Glossary
In the Waterfront Navigator glossary, we’ve compiled regulatory terms and definitions from agency documents, environmental terms you will come across when doing work in wetlands and in coastal areas, and abbreviations used by agencies or on this site. Definitions cite the sources, with links back to original documents or websites for further reference.
Abutment
Typically the section of a seawall or bulkhead which adjoins a pier or bridge. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Accretion
Accumulation of sand or other beach material at a point due to natural action of waves, currents, and wind. A build-up of the beach. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Activity(ies)
Includes building of structures (for example a pier, wharf, bulkhead, or jetty) and work (which included dredging, disposal of dredged material, filling, excavation or other modification) of a navigable water of the United States. (US Army Corps of Engineers New York District, Regulatory Program Applicant Information Guide, 2014)
Adjacent Area (AA)
Shall mean any land immediately adjacent to a tidal wetland within [certain limits, see 6 CRR-NY 661.4 for source text and diagrams]. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)
Allowable Pile Load
The maximum load on a pile that will not cause stress to exceed the limit specified by the applicable code. The APL is determined from the ultimate pile capacity divided by an appropriate safety factor. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Alongshore
Parallel to and near the shoreline; same as Longshore. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Alongshore current
Current in the breaker zone moving essentially parallel to shore and usually caused by waves breaking at an angle to shore. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Ambient conditions
The conditions present at a given site based on chemical, physical and biological assessments. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Anaerobic
Able to live, and grow in the absence of free oxygen. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Anode
An element in a cathodic protection system that discharges electrical current either from an external source (impressed current system) or from a selfgenerated source (sacrificial anode system) to depress the potential of a structure below a value at which corrosion occurs. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Armor stone
Large, heavy rocks used to build sills, breakwaters, and revetments. (Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Living Shoreline Design Guidelines for Shore Protection in Virginia' s Estuarine Environments, 2010)
Armoring
The formation of a resistant layer of relatively large particles resulting from removal of finer particles by erosion. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory Glossary, 2015)
Backfill
Previously dredged or excavated soil reused as leveling fill. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Baffle
A device (as a plate, wall or screen) to deflect, check, or regulate flow. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Bank stability
The ability of the stream bank to counteract erosion or gravity forces (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Banks
That land area immediately adjacent to, and which slopes toward, the bed of a watercourse, and which is necessary to maintain the integrity of a watercourse. For purposes of this Part, a bank will not be considered to extend more than 50 feet horizontally from the mean highwater line; with the following exception: where a generally uniform slope of 45 degrees (100 percent) or greater adjoins the bed of the watercourse, the band is extended to the crest of the slope or the first definable break in slope, either a natural or constructed (i.e. road or railroad grade) feature, lying generally parallel to the watercourse. (Rules and Regulations of the State of New York, Title 6. Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Chapter 5. Subchapter E, Part 608. Use and Protection of Waters, Definitions)
Bar
Fully or partly submerged mound of sand, gravel, or other unconsolidated material built on the bottom in shallow water by waves and currents. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Barge
Any vessel or other craft without propulsion power and designed chiefly for present use to transport cargo of any sort. A barge may or may not have a superstructure. (Rules of the City of New York, Title 66: Department of Small Business Services)
Basal or butt end
The bottom end or end nearest the trunk of a cutting taken from a riparian plant that will root if planted face down in the soil (opposite the budding tip' s end of the cutting). (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Bathycorrometer
Trade name of a d.c. measuring instrument containing a voltmeter and an electrode assembly enclosed in a watertight casing. Used by divers to measure a structure' s electrical potential during a corrosion survey. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Bathymetry
The measurement of depths of water in oceans, seas, and lakes; also information derived from such measurements. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Batter Pile
An inclined structural pile installed to resist horizontal forces. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Beach
Zone of sand or gravel extending from the low water line to a point landward where either the topography abruptly changes or permanent vegetation first appears. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Beach fill
Sand or gravel placed on a beach by mechanical methods. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Beam
A horizontal structural member that primarily resists loads applied perpendicular to the length. In marine structures beams typically span between pile caps or girders and often support the deck. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Bed
Land area of a watercourse covered by water at mean high water. (Rules and Regulations of the State of New York, Title 6. Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Chapter 5. Subchapter E, Part 608. Use and Protection of Waters, Definitions)
Bench Cap
Timber repair element, placed horizontally on top of a series of cut off timber piles, typically used to realign piles for posting repairs. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Beneficial use
Material [such as dredge material] being used beneficially pursuant to section 6 NYCRR Part 360-1.15 and removed from the definition of a solid waste, and therefore the jurisdiction of Part 360, as per 6 NYCRR Part 360 - 1.2(a)(4)(vii). (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Bent
A line of piles which share a common pile cap. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Benthos
Organisms that live on or in the bottom of a water body. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Berm
1. On a beach a nearly horizontal plateau on the beach face or backshore, formed by the deposition of beach material by wave action or by means of a mechanical plant as part of a beach renourishment scheme. Some natural beaches have no berm, others have several. 2. On a structure: a nearly horizontal area, often built to support or key-in an armor layer. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory Glossary, 2015)
Berm breakwater
Rubble mound structure with horizontal berm of armor stones at about sea level, which is allowed to be (re)shaped by the waves. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory Glossary, 2015)
Berth
The water area at the edge of a wharf or pier reserved for a vessel. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Best Management Practices (BMP)
Policies, practices, procedures, or structures implemented to mitigate the adverse environmental effects on surface water quality resulting from development. BMPs are categorized as structural or non_structural. A BMP policy may affect the limits on a development. (US Army Corps of Engineers New York District, Regulatory Program Applicant Information Guide, 2014)
Bioaccumulation
The progressive increase in the amount of a chemical in an organism through any route including respiration, ingestion, or direct contact with sediment or water. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Biogeochemical transformations
Those changes in chemical compounds and substances which naturally occur in ecosystems. Examples are the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles in nature, in which these elements are incorporated from inorganic substances into organic matter and recycled on a continuing basis. (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 23, Part 777, March 2016)
Bitt
A single- or double-posted steel fitting on the deck of a ship, pier or wharf to which mooring lines are secured. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Block and Mortar
Common construction of older bridge piers and bulkheads consisting of vertically stacked cut stones and concrete. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Bluff
High, steep bank at the water' s edge. In common usage, a bank composed primarily of soil. See Cliff. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Bog
A wet, spongy, poorly drained area which is usually rich in very specialized plants, contains a high percentage of organic remnants and residues, and frequently is associated with a spring, seepage area, or other subsurface water source. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory Glossary, 2015)
Bollard
A single- or double-posted steel fitting on the deck of a pier or wharf around which mooring lines from vessels are tied. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Borrow pit
An excavated area where material has been dug for use at another location. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Boulders
Large stones with diameters over 10 inches. Larger than Cobbles. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Braces
Semi-structural members typically used on marine structures to maintain pile alignment and verticality, reduce the unsupported length of piles, and increase resistance to horizontal forces. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Brackish water
Generally, water containing dissolved minerals in amounts that exceed normally acceptable standards for municipal, domestic, and irrigation uses. Considerably less saline that sea water. Also, Marine and Estuarine waters with Mixohaline salinity (0.5 to 30 due to ocean salts). Water containing between 1,000-4,000 parts per million (PPM) Total Dissolved Solids TDS. The term brackish water is frequently interchangeable with Saline Water. (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Branch packing
Live woody branch cuttings and compacted soil used to repair slumped areas of stream banks. (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Breaker
A wave as it spills, plunges or collapses on a shore, natural obstruction, or man-made structure. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Breaker zone
Area offshore where waves break. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Breaking depth
Stillwater depth where waves break. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Breakwater
A structure protecting a shore area, harbor, anchorage, or basin from waves. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Breasting Dolphin
A structure against which a vessel breasts when moored. Usually fitted with a fender system and may also support mooring fittings. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Brush layer
Live branch cuttings laid in crisscrossed fashion on benches between successive lifts of soil. (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Brush mattress
A combination of live stakes, fascines, and live branch cuttings installed to cover and protect stream banks and shorelines. (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Buffer
A vegetated area of grass, shrubs, or trees designed to capture and filter runoff from surrounding land uses. (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Bulkhead
A structure or partition to retain or prevent sliding of the land. A secondary purpose is to protect the upland against damage from wave action. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Buoy
A float moored to the bottom to mark the position of a shoal, channel, or anchorage limit, or a floating element of a ship mooring. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Caisson
A concrete structure with a steel or concrete end closure. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Cathodic Protection
An electrical method of controlling corrosion in a conducting medium such as seawater or moist soil where an electrical current is applied to a structure either by the corrosion of an active anode material or an external electrical power supply. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
CEQR (City Environmental Quality Review)
CEQR is New York City's process for implementing SEQRA, and cannot be less stringent than its state counterpart. CEQR adapts and refines the state rules to take into account the special circumstances of New York City. CEQR is governed by SEQRA, NYC's Executive Order No. 91 (43 RCNY, Chapter 6), and the CEQR Rules of Procedure (62 RCNY, Chapter 5). (NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability)
Channel
A steel or concrete structural member having two flanges and a web which form a U-shape when viewed in cross-section. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Checking
A typical defect found in timber members involving minor cracking of the surface of the member due to shrinkage. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Chock
A wedge or block of wood, metal, or the like for filling in a space, holding an object steady, preventing motion, 2) A shaped support or cradle for a ship's boat, barrel, etc. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Chock (timber)
Timber member used as a spacer between structural members. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Clay
Extremely fine-grained soil with individual particles less than 0.00015 inches in diameter. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Clean Water Act (CWA)
Previously known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq). The goal of the Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of waters of the United States. The term "waters of the United States" includes wetlands (40 CPR Part 230.3 [s]). Section 404 of the CW A addresses wetlands, and its authorities are implemented through a permit program. (US EPA, Wetlands Regulation Guidebook for New York State, 1993)
Clearwater Box
A glass or plexiglass box used to facilitate the taking of underwater photographs in turbid waters. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Cleat
A metal fitting on the deck of a pier or ship usually with two projecting horns around which a rope may be made fast (as by belaying it). (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Coastal fresh marsh (FM)
The tidal wetland zone, designated FM on an inventory map, found primarily in the upper tidal limits of riverine systems where significant fresh water inflow dominates the tidal zone. Species normally associated with this zone include narrow leaved cattail, Typha angustifolia the tall bracklish water cordgrasses, Spartina pectinata and/or S. cynosuroides; and the more typically emergent fresh water species such as arrow arum, Peltandra; pickerel weed, Pondederia; and cutgrass, Leersia. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)
Coastal shoals, bars and flats (SM)
The tidal wetland zone, designated SM on an inventory map, that (i) at high tide is covered by water, (ii) at low tide is exposed or is covered by water to a maximum depth of approximately one foot, and (iii) is not vegetated by low marsh cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, except as otherwise determined in a specific case as provided in 6 CRR-NY 661.16. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)
Cobbles
Rounded stones with diameters ranging from 3 to 10 inches. Cobbles are intermediate between Gravel and Boulders. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Cohesive Soil
Soil, typically clay, that is held together by the mutual molecular attraction of its particles. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Cold Joint (construction joint)
The joint in a concrete member created when two abutting sections are cast at different times. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Compensatory mitigation
The restoration (re-establishment or rehabilitation), establishment (creation), enhancement, and/or in certain circumstances preservation of aquatic resources for the purposes of offsetting unavoidable adverse impacts which remain after all appropriate and practicable avoidance and minimization has been achieved. (US Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 47, 2007)
Conditional Negative Declaration
A lead agency's written statement and determination that an action may have a significant adverse effect on the environment, but that all such effects can be eliminated or avoided by specific changes in the action or mitigation imposed by the lead agency, if implemented. To issue a conditional negative declaration, the action must be unlisted and involve an applicant. 6 NYCRR.617.2(h). (NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability)
Confined disposal facility (CDF)
A diked area, either in-water or in a riparian area, used to contain dredged material. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Containment area
Any location or site used for the permanent or temporary placement of dredged material which may or may not have structures designed to prevent contact with water or terrestrial environment. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material, November 2004)
Converted craft
Any barge, vessel, houseboat or other craft, that is used or is designed for use as a theater, repair shop, for recreation, a residence, restaurant, studio, museum, training school, club, storage area or commercial business, or for any non-maritime activity. (Rules of the City of New York, Title 66: Department of Small Business Services)
Corrosion
The deterioration of a metal by electrochemical action. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Cover
Anything that provides protection for fish and/or wildlife from predators or ameliorates adverse conditions of stream flow and/or seasonal changes in metabolic costs. May be instream structures such as rocks or logs, turbulence, and/or overhead vegetation. Anything that provides areas for escape, feeding, hiding, or resting. (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Crest
Upper edge or limit of a shore protection structure. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Crib
A structure of interlocking perpendicular members, typically timber, which is filled with stone and used as a retaining wall or bulkhead. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Critical shear stress
The minimum amount of shear stress exerted by stream currents required to initiate soil particle motion. Because gravity also contributes to stream bank particle movement buy not on stream beds, critical shear stress along river banks is less than for river beds. (Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hudson River Shoreline Restoration Alternatives Analysis, 2006)
Cross section
View of a structure or beach as if it were sliced by a vertical plane. The cross section should display structure, ground surface, and underlying material. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Cumulative effects
The combined environmental impacts that accrue over time and space from a series of similar or related individual actions, projects, or contaminants. Although each action may seem to have a negligible impact by itself, the combined effect can be severe. (US EPA, Wetlands Regulation Guidebook for New York State, 1993)
Curb
On marine structures, a curb is the perimeter barrier, usually 8 in. to 14 in. high, bolted, cast, or otherwise attached to the deck. Curbs can be of timber, steel, or concrete construction. (New York City Economic Development Corporation, Waterfront Facilities Maintenance Management System, May 2016)
Current
Flow of water in a given direction. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)
Current, Longshore
Current in the breaker zone moving essentially parallel to shore and usually caused by waves breaking at an angle to shore. Also called alongshore current. (US Army Corps of Engineers, Low Cost Shore Protection: A Property Owner's Guide, 2004)