The terms used in this chapter or in documents prepared or reviewed under this chapter shall have the meanings set forth in this section.
AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITYThe activity of an active farm, including grazing and watering livestock, irrigating crops, harvesting crops, using land for growing agricultural products, and cutting timber for sale, but shall not include the operation of a dude ranch or similar operation, or the construction of new structures associated with agricultural activities.
APPLICANTA property owner or agent of a property owner who has filed an application for a land development activity.
BUILDINGAny structure intended for the shelter, housing or enclosure of any person, animal, property or substance.
CHANNELA natural or artificial watercourse with a definite bed and banks that conducts continuously or periodically flowing water.
CLEARINGAny activity that removes the vegetative surface cover.
DEDICATIONThe deliberate appropriation of property by its owner for general public use.
DEPARTMENTThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
DESIGN MANUALThe New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual, most recent version, including applicable updates, which serves as the official guide for stormwater management principles, methods and practices.
DEVELOPERA person who undertakes land development activities.
DISTURBANCERemoval of vegetation, excavation or fill or any combination thereof, including the conditions resulting from any excavation or fill.
EROSION CONTROL MANUALThe most recent version of the New York Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control Manual, commonly known as the "Blue Book."
EXCAVATIONAny act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock, or any other similar material is cut into, dug, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced or spread.
FILLAny act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other material is deposited, placed, replaced, dumped, transported or moved to a new location.
GRADINGTo adjust the degree of inclination of the natural contours of the land, including leveling, smoothing, and other modification of the natural land surface.
HYDRIC SOILA soil that is described in the Soil Survey of Putnam and Westchester Counties, New York (1994) as somewhat poorly drained, poorly drained or very poorly drained. Under normal circumstances hydric soils are inundated or saturated to within 16 inches of the surface during the growing season. Hydric soils exhibit diagnostic colors or mottled features as described in the Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual (Environmental Laboratory Technical Report Y-87-1).
IMPERVIOUS SURFACESThe sum of the horizontal area of coverage or footprint of all buildings, structures, paved areas, patios and other improved surfaces on a lot preventing natural runoff to percolate into the soil, measured in square feet. Areas paved with gravel, crushed stone and other materials used to support vehicles shall be considered impervious surfaces for the purposes of this chapter. Swimming pools and tennis courts that are unenclosed shall not be considered impervious surfaces for the purposes of this chapter.
INDUSTRIAL STORMWATER PERMITA State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued to a commercial industry or group of industries that regulates the pollutant levels associated with industrial stormwater discharges or specifies on-site pollution control strategies.
INFILTRATIONThe process of percolating stormwater into the subsoil.
LANDOWNERThe legal or beneficial owner of land, including those holding the right to purchase or lease the land, or any other person holding proprietary rights in the land.
MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTA legally recorded document that acts as a property deed restriction and provides for long-term maintenance of stormwater management practices.
MAJOR LAND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITYAny land disturbance activity, including but not limited to clearing, grading, excavating, soil disturbance or placement of fill that results in land disturbance equal to or greater than 20,000 square feet, or activities disturbing less than a total of 20,000 square feet of land area that is part of a larger common plan of development or sale even though multiple separate and distinct land development activities may take place at different times and on different schedules.
MINOR LAND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITYFor the purposes of this chapter, the following development activities shall be considered minor projects: any land disturbance activity, including but not limited to clearing, grading, excavating, soil disturbance or placement of fill that results in land disturbance on any single lot equal to or greater than 500 square feet, but less than 20,000 square feet.
NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTIONPollution from any source other than from any discernible, confined and discrete conveyances and shall include but not be limited to pollutants from agriculture, silviculture, mining, construction, subsurface disposal and urban runoff sources.
PHASINGClearing a parcel of land in distinct pieces or parts, with the stabilization of each piece completed before the clearing of the next.
POLLUTANT OF CONCERNSediment or a water quality measurement that addresses sediment (such as total suspended solids, turbidity or siltation) and any other pollutant that has been identified as a cause of impairment of any water body that will receive a discharge from the land development activity.
RECHARGEThe replenishment of underground water reserves.
SENSITIVE AREASCold-water fisheries, shellfish beds, swimming beaches, groundwater recharge areas, water supply reservoirs, and habitats for threatened, endangered or special concern species.
STABILIZATIONThe use of practices that prevent exposed soil from eroding.
STOP-WORK ORDERA written order issued by the Building Inspector or Code Enforcement Officer that requires all construction activity on a site to be stopped.
STORMWATERRainwater, surface runoff, snowmelt and drainage.
STORMWATER HOTSPOTA land use or activity that generates higher concentrations of hydrocarbons, trace metals or toxic materials than are found in typical stormwater runoff, based on monitoring studies.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENTThe use of structural or nonstructural practices that are designed to reduce stormwater runoff and mitigate its adverse impacts on property, natural resources and the environment.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FACILITYOne or a series of stormwater management practices installed, stabilized and operating for control of stormwater runoff.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT OFFICERThe Town Engineer or officer designated by the Town to accept and review stormwater pollution prevention plans, forward the plans to the applicable approval authority, inspect stormwater management practices, and enforce the requirements of this chapter.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (SMPs)Measures, either structural or nonstructural, that are determined to be the most effective, practical means of preventing flood damage and preventing or reducing point source or nonpoint source pollution inputs to stormwater runoff and water bodies.
SURFACE WATERSLakes, bays, sounds, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, wells, rivers, streams, creeks, estuaries, marshes, inlets, canals, the Atlantic Ocean within the territorial seas and all other bodies of surface water, natural or artificial, inland or coastal, fresh or salt, public or private (except those private waters that do not combine or effect a junction with natural surface or underground waters), which are wholly or partially within or bordering the state or within its jurisdiction. Storm sewers and waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons, that also meet the criteria of this definition are not waters of the state. This exclusion applies only to man-made bodies of water that were neither originally created in waters of the state (such as a disposal area in wetlands) nor resulted from impoundment of waters of the state.
WATERCOURSEAny natural or artificial, intermittent, seasonal or permanent, and public or private water body or water segment. A water body is intermittently, seasonally or permanently inundated with water and contains a discernible shoreline and includes ponds, lakes and reservoirs. A watercourse includes rivulets, brooks, creeks, streams, rivers and other waterways flowing in a definite channel with bed and banks and usually in a particular direction.
WATERWAYA channel that directs surface runoff to a watercourse or to the public storm drain.
WETLAND/FRESHWATER WETLANDAll areas that comprise hydric soils and/or are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation as defined by the Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual (Environmental Laboratory Technical Report Y-87-1). Wetland areas include vernal pools, wet meadows, marshes, swamps, bogs and similar wet areas.