water Act.
Person
Person means any individual, partnership, co-partnership, firm, company,
corporation, association, joint stock company, trust, estate, political subdivision,
state agency, or any other legal entity or their legal representative, agent, or
assigns.
Pesticide
A chemical substance used to kill or control pests, such as weeds, insects,
fungus, mites, algae, rodents and other undesirable agents.
pH
The negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. The pH scale ranges
from zero to 14. Values below 7 are considered acidic and those above, alkaline.
Phosphate
Phosphate ions exist in water as H2PO4– or HPO4–2. Otherwise phosphate is an
ester or salt of phosphoric acid, such as calcium phosphate rock.
Phosphorus
One of the primary nutrients required for the growth of plants. Phosphorus is
often the limiting nutrient for the growth of aquatic plants and algae.
Phosphorus banking
See multi-year phosphorus application.
Pit (shallow)
The manure and other waste is mechanically scraped or flushed out with water
to a storage area, or directly loaded into a spreader for direct field application.
Pit system (deep)
Has a concrete floor and masonry or concrete side walls, and is constructed
below the ground. The animal cages are then built 8 feet or more above the pit
floor. Because the pit is built below ground level, care must be taken to ensure
that surface and ground water are not contaminated. Foundation drains and
external grading direct surface water away. The most important benefit of the
deep pit is that manure can be stored for several months or more.
Placed in service
“Placed in service” means the placement of livestock waste in a livestock waste
handling facility upon the completion of construction or modification in
accordance with the requirements of this Part.
Plate chiller water
Water from a milk cooling process at a dairy.
Point source
Any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to
any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fixture, container, rolling
stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, landfill leachate collection system,
vessel, or other floating craft from which pollutants are or may be discharged.
Point source
The release of a contaminant or pollutant, often in concentrated form, from a
conveyance system, such as a pipe, into a water body.
Pollutant
Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, sewage,
garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials,
radioactive materials (except those regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.)), heat, wrecked or discarded
22
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste
discharged into water.
Pollutant Delivery Ratio
(PDR)
The fraction of a pollutant leaving an area that actually enters a body of water.
Pollution prevention
Identifying areas, processes, and activities which create excessive waste
products or pollutants in order to reduce or prevent them through, alteration, or
eliminating a process.
Pollution/polluted
The presence in a body of water (or soil or air) of a substance (contaminant) in
such quantities that it impairs the body’s usefulness or renders it offensive to the
senses of sight, taste, or smell. In general, a public health hazard may be
created, but in some instances only economic or aesthetics are involved, such
as when foul odors pollute the air.
Ponding
Standing water on soils in closed depressions. Unless the soils are artificially
drained, the water can be removed only by percolation or evapotranspiration.
Populated area
Populated Area means any area where at least 10 inhabited non-farm
residences are located or where at least 50 persons frequent a common place of
assembly or a non-farm business at least once per week. [510 ILCS 77/10.60]
The existence of a populated area shall be determined by identifying the area
around the livestock management or livestock waste handling facility delineated
by a distance equal to the applicable setback distance and identifying the
number of residences or the existence of a non-farm business or the existence
of a common place of assembly within that area.
For the purpose of setback requirements, common places of assembly or nonfarm businesses include but are not limited to churches, hospitals, schools, day
care centers, manufacturing companies, land managed for recreational or
conservation purposes, museums, camps, parks, retail and wholesale facilities,
and shopping centers. A common place of assembly or a non-farm business
includes places that operate less than 52 weeks per year, such as schools with
seasonal vacation periods and businesses or other places which experience
seasonal shutdowns, and parks, camps, and recreational areas which
experience seasonal shutdowns or reduced attendance during a portion of the
calendar year, provided that such places are frequented by at least 50 persons
at least once per week during the portions of the year when seasonal shutdowns
or reductions in attendance do not occur.
Porous dam
A runoff control structure that reduces the rate of runoff so that solids settle out
in the settling terrace or basin. The structure may be constructed of rock,
expanded metal, or timber arranged with narrow slots.
Post-harvest residue
That portion of a plant, such as a corn stalk, left in the field after harvest.
Potassium
One of the primary nutrients required for the growth of plants.
Potentiometric surface
An imaginary surface representing the total head of ground water in a confined
aquifer that is defined by the level to which water could rise in a well.
Poult
Young turkey, either male or female.
23
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Process generated
wastewater
See process wastewater.
Process wastewater
Water directly or indirectly used in the operation of the CAFO for any or all of the
following: spillage or overflow from animal or poultry watering systems; washing,
cleaning, or flushing pens, barns, manure pits, or other CAFO facilities; direct
contact swimming, washing, or spray cooling of animals; or dust control.
Process wastewater also includes any water which comes into contact with any
raw materials, products, or byproducts including manure, litter, feed, milk, eggs,
or bedding.
Production area
That part of an AFO that includes the animal confinement area, the manure
storage area, the raw materials storage area, and the waste containment areas.
The animal confinement area includes but is not limited to open lots, housed
lots, feedlots, confinement houses, stall barns, free stall barns, milkrooms,
milking centers, cowyards, barnyards, medication pens, walkers, animal
walkways, and stables. The manure storage area includes but is not limited to
lagoons, runoff ponds, storage sheds, stockpiles, under house or pit storages,
liquid impoundments, static piles, and composting piles. The raw materials
storage area includes but is not limited to feed silos, silage bunkers, and bedding
materials. The waste containment area includes but is not limited to settling
basins, and areas within berms and diversions which separate uncontaminated
storm water. Also included in the definition of production area is any egg
washing or egg processing facility, and any area used in the storage, handling,
treatment, or disposal of mortalities.
Pullet
Young female chicken between 10 and 32 weeks of age, usually this term
denotes egg-type birds.
Pumping test
A test that is conducted to determine aquifer yield or well characteristics.
Ram
A male sheep which has not been castrated.
Rangeland
An open region over which livestock may roam and feed. The plant cover is
principally native grasses, grasslike plants, and shrubs. It includes natural
grasslands, savannahs, certain shrubs and grasslike lands, most deserts,
tundra, alpine communities, coastal marshlands, and wet meadows. It also
includes lands that are re-vegetated naturally or artificially and are managed like
native vegetation.
Raw materials storage
area
Includes but is not limited to feed silos, silage bunkers, and bedding materials.
Reduced tillage
A management practice whereby the use of secondary tillage operations is
significantly reduced.
Residence
“Residence” means a house or other structure, including all attachments to the
house or structure, which is used as a place of human habitation.
Resource Management
System (RMS) (NRCS)
A prescribed combination of conservation practices and management identified
by land or water uses that, when implemented, prevents resource degradation
and permits sustained use by meeting quality criteria established in the FOTG
[Field Office Technical Guide] for the treatment of soil, water, air, plant, and
animal resources.
24
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Retention facility or
retention structure
All collection ditches, conduits and swales for the collection of runoff and
wastewater, and all basins, ponds, pits, tanks and lagoons used to store wastes,
wastewaters and manures.
Return flow
Surface and subsurface water that leaves the field following application of
irrigation water.
Ridge planting
The practice of growing a row crop on the ridges between the furrows.
Rill erosion
An erosion process in which numerous small channels, typically a few inches
deep, are formed. It occurs mainly on recently cultivated soils or on recent cuts
and fills.
Riparian
Pertaining to or situated on or along the bank of a stream or other body of water.
Riparian buffer
A strip of vegetation planted along the bank of a body of water which slows the
rate of flow of runoff from adjoining uplands, causing sediment and other
materials to fall out onto the land before the runoff enters and pollutes the body
of water.
Roaster
Meat-type chicken marketed at 9 weeks for males and 11 weeks for females.
Live weight at market ranges between 6 and 8 pounds per bird.
Rock fragments
Rock or mineral fragments having a diameter of 2 millimeters or more; for
example, pebbles, cobbles, stones, and boulders.
Root zone
The depth of soil penetrated by plant roots.
Rotational grazing
Grazing two or more pastures in regular sequence, with rest periods for the
recovery of herbage.
Ruminants
Hoofed animals with four-chambered stomachs (i.e. cattle, sheep, goats).
Ruminants have a complex digestive system with a complex biological system
that is capable of generating much of their own protein needs
Runoff
The part of precipitation or irrigation water that appears in surface streams or
water bodies; expressed as volume (acre-inches) or rate of flow (gallons per
minute, cubic feet per second).
Run-on
The water moving by surface flow onto a designated area. Run-on occurs when
surface water from an area at a higher elevation flows down onto an area of
concern, such as a feedlot, vegetated filter strip, or riparian zone.
Salt
A compound made up of the positive ion of a base and the negative ion of an
acid.
Sampling
Collection of a small part of an entity and drawing conclusions about the whole.
In water quality considerations, sampling consists of collecting a representative
part of a water body for testing from which conclusions can be drawn about the
water body as a whole.
Sand
“Sand” means unconsolidated materials, where 70% or more of the particles are
of size 0.06 millimeters to 2.00 millimeters, and which according to the USDA
soil texture classification scheme includes soil textures of sand and loamy sand
25
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
and portions of sandy loam and sandy clay loam.
Sediment
Solid material that is in suspension, is being transported, or has been moved
from its original location by air, water, gravity or ice.
Sediment delivery
Sediment arriving at a specific location. See Sediment Delivery Ratio.
Sediment Delivery Ratio
(SDR)
Fraction of eroded soil that actually reaches a water body.
Sediment yield
Quantity of sediment leaving a specified land area.
Sedimentation
The addition of soils to lakes, a part of the natural aging process, making lakes
shallower. The process can be greatly accelerated by human activities.
Sedimentation tank
A unit in which water or wastewater containing settleable solids is retained to
remove by gravity a part of the suspended matter. Also called sedimentation
basin, settling basin, settling tank, or settling terrace.
Semi-solid manure
Contains little bedding and usually no extra water added. In most cases, little
drying occurs before handling. During wet weather the manure scraped from
open lots can also be semi-solid in nature.
Septic tank
A settling tank in which settled solid matter is removed from the wastewater
flowing through the tank and the organic solids are decomposed by anaerobic
bacterial action.
Serviced
“Serviced” means, with reference to a lagoon, that corrective action is taken as
necessary to assure the integrity of the lagoon and its berm and associated
appurtenances, including but not limited to removal or repair of burrow holes,
trees and woody vegetation, freeboard level, erosion, settling of berm, berm top
maintenance, leaks, and seepage.
Settleable solids
(1) That matter in wastewater that will not stay in suspension during a preselected settling period, such as 1 hour. (2) In the Imhoff cone test, the volume
of matter that settles to the bottom of the cone.
Settling basin
A basin, often concrete lined, that is a holding area for wastewater and runoff
where the heavier particles sink to the bottom. The remaining fraction is then
moved to another storage structure or utilized by the operation.
Sewage sludge
Settled sewage solids combined with varying amounts of water and dissolved
materials that are removed from sewage by screening, sedimentation, chemical
precipitation, or bacterial digestion.
Sheet erosion
Soil erosion occurring from a thin, relatively uniform layer of soil particles on the
soil surface. Also called interrill erosion.
Silage
Forage, corn fodder, or sorghum preserved by partial fermentation. Silage is
stored in air-tight stacks, pits, bags or silos. It is generally used as a feed for
cattle.
Sinkhole
A depression in the landscape where limestone has been dissolved.
26
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Site design
A careful search among physical elements to plan for human and animal
occupation and utilization of a site so that comfort, profitability, and usefulness
are maximized and harmful stress is reduced.
Slope
The inclination of the land surface from the horizontal. Percentage of slope is the
vertical distance divided by horizontal distance, then multiplied by 100. Thus, a
slope of 20 percent is a drop of 20 feet in 100 feet of horizontal distance.
Sodicity
The degree to which a soil is affected by exchangeable sodium. Sodicity is
expressed as a sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of a saturation extract.
Soil
A natural, three-dimensional body at the Earth’s surface. It is capable of
supporting plants and has properties resulting from the integrated effect of
climate and living matter acting on earthy parent material, as conditioned by
relief over time.
Soil amendment
Any material, such as lime, gypsum, sawdust, or synthetic conditioner, that is
worked into the soil to make it more amenable to plant growth. Amendments
may contain important fertilizer elements, but the term commonly refers to added
materials other than fertilizer.
Soil and Water
Conservation Practices
(SWCPs)
The manipulation of such variables as crops, rotation, tillage, management, and
structures to reduce the loss of soil and water.
Soil loss tolerance ('T'
value)
For a specific soil, the maximum average annual soil loss expressed as tons per
acre per year that will permit current production levels to be maintained
economically and indefinitely. T values range from 2 to 5 tons per acre per year.
Soil organic matter
The organic fraction of the soil that includes plant and animal residue at various
stages of decomposition, exclusive of undecayed plant and animal residue.
Often used synonymously with humus.
Soil profile
A section of the soil viewed on a vertical plane extending through all its horizons
and into the parent material.
Soil solution
The liquid phase of the soil including dissolved organic and inorganic materials.
Soil survey
A program of the Natural Resource Conservation Service to inventory soil
resources as a basis for determining land capabilities and conservation
treatments that are needed, provide soil information to the public (primarily
through maps), and provide technical support to those who use soils information.
About 90% of the private lands have been mapped.
Solid manure
Combination of urine, bedding, and feces with little or no extra water added. It is
usually found in loafing barns, calving pens, and open lots with good drainage.
Solid manure storage
A storage unit in which accumulations of bedded manure or solid manure are
stacked before subsequent handling and field spreading. The liquid part,
including urine and precipitation, may or may not be drained from the unit.
Solids content
(1) The sum of the dissolved and suspended constituents in water or
wastewater. (2) The residue remaining when the water is evaporated away from
a sample of sewage, other liquids, or semi-solid masses of material and the
residue is then dried at a specified temperature (generally 103 °C for 24 hours);
27
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
usually stated in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or percent solids.
Source-water protection
area
The area delineated by a state for a Public Water Supply or including numerous
such suppliers, whether the source is ground water or surface water or both.
Sow
Female that has farrowed at least one litter.
Stallion
An unaltered (uncastrated) male horse.
Steer
Bovine male castrated prior to puberty.
Stocker cattle
Heifers and/or steers that are being grown on pasture or other forage for later
sale as feedlot replacements.
Stones
Rock fragments 10 to 24 inches (25 to 60 cm) in diameter.
Storage
Refers to the structures used to hold manure, litter, or process wastewater to
reduce the need for frequent hauling and land spreading, to allow land spreading
at a time when soil and climatic conditions are suitable, or to allow nutrient
application at or near the crop’s growing season.
Storage pond
A liquid impoundment used to hold manure and wastewater.
Stream classification
The identification of specific water uses for watercourses.
Stripcropping
Growing crops in a systematic arrangement of strips or bands, usually parallel to
the land's contour, that serve as barriers to wind and water erosion.
Structure, soil
The arrangement of primary soil particles into compound particles or aggregates.
The principal forms of soil structure are platy (laminated), prismatic (vertical axis
of aggregates longer than horizontal), columnar (prisms with rounded tops),
blocky (angular or subangular), and granular. Structureless soils are either single
grained (each grain by itself, as in dune sand) or massive (the particles adhering
without any regular cleavage, as in many hardpans).
Struvite
A colorless to yellow or pale-brown mineral, (MgNH4PO4●6H2O), which can build
up as crystals on pump impellers and in pipes conveying wastewater.
Subsoil
Technically, the B horizon; roughly, the part of the solum below plow depth.
Subsurface runoff
Water that infiltrates the soil and then moves laterally/vertically below the
surface; includes baseflow and interflow.
Supernatant
The liquid fraction in a lagoon.
Surface layer
The soil ordinarily moved in tillage, or its equivalent in uncultivated soil, ranging
in depth from about 4 to 10 inches (10 to 25 centimeters). Frequently designated
as the “plow layer,” or the “Ap horizon.” Some water quality models refer to
surface layer as the first few centimeters of soil.
Surface soil
The A, E, AB, and EB horizons. It includes all subdivisions of these horizons.
Suspended solids
(1) Undissolved solids that are in water, wastewater, or other liquids, and are
largely removable by filtering or centrifuging. (2) The quantity of material filtered
from wastewater in a laboratory test, as prescribed in APHA Standard Methods
28
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
for the Examination of Water and Wastewater or similar reference.
T value (or T level)
For a specific soil, the maximum average annual soil loss expressed as tons per
acre per year that will permit current production levels to be maintained
economically and indefinitely; the soil loss tolerance level.
Technology-based effluent
limit
A permit limit for a pollutant that is based on the capability of a treatment method
to reduce the pollutant to a certain concentration.
Terrace
An embankment, ridge, or leveled strip constructed across sloping soils on the
contour, or at right angle to the slope. The terrace intercepts surface runoff so
that it can soak into the soil or flow slowly to a prepared outlet, decreasing rates
of soil erosion.
Texture, soil
The relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay particles in a mass of soil.
Third Party Vendor
An individual (excluding NRCS employees, extension specialists, and
conservation district employees) who has been certified by an approved
certification organization as being qualified to provide specified types of
conservation assistance, and whose certifying organization participates in the
USDA Approved Vendor Process outlined in Part 504, "Conservation Assistance
from Third Party Vendors" of the NRCS Conservation Programs Manual. Third
Party Vendor certification programs may include, but are not limited to:

Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Program of the American Society of
Agronomy.

Land Grant University certification programs.

National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC).
Tile drain
Lines of concrete, clay, fiber, plastic or other suitable material pipe placed in the
subsoil to collect and drain water from the soil to an outlet. Infiltrated water that
is captured by drain tiles is usually diverted to surface water.
Tilth, soil
The physical condition of the soil as related to tillage, seedbed preparation,
seedling emergence, and root penetration.
Tom
Male turkey.
Total solids
The total amount of solids in a waste, both in solution and suspension.
Total Suspended Solids
A measure of the material suspended in wastewater. Total suspended solids
(TSS) cause: 1) interference with light penetration, 2) buildup of sediment and 3)
potential reduction in aquatic habitat. Solids also carry nutrients that cause algal
blooms and other toxic pollutants that are harmful to fish.
Trace elements
Chemical elements (for example, zinc, cobalt, manganese, copper, and iron) in
soils in extremely small amounts that may be essential to plant growth.
Treatment pond/lagoon
An impoundment made by excavating or earth fill to biologically treat manure
and wastewater.
Unconfined aquifer
An aquifer where the water table is exposed to the atmosphere through
openings in the overlying materials.
Universal Soil Loss
An empirical equation estimating the amount of soil loss; used for the evaluation
29
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Equation (USLE)
of a resource management system for water erosion control.
Upset
An exceptional incident in which there is unintentional and temporary
noncompliance with the permit limit because of factors beyond the reasonable
control of the permittee. An upset does not include noncompliance to the extent
caused by operational error, improperly designed treatment facilities, inadequate
treatment facilities, lack of preventive maintenance, or careless or improper
operation.
Vadose zone
The zone containing water under less pressure than that of the atmosphere,
including soil water, intermediate vadose water, and capillary water. This zone is
limited above by the land surface and below the surface of the zone of
saturation, that is, the water table.
Veal
Meat from very young cattle (under 3 months of age). Veal typically comes from
dairy bull calves.
Volatile solids
Readily vaporizable solids. Those solids that are combustible at 600 °C.
Volatilization
The loss of gaseous components, such as ammonium nitrogen, from animal
manure.
Waste management
system
See Agricultural waste management system.
Waste storage pond
An impoundment made by excavation or earthfill for temporary storage of animal
or other agricultural waste.
Waste treatment lagoon
An impoundment made by excavation or earthfill for biological treatment of
animal or other agricultural wastes. Lagoons can be aerobic, anaerobic, or
facultative, depending on their loading and design.
Wasteload allocation
The proportion of a receiving water's total maximum daily load that is allocated to
one of its existing or future point sources of pollution.
Wastewater
water containing waste or contaminated by waste contact, including processgenerated and contaminated rainfall runoff.
Water management
system
A planned system in which the available water supply is effectively used by
managing and controlling the moisture environment of crops to promote the
desired crop response, to minimize soil erosion and loss of plant nutrients, to
control undesirable water loss, and to protect water quality.
Water quality
The excellence of water in comparison with its intended use or uses.
Water quality standard
(WQS)
A law or regulation that consists of the beneficial use or uses of a waterbody, the
numeric and narrative water quality criteria that are necessary to protect the use
or uses of that particular waterbody, and an antidegradation statement.
Water quality-based
effluent limit
A value determined by selecting the most stringent of the effluent limits
calculated using all applicable water quality criteria (e.g., aquatic life, human
health, and wildlife) for a specific point source to a specific receiving water for a
given pollutant.
30
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
Water table
The surface between the vadose zone and the ground water; that surface of a
body of unconfined ground water at which the pressure is equal to that of the
atmosphere.
Waters of the United
States
Waters of the United States or waters of the U.S. means:
a. All waters which are currently used, were used in the past, or may be
susceptible to use in interstate or foreign commerce, including all waters
which are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide;
b. All interstate waters, including interstate wetlands;
c. All other waters such as intrastate lakes, rivers, streams (including
intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie
potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, or natural ponds the use,
degradation, or destruction of which would affect or could affect
interstate or foreign commerce including any such waters: (1) Which are
or could be used by interstate or foreign travelers for recreational or
other purposes; (2) From which fish or shellfish are or could be taken
and sold in interstate or foreign commerce; or (3) Which are used or
could be used for industrial purposes by industries in interstate
commerce;
d. All impoundments of waters otherwise defined as waters of the United
States under this definition;
e. Tributaries of waters identified in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this
definition;
f.
The territorial sea; and
g. Wetlands adjacent to waters (other than waters that are themselves
wetlands) identified in paragraphs (a) through (f) of this definition.
Waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to
meet the requirements of CWA (other than cooling ponds as defined in 40 CFR
423.11(m) which also meet the criteria of this definition) are not waters of the
United States. This exclusion applies only to manmade bodies of water which
neither were originally created in waters of the United States (such as disposal
area in wetlands) nor resulted from the impoundment of waters of the United
States. Waters of the United States do not include prior converted cropland.
Notwithstanding the determination of an area's status as prior converted
cropland by any other federal agency, for the purposes of the Clean Water Act,
the final authority regarding Clean Water Act jurisdiction remains with EPA.
Watershed
The surrounding land area that drains into a lake, river or river system.
Wet lot
Wet system, or liquid manure handling system.
Wetlands
A lowland area, such as a marsh, bog, swamp, or similar saturated with water.
Wetlands are crucial wildlife habitat, and important for flood control and
maintaining the health of surrounding ecosystems.
Wet-weight percentage
The ratio of the weight of any constituent to the typical hydrated weight of the
whole plant part as harvested.
Yield
The number of units of crop mass that a farmer harvests per acre.
31
Glossary of CAFO, LMFA and NRCS Terms
32