Glossary

Galvanized steel cable in a PVC plastic jacket to hold construction materials to anchor.

An area confined by drainage divides usually having only one (1) streamflow outlet.

The collapse of a streambank by undercutting due to wearing away of the toe or an erodible soil layer above the toe.

A natural or artificial waterway that periodically or continuously contains moving water. It has a definite bed and banks that confine the water.

The irregularity of streambed material sizes and channel form in plan and cross-section that causes resistance to flow.

Erosion and sedimentation that occurs during relatively short periods of time; degradation and aggradation apply to similar processes that occur over a longer period of time.

A relatively measure of the resistance of a stream or river to erosion. Stable reaches do not change markedly in appearance from year to year.

Straightening of a stream or the dredging of a new channel to which the stream is diverted.

A small dam constructed across an influent, intermittent drainageway to reduce channel erosion by restricting flow velocity. They are not meant for live streams. They serve as emergency or temporary measures is small eroding channels that will be filled or permanently stabilized at a later date, such as in a construction setting.

Cohesive soil whose individual particles are not visible to the unaided human eye. Soil can be molded into a ball that will not crumble.

The strip of land, of indefinite width (up to several miles), that extends from the shoreline inland to the first major change in terrain features.

Unique land forms that provide protection for diverse habitats and serve as the mainland’s first line of defense against the impacts of severe coastal storms and erosion. Located at the interface of land and sea, the dominant physical factors responsible for shaping coastal land forms are tidal range, wave energy, and sediment supply from rivers and older, preexisting coastal sand bodies.

Those structures on the coastline designed to protect and rebuild the coastline and/or enhance amenity and use.

Detrimental impacts of coastal processes on the use, capability and amenity of the coastline.

Sediment particles larger than pebbles and smaller than boulders. Usually three (3) to eight (8) inches in diameter.

Tough fibers produced from the husk of coconuts.

Biodegradable coir fiber cylindrical bundles with a diameter of 12, 16, or 20

Coir mats are dense, biodegradable mats are usually made of coconut fiber (coir), used to protect streambanks and wetland shores from erosion, trap sediment and provide a stable substrate for wetland plants.

An open weave biodegradable erosion control fabric with a non-shifting square mesh consisting of 100 percent coir fiber yarns in both the warp and the weft.

Runoff water from sheet or uniform flow that converges at a common area. Concentrated flow can cause gullies on unprotected soil surfaces.

Erosion resulting when concentrated water flows across land and removes the soil during runoff. The eroded area is usually shallow enough to be crossed with farm equipment, but can develop into a gully.

Engineered systems designed to simulate natural wetlands to exploit the water purification functional value for human use and benefits. Constructed wetlands consist of former upland environments that have been modified to create poorly drained soils and wetlands flora and fauna for the primary purpose of contaminant or pollutant removal from wastewaters or runoff. Constructed wetlands are essentially wastewater treatment systems and are designed and operated as such even though many systems do support other functional values.

The practice of farming in which the row patterns follow the contours of the landscape.

A wetland that was drained, dredged, filled, leveled, or otherwise manipulated, including the removal of woody vegetation, or any activity that results in impairing or reducing the flow, circulating or reach of water, and makes the production of an agricultural commodity possible.

Anything that provides protection for fish and/or wildlife from predators or alleviates adverse conditions of streamflow and/or streamflow and/or seasonal changes in metabolic costs. May be in-stream structures such as rocks or logs, turbulence, and/or overhead vegetation.

A hollow structure constructed of mutually perpendicular, interlocking beams.

Dull-bladed coulter disks.

A vertical section of a stream channel or structure that provides a side view of the structure; a transect taken at right angles to the flow direction.

The flow of water moving in a particular direction. Current, Littoral: Any current in the littoral zone cause primarily by wave action, i.e., longshore current, rip current.

The littoral current in the breaker zone that moves essentially parallel to the shore, usually generated by waves breaking at an angle to the shoreline.

Scallop-like ridges and depressions in the sand spaced at regular intervals along the beach.

The open, steep face of an excavated slope.

The steep or overhanging slope on the outside of a meander curve, typically produced by lateral erosion of the stream.

A branch or stem pruned from a living plant.