NCSCA Glossary: Key Terms & Definitions for Developers and Consultants

NCSCA Key Terms & Definitions

Adequate Erosion Control Measures: Techniques employed to prevent or minimize soil erosion caused by land-disturbing activities, such as the use of silt fences, sediment basins, or vegetative ground covers.

Best Management Practices (BMPs): Methods, measures, or practices designed to minimize or prevent soil erosion and sediment runoff from land-disturbing activities. BMPs are often site-specific and may include structural or non-structural controls.

Delegated Authority: The transfer of authority from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to local governments to administer and enforce the Sedimentation Control Act within their jurisdictions.

Discharge: The release of sediment, water, or other materials from a land-disturbing activity into waters of the state or onto adjacent properties.

Erosion: The wearing away of land surface by the action of wind, water, gravity, or any combination thereof, as defined in § 113A-52 of the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Act.

Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan: A detailed plan that outlines the measures to be taken to minimize soil erosion and prevent off-site sedimentation during a land-disturbing activity. The plan must be approved by the NCDEQ or a local government with delegated authority before the activity can commence.

Land-Disturbing Activity: Any use of the land that results in a change in the natural cover or topography and that may cause or contribute to sedimentation, as defined in § 113A-52 of the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Act.

Local Governing Body: A city or county government responsible for administering and enforcing the Sedimentation Control Act within its jurisdiction, either through delegated authority from the NCDEQ or its own local ordinances.

Mandatory Standards: The minimum requirements for erosion and sedimentation control plans, as established in § 113A-57 of the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Act. These standards include design criteria, performance standards, and maintenance obligations.

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ): The state agency responsible for administering and enforcing the Sedimentation Control Act, primarily through its Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources (DEMLR).

Notice of Violation: A formal notification issued by the NCDEQ or a local government to a person engaging in a land-disturbing activity that is in violation of the Sedimentation Control Act. The notice typically requires corrective action to be taken within a specified timeframe.

Off-Site Sedimentation: The transport of sediment from a land-disturbing activity onto adjacent properties or into waters of the state.

Person: Any individual, partnership, firm, association, joint venture, public or private corporation, trust, estate, commission, board, public or private institution, utility, cooperative, interstate body, or other legal entity, as defined in § 113A-52 of the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Act.

Riparian Buffer: A vegetated area along a stream, river, or other water body that helps to filter pollutants, stabilize banks, and provide habitat for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.

Sediment: Solid particulate matter, both mineral and organic, that has been or is being transported by water, air, gravity, or ice from its site of origin, as defined in § 113A-52 of the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Act.

Sediment Basin: A temporary settling pond designed to capture and retain sediment from runoff during a land-disturbing activity.

Sedimentation: The process by which sediment resulting from accelerated erosion has been or is being transported off the site of the land-disturbing activity or into a lake or natural watercourse, as defined in § 113A-52 of the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Act.

Sedimentation Control Commission: A 11-member commission appointed by the Governor that is responsible for developing and adopting rules, providing technical assistance, and conducting educational programs related to the Sedimentation Control Act, as outlined in § 113A-54.

Sedimentation Pollution: The contamination of waters of the state with sediment as a result of accelerated erosion from land-disturbing activities.

Silt Fence: A temporary sediment control device consisting of a synthetic filter fabric stretched between supporting posts and entrenched in the soil. It is designed to intercept and detain small amounts of sediment from disturbed areas.

Stop-Work Order: An administrative order issued by the NCDEQ or a local government that directs a person to cease all land-disturbing activities until compliance with the Sedimentation Control Act has been achieved.

Stormwater Runoff: The flow of water resulting from precipitation that does not infiltrate into the soil but instead flows over the land surface, potentially carrying sediment and other pollutants.

Temporary Ground Cover: A vegetative cover, such as annual grasses or mulch, that is established on disturbed areas to temporarily stabilize the soil and prevent erosion until permanent vegetation can be established.

Turbidity: A measure of the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by suspended solids, often used as an indicator of sediment pollution.

Vegetative Ground Cover: A permanent vegetative cover, such as grass or other plants, that is established on disturbed areas to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion.

Waters of the State: Any stream, river, brook, swamp, lake, sound, tidal estuary, bay, creek, reservoir, waterway, or other body or accumulation of water, whether surface or underground, public or private, or natural or artificial, that is contained in, flows through, or borders upon any portion of the state of North Carolina, as defined in § 143-212 of the North Carolina General Statutes.