Beneficial use of waterA use of water resulting in appreciable gain or benefit to the user, consistent with state law, which varies from one state to another.
BenthicOccurring at or near the bottom of a body of water.
Best Management Practice (BMP)(BMP)A practice or combination of practices that are determined to provide the most effective, environmentally sound, and economically feasible means of…
BifaceA stone tool that has been flaked on both sides.
Big gameThose species of large mammals normally managed as a sport-hunting resource.
Biogenic source (emissions)Biological sources such as plants and animals that emit air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds.
Biological soil crustsCommonly found in semiarid and arid environments, biological soil crusts are formed by living organisms and their by-products, creating a crust of soil…
BiomassThe aggregate amount of living matter or a specific species within a specific habitat, or the total number of a specific species in a specific habitat.
BiotaThe animal and plant life of a region or period.
BLM landLand administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
Block Group (BG)(BG)A cluster of census blocks having the same first digit of their four-digit identifying numbers within a census tract.
Block-faulted (mountains)Landforms formed by the movement (uplift and tilting) of large crustal blocks during an extensional episode.
BlowdownPeriodic removal of water from an evaporative cooling system (also known as a wet closed-cycle cooling system) to control the buildup of impurities and…
BlowoutA wind-eroded section of a sand dune caused by a disturbance or removal of the vegetation.
Bolson (floor)A term applied to an internally drained (closed) intermontane basin in arid regions where drainages from adjacent mountains converge toward a central…
BorealLiving in and adapted for living in the extreme northern areas of the world. This area is located just below tundra conditions.
BoronThe chemical element commonly used as the dopant in solar photovoltaic device or cell material.
Borrow materialMaterial such as soil or sand that is removed from one location and used as fill material in another location.
Borrow pitA pit or excavation area used for gathering earth materials (borrow) such as sand or gravel.
Braided streamsBraided streams have multiple channels that are interlaced in a braided pattern, with very low stream gradient (<0.
BrecciaA sedimentary rock formed of coarse-grained material consisting of sharp fragments embedded in clay or sand.
Broadband noiseNoise that has a continuous spectrum, that is, energy is present over a wide range of frequencies.
BrowseTwigs, leaves, and young shoots of trees and shrubs that animals eat.
BryozoanAquatic colonial animals with branching, mossy or fan-like growth. They resemble corals but have more complex nervous, muscular, and digestive systems.
Build outThe estimated extent of residential, commercial, and industrial development in a given geographic area; usually related to the upper limit of the…
Build-out capacityThe maximum total percentage of development in a watershed; typically determined assuming current zoning holds indefinitely into the future.
BunchgrassA grass having a bunched growth form and lacking rhizomes.
Bureau of Land ManagementAn agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior that is responsible for managing public lands.
BurrowA hole made by an animal, usually for shelter or to move through by digging.
Cadastral survey systemA survey that creates, marks, defines, retraces, or re-establishes the boundaries and subdivisions of the public land of the United States.
Cadmium (Cd)A chemical element used in making certain types of solar cells and batteries.
CairnA mound of stones erected as a memorial or marker.
CalcareousOf, containing, or like calcite (calcium carbonate).
CalderaA large, usually circular depression at the summit of a volcano, formed when magma is erupted from a shallow underground magma reservoir.
CalicheA sedimentary deposit, commonly made of calcium carbonate, and formed from the leaching of minerals from the top layers of soil.
California Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS)(CAAQS)A legal limit that specifies the maximum level and time of exposure in the outdoor air for a given air pollutant and which is protective of human health…
Cancer(KAN-ser) A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread to other parts of the…
CapA cap is a ceiling, or the highest level to which something can go. For example, an interest rate cap limits the amount by which an interest rate can be…
Capacity factorThe ratio of the average load on (or power output of) a generating unit or system to the capacity rating of the unit or system over a specified period of…
Carbon Monoxide (CO)(CO)A colorless, odorless gas produced by incomplete combustion. Carbon monoxide is poisonous if inhaled.
Carbon sinkA reservoir that absorbs or takes up released carbon from another part of the carbon cycle.
Carbonate rockRocks (such as limestone or dolostone) that are composed primarily of minerals (such as calcite and dolomite) containing the carbonate ion (CO32-).
CenozoicAn era of geologic time from the beginning of the Tertiary period (65 million years ago) to the present. Its name is from the Greek and it means "new life.
Census blockCensus blocks are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Census and are the smallest geographic unit for which the Census Bureau tabulates data.
Census block groupsGeographic entities consisting of groups of individual census blocks. Census blocks are grouped together so that they contain between 250 and 550 housing…
Center pivot irrigationA form of sprinkler irrigation consisting of several segments of pipe (usually galvanized steel or aluminum) that are joined together and supported by…
Central Arizona Project (CAP) Aqueduct(CAP)A 336-mi (541-km) long diversion canal operated by the Central Arizona Water Conservation District that diverts water from the Colorado River into central…
CERCLASee Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
Change-outThe routine replacement of chemicals contained in process equipment, in accordance with schedules established by the manufacturer, or as a result of…
Channel incisionThe process of downcutting into a stream channel leading to a decrease in the channel bed elevation.
ChaparralA plant community of shrubs and low trees adapted to annual drought and often extreme summer heat and also highly adapted to fires recurring every 5 to 20…
ChertA hard, dense, fine-grained type of sedimentary rock; a microcrystalline aggregate of silica (quartz).
Chronic effectsEffects resulting from exposure to low levels of a stressing factor (e.g., contaminant, disease, electromagnetic field, noise, and radionuclides) over…
CienegaA perennially wet area supported by a spring or other water source; also called wetland, marsh, or swamp.
Cinder coneA conical hill formed around a volcanic vent by the accumulation of loose cinders and other pyroclastics ejected during a volcanic eruption, normally…
Class I AreaAny area designated for the most stringent protection from air quality degradation.
Class II AreaAny area where air is cleaner than required by federal air quality standards and designated for a moderate degree of protection from air quality…
ClayA very fine-grained rock or mineral fragment of any composition that has a diameter of less than 0.002 mm.
Clean Air Act (CAA)(CAA)The Superfund law incorporates those substances listed as hazardous air pollutants under section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) as CERCLA hazardous…
Clean Water Act (CWA)(CWA)The Superfund law incorporates those substances listed as hazardous water pollutants under section 311 (b)(4) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) as CERCLA…
Clearing and grubbingCleaning a site to prepare it for construction. Involves removing debris, structures, shrubbery, trees, obstructions, and objectionable and unsuitable…
ClimateThe prevailing or average weather conditions of a geographic region.
Closed BasinA basin draining to some depression or a pond within its area, from which water is lost only by evaporation or percolation.
Closed-loop cooling systemAlso known as a wet closed-cycle cooling system, a system that circulates water between a steam condenser and a cooling tower to cool steam condensate at…
Clovis ComplexCharacteristic of Paleoindian finds located near Clovis, New Mexico, such as specific fluted points.
CollectionThe capture or obtaining of plant or animal specimens. This can include obtaining specimens for scientific study, pets, or illegal trade.
CollectorThe component of a solar energy heating system that collects solar radiation, and that contains components to absorb solar radiation and transfer the heat…
ColluviumA general term to include loose rock and soil material that accumulates at the base of a slope as the result of mass wasting processes.
ColorThe sensible perception of hue, value and saturation characteristics of surfaces of window components.
CommunityA political entity that has the authority to adopt and enforce floodplain ordinances for the area under its jurisdiction.
compactAn agreement between states apportioning the water of a river basin to each of the signatory states.
Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR)(CLFR)A type of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology similar to a parabolic trough design, where the sun's heat energy is reflected onto a receiver…
CompensationA type of mitigation in which the impacts to a species or habitat are offset by protecting, restoring, or creating suitable habitat elsewhere.
Compensatory mitigation(For purposes of the Clean Water Act Section 404 and Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 regulatory programs), compensatory mitigation is the restoration…
Composite noise levelA single noise level summed on an energy basis from many noise sources (e.g., Stirling engine, electric generator, cooling fan, and air compressor for a…
Concentrating (Solar) CollectorA solar collector that uses reflective surfaces to concentrate sunlight onto a small area, where it is absorbed and converted to heat or, in the case of…
Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies(CSP)Any of a family of solar energy technologies that reflect and concentrate the sun's energy to produce heat that is subsequently used to produce steam to…
ConcentrationAmount of a chemical in a particular volume or weight of air, water, soil, or other medium.
ConcentratorA photovoltaic module, which includes optical components such as lenses (Fresnel lens) to direct and concentrate sunlight onto a solar cell.
Conditional Use Permit (CUP)(CUP)In California, this is a permit that is required to be obtained from the county government authority in which a solar energy facility is to be located.
Cone of DepressionA depression in the water table that develops around a pumped well.