§ 27-192. Definitions.

Unless otherwise specified, any authorization, license, approval, or action provided for in this Article shall be pursuant to the administrative functions and duties of the Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department (EPGMD).

ADA means an application for development approval as that term is used in § 380.06, F.S.

Ambient (natural) temperature means the existing temperature of the receiving water at a location which is unaffected by human-created thermal discharges and at a location which is also of a depth and exposure to winds and currents which typify the most environmentally stable portions of the receiving bodies of water.

Annual average daily flow means the total volume of wastewater flowing into or out of a wastewater facility during any consecutive 365 days, divided by 365 and expressed in units of million gallons per day (mgd).

Average daily flow means the total volume of wastewater flowing into a wastewater facility during a calendar month, divided by the number of days in the month, and averaged over the preceding twelve months and expressed in units of million gallons per day (mgd).

BOD ₅ means biochemical oxygen demand (five day test).

CBOD ₅ means carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (five-day test).

Coastal waters means all waters in the county which are not classified as fresh water.

COD means the measure of oxygen equivalent expressed in micrograms per liter (µg/l) of the organic matter content of a sample that is susceptible to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant.

Collection system lateral means the furthermost hydraulically-upgradient sewer(s) to which only individual service connections are made. Such sewers shall no longer be considered laterals when the upgradient underground utility access portal, clean-out, or pumping appurtenance has one or more tributary sewers serving two or more individual establishments.

Collection/transmission system means sewers, pipelines, conduits, pumping stations, force mains, and all other facilities used for collection and transmission of wastewater from individual service connections to facilities intended for the purpose of providing treatment prior to release to the environment.

Comprehensive drainage plan means a complete plan of the stormwater management system for the entire parcel under review, including any contiguous land holdings of the applicant, pertinent to this review.

Conceptual approval or letter of conceptual approval for surface water management system    means an approval issued by the county for the concept of a comprehensive drainage plan for a surface water management system. No construction is authorized thereby unless otherwise specifically permitted. For projects which have filed an application for a letter of conceptual approval concurrently with an ADA for a DRI, a letter of conceptual approval also means "conceptual agency review" as defined in § 380.06(9)(a)2, F.S. A letter of conceptual approval is valid for two (2) years and for any renewal period provided by these regulations or granted by the county. A letter of conceptual approval shall create a rebuttable presumption that application for construction and operation permits consistent with the conceptual approval shall be granted.

Control device means an element of a discharge structure which allows the gradual release of water under controlled conditions. This is sometimes referred to as the bleed-down mechanism, or "bleeder."

Control elevation means the lowest elevation at which water can be released through a control device.

Cooling pond means a body of water enclosed by a natural or constructed restraint which has been approved for purposes of controlling heat dissipation from thermal discharges.

Design criteria means the best engineering practices available to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

Detention means the delay of stormwater runoff prior to discharge into receiving waters.

Deep injection well means the transmission of materials through a well that discharges to the Boulder Zone. The Boulder Zone lies approximately three thousand (3,000) feet below the land surface of Broward County and contains water of greater than ten thousand (10,000) parts per million (ppm) total dissolved solids (TDS).

Detention volume means the volume of open surface storage behind the discharge structure between the overflow elevation and control elevation.

Direct discharge means the discharge of a pollutant or combination of pollutants to surface or ground waters.

Discharge structure means a structural device made of concrete, metal, or other similarly durable material, through which water is discharged from a surface water management to the receiving water.

Disposal well means a shaft or well driven, drilled or dug into an aquifer for the purpose of disposal of stormwater runoff or noncontact cooling water. Drainage well, absorbing well, and Class V well shall be considered as having the same meaning.

Domestic wastewater means the human body wastes from sanitary fixtures, domestic laundry wastes, or water-borne solid wastes collected or received from domestic food preparation or service. "Domestic wastewater" is considered to have the same meaning as "sanitary sewage" or "sanitary wastewater."

Development of Regional Impact (DRI); \i means a development of regional impact as that term is defined in Subsection 380.06(1), Florida Statutes, as amended.

Dry retention/detention area means a water storage area with bottom elevation at least one (1) foot above the control elevation of the area. Includes sumps, mosquito swales and other minor features that may be at a lower elevation.

Effluent means wastewater or other liquid, partially or completely treated, or in its untreated state, flowing out of a reservoir, basin, treatment plant, industrial treatment plant, or any other point source.

Elevation means the height in feet above or below mean sea level according to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD).

Equivalent residential connection (ERC) means three hundred (300) gallons per day of wastewater.

Exfiltration trench means an underground device, such as a French drain, constructed of perforated pipe, filter cloth, and gravel material or similar materials for the purpose of conveying surface water runoff into the ground.

Fresh waters means all waters of the county which are contained in lakes and ponds or watercourses (including canals) above the zone in which tidal actions influence the salinity of the water and where the conductance of the surface does not exceed five thousand (5,000) micromhos per centimeter.

Functionally equivalent replacement means a feature or device constructed of different materials, dimensions, and/or specifications that replicates the process provided by an existing feature or device.

Ground water means water below the surface of the earth, whether it is either fresh or saltwater.

Heated water discharges mean the effluent from non-domestic activities such as commercial or industrial processes in which water is used for the purpose of transporting waste heat.

Historic discharge means the peak rate at which runoff leaves a parcel of land by gravity in an undisturbed/natural site condition or the legally allowable discharge at the time of license application.

Illicit stormwater discharge means any discharge to a storm sewer that is not composed entirely of stormwater except discharges pursuant to an NPDES permit and discharges resulting from fire fighting activities.

Immediate adverse impact means the negative impact of any water management works with regard to promotion of erosion, saltwater intrusion, degradation of ground or surface water quality, or flooding that is predicted to occur within a one-year period.

Impervious areas mean land surfaces which do not allow, or minimally allow, the penetration of water; included as examples are building roofs, normal concrete and asphalt pavements, and some fine grained soils such as clays.

Individual service connection means the sewer which connects the point(s) at which wastewater leaves an establishment which is its source and the point at which it enters a collection system.

Major redevelopment means construction activities which involve the demolition or removal of the principal structure on a site or of more than fifty percent (50%) of the impervious surface of a developed area on a site. Major redevelopment also means minor redevelopment with the cumulative expansion of developed area greater than or equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the existing developed area of a site or greater than or equal to two (2) acres over a period of ten (10) years.

Marine or saltwater means those waters with a specific conductance at the surface equal to or exceeding five thousand (5,000) micromhos per centimeter.

MF means a membrane filter.

MPN means a most probable number.

Mode of operation means the activity that is to be undertaken by the responsible entity as indicated on the water management works license.

Minor redevelopment means construction activities which involve the demolition or removal of fifty (50) percent or less of the impervious surface of a developed area on a site.

NPDES means the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

Non-domestic wastewater means all non-sanitary liquid wastewaters, including but not limited to those from industrial processes, commercial processes, commercial laundries, and the cleaning of air conditioning cooling towers or heat exchange systems. "Non-domestic wastewater" is considered to have the same meaning as "industrial" or "commercial" wastewater.

Oil-water separator means any tank, box, sump, or other container in which any petroleum or product thereof, floating on or entrained or contained in water entering such tank, box, sump, or other container, is physically separated and removed from such water prior to outfall, drainage or recovery of such water.

Outfall means the point, location or structure where wastewater or drainage discharges from a sewer, drain or conduit into the receiving waters.

Overflow elevation means the design elevation of a discharge structure at which, or below which, water is contained behind the structure, except for that which leaks out, or bleeds out, through a control device down to the control elevation.

Pathogens means any organism capable of causing infection or disease, excluding total coliform (including, but not limited to, bacterial, viruses, protozoans.)

Percolation means the generally vertical movement of water through soil or other unconsolidated medium to the water table and to lower aquifers where occurring.

Percolation pond means an artificial impoundment similar to a holding pond for which the design and operation provides for fluid losses through percolation/seepage in addition to evaporative losses.

Point source means discharges from a single geographic position.

Pollutant means a substance, contaminant, or combination of one or more substances or contaminants, noise, or any artificially induced alteration of the chemical, physical, biological, or radiological integrity of the air, soil, or water that creates pollution.

Property means land and generally whatever is erected or growing upon or under or is affixed to land under the control of a person, corporation, or business.

Publicly owned treatment works (POTW) means a facility operated by a public body or agency for the treatment of wastewater generated by various users in a specific geographic or political area.

Responsible entity means any person, corporation or business interest legally responsible for land and structures and for operation and maintenance of any activity shown and/or stated on the water management works license.

Retention means the prevention of stormwater runoff from direct discharge into receiving waters; included as examples are systems which discharge through percolation, exfiltration, filtered bleed-down and evaporation processes.

Sewer means a pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or stormwater.

Site means a plot of ground suitable or set apart for some specific use, not necessarily a place or tract of land fixed by definite boundaries.

SFRPC means the South Florida Regional Planning Council.

SFWMD means the South Florida Water Management District.

Standard methods mean "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater," according to the most recent edition, as published jointly by American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association, and the Water Environment Federation.

Surface waters mean all water on the surface of the earth, whether it is fresh or marine, as distinguished from ground water.

Toxic means substances that alone or in combination with other substances are present in such concentrations that it is mutagenic, carcinogenic, or teratogenic to human beings or to locally occurring wildlife or aquatic species; or injure, are chronically toxic to, or produce adverse physiological or behavior response in humans, animals, or plants.

Underground utility access portal means an access point to each underground utilities such as, but not limited to, sanitary sewers, potable water supply lines, storm drains, and reclaimed wastewater lines, commonly known as a manhole.

Water management areas are areas to be utilized for the conveyance or storage of stormwater for resource preservation.

Water management works means any works of humankind, designed or contrived to alter, regulate, control, or in any way affect or modify the natural flow or level of water, whether surface or subterranean in occurrence or origin, including canals, dams, levees, spillways, locks, culverts, bridges, reservoirs, sluice ways, streams, pumping stations, structures, embankments, roadways, causeways, lakes, dikes, holding basins, flood ways, navigation and conservation works, and other works and facilities, within the territorial limits of Broward County, Florida. The definition of water management works shall be construed to include the control, use and maintenance of such works as herein defined.

Wet retention/detention area means a water storage area with bottom elevation equal to or lower than one (1) foot above the control elevation of the area.

(Ord. No. 96-19, § 2, 6-11-96; Ord. No. 1999-55, § 1, 10-12-99; Ord. No. 2005-11, § 9, 5-24-05; Ord. No. 2009-56, § 1, 8-25-09; Ord. No. 2010-59, § 1, 10-12-10; Ord. No. 2017-16 , § 1, 5-23-17)