Glossary

Common acronyms and abbreviations used in environmental site assessment, regulatory programs, and cleanup work. 392 entries.

392 entries

A

AAI: All Appropriate Inquiries
ABIH: American Board of Industrial Hygiene
ACBM: Asbestos-Containing Building Material (AHERA term for sampled or assumed ACM)
ACM: Asbestos-Containing Material
Action Level: A contaminant concentration that triggers a regulatory response, such as further investigation or remediation. Action levels vary by program (BUSTR, VAP, EPA) and are not interchangeable.
ADAF: Age-Dependent Adjustment Factor (EPA cancer risk modifier for mutagenic chemicals)
AFFF: Aqueous Film-Forming Foam
AHAS: Asbestos Hazard Abatement Specialist
AHAW: Asbestos Hazard Abatement Worker
AHERA: Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act
AHES: Asbestos Hazard Evaluation Specialist
Analyte: A specific chemical substance measured during laboratory analysis of an environmental sample.
Annular Seal: The grout material (typically bentonite or cement) placed in the space between the well casing and the borehole wall to prevent surface water from migrating down to the aquifer.
AOC: Area of Concern (an area at a RCRA facility that is not a SWMU but where a release of hazardous substances may have occurred)
API: American Petroleum Institute
APR: Air-Purifying Respirator
Aquifer: A geologic formation capable of storing and transmitting water in usable quantities.
ARAR: Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements
AST: Aboveground Storage Tank
ASTM: American Society for Testing and Materials
ATSDR: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

B

Background Concentration: The naturally occurring concentration of a substance in soil or groundwater that is not the result of human activity. Background levels are used to establish baseline conditions at investigation sites.
BCC: Bioaccumulation and Cancer
Bentonite: A clay material used in monitoring well construction for annular seals and in well abandonment for sealing boreholes. Available as chips, pellets, or grout slurry.
BFPD: Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Defense
BFPP: Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser
BLL: Blood Lead Level
BMP: Best Management Practice (stormwater and erosion control measure)
BOD: Biochemical Oxygen Demand (a measure of the oxygen consumed by biological processes to break down organic matter in water; used as an effluent limit in NPDES permits)
Borehole: A hole drilled or driven into the ground for the purpose of collecting soil samples, installing monitoring wells, or investigating subsurface conditions.
BRP: Brownfield Remediation Program (Ohio)
BTEX: Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene
BTEX: An acronym for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes - the four volatile organic compounds most commonly associated with gasoline contamination.
BUN: Blood Urea Nitrogen (medical surveillance test for lead exposure)
BUSTR: Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations

C

CAA: Clean Air Act
CAAO: County Auditors' Association of Ohio
CAFE: Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects
CAFO: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (large livestock facility subject to NPDES permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act)
CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service
CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CEQ: Council on Environmental Quality (White House office that oversees NEPA implementation and issues binding NEPA regulations)
CERCLA: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
CERCLIS: CERCLA Information System (legacy EPA database, now SEMS)
CFR: Code of Federal Regulations
CGP: Construction General Permit (NPDES general permit covering stormwater discharges from construction sites disturbing one acre or more)
Chain of Custody: A form that documents the collection, transfer, and handling of environmental samples from the field to the laboratory. Maintains legal defensibility of analytical results.
Chemicals of Concern (COCs): The specific contaminants that must be analyzed at a site, determined by the type of contamination source and the applicable regulatory program.
CIDARS: Chemical Information Database and Applicable Regulatory Standards
CIH: Certified Industrial Hygienist
Closure Assessment: A soil and groundwater sampling event conducted when a UST system is permanently removed, closed in place, or taken out of service. Results are compared to closure action levels.
CMI: Corrective Measures Implementation (RCRA corrective action phase)
CMS: Corrective Measures Study (RCRA corrective action phase)
CNS: Covenant Not to Sue
COC: Contaminant of Concern; also Chain of Custody (field sampling documentation)
Confining Layer: A geologic unit of low permeability that restricts the vertical movement of groundwater between aquifers.
Confirmed Release: Under BUSTR, a release where COC concentrations above action levels have been confirmed through laboratory analysis of samples collected during a closure assessment or site check.
Contaminant Plume: The three-dimensional extent of contamination in soil or groundwater emanating from a source area. Plumes are delineated during site investigations.
Corrective Action: The investigation, assessment, and remediation activities required to address a confirmed release of contaminants. Under BUSTR, corrective action follows a tiered process.
Covenant Not to Sue (CNS): A legal document issued by the Director of Ohio EPA under the VAP that releases current and future property owners from state liability for further investigation and cleanup at a property.
CP: Certified Professional
CREC: Controlled Recognized Environmental Condition
CRO: Cessation of Regulated Operations (Ohio RCRA program, OAC 3745-69)
CSM: Conceptual Site Model
CUSTI: Certified Underground Storage Tank Inspector
CWA: Clean Water Act
CWH: Coldwater Habitat (Ohio aquatic life use designation)

D

DAF: Dilution Attenuation Factor
DAPC: Division of Air Pollution Control (Ohio EPA)
DCE: Dichloroethylene
DDAGW: Division of Drinking and Ground Waters (Ohio EPA division enforcing monitoring well construction and abandonment rules under OAC 3745-9)
DDE: Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDT metabolite)
DDT: Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
DEHP: Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate
Delineation: The process of defining the horizontal and vertical extent of contamination in soil and groundwater. Involves installing soil borings and monitoring wells outward from the source until concentrations fall below applicable levels.
Depth to Groundwater: The distance from the ground surface to the water table, measured in monitoring wells using an electronic water level indicator (e-tape). Affects which exposure pathways apply at a site.
DERR: Division of Environmental Response and Revitalization
DFFO: Director's Final Findings and Orders (Ohio EPA enforcement order)
DI: Deionized (water)
Direct Contact: An exposure pathway where a person comes into physical contact with contaminated soil through ingestion, dermal absorption, or inhalation of particulates.
Direct Push: A drilling method (such as Geoprobe) that advances sampling tools into the ground using hydraulic pressure and percussion rather than rotation. Common for Phase II and Tier 1 investigations.
Dissolved Phase: Contaminants that have dissolved into groundwater, as opposed to free product (LNAPL) floating on the water table.
DMR: Discharge Monitoring Report (required submission to NPDES permitting authority documenting measured effluent concentrations and permit compliance)
DMWM: Division of Materials and Waste Management (Ohio EPA)
DNAPL: Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (chlorinated solvent or other liquid denser than water that sinks through the saturated zone; common source of persistent groundwater contamination)
DO: Dissolved Oxygen
DOD: Department of Defense
DOT: Department of Transportation
Drinking Water Source Protection Area (DWSPA): The surface and subsurface area surrounding public water supply wells that contributes water to those wells within five years. Delineated by Ohio EPA.
DSW: Division of Surface Water (Ohio EPA division administering NPDES stormwater permits)
DWSPA: Drinking Water Source Protection Area (Ohio BUSTR designation; triggers drinking water pathway requirements within 1,500 ft of UST system)

E

EA: Environmental Assessment (NEPA screening document used to determine whether an EIS is required or a FONSI can be issued)
ECBP: Eastern Corn Belt Plains (Ohio ecoregion)
ECHO: Enforcement and Compliance History Online
ECOS: Environmental Council of the States
EDB: 1,2-Dibromoethane
EDC: 1,2-Dichloroethane
EFR: Enhanced Fluid Recovery (accelerated groundwater pumping to remove dissolved-phase contamination; qualifies as a BUSTR IRA)
EIS: Environmental Impact Statement (full NEPA review document required for major federal actions significantly affecting the environment)
EL: Excursion Limit (OSHA short-term exposure limit)
ELG: Effluent Limitations Guidelines (national technology-based standards published by EPA for specific industrial categories that set the minimum level of treatment required in NPDES permits)
Environmental Covenant: A legal restriction recorded on a property deed that limits future land use or groundwater use to maintain the protectiveness of a cleanup. Required when SSTLs are based on non-residential or non-drinking water assumptions.
EOLP: Erie Ontario Lake Plain (Ohio ecoregion)
EP: Environmental Professional
EPA: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPCRA: Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (40 CFR 355; governs hazardous substance release reporting)
ERL: Effects Range Low
ERM: Effects Range Median
ESA: Environmental Site Assessment
ESL: Ecological Screening Level
EWH: Exceptional Warmwater Habitat (Ohio aquatic life use designation)
Exceedance: When a measured contaminant concentration is above the applicable regulatory standard or action level.
Exposure Pathway: The route by which a person or ecological receptor may come into contact with a contaminant. Includes the source, transport mechanism, exposure route, and receptor.

F

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency
FID: Flame Ionization Detector (field screening instrument for petroleum vapors; used alongside PID for UST closure soil screening)
Field Screening: On-site measurement of soil samples using a portable instrument (typically a PID or FID) to detect volatile organic compounds. Used to guide which samples are submitted to the laboratory.
FIFRA: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (EPA pesticide regulation)
Filter Pack: Sand placed around the well screen in a monitoring well to allow groundwater to flow into the well while preventing fine soil particles from entering.
FONSI: Finding of No Significant Impact (NEPA determination that a proposed action will not significantly affect the environment, based on an EA)
FPR: Free Product Recovery (ongoing LNAPL recovery program required at BUSTR sites whenever measurable free product exceeds 0.01 ft thickness)
Free Product: A separate liquid hydrocarbon phase (LNAPL) floating on the water table with a measurable thickness. Under BUSTR, defined as greater than 0.01 ft (0.12 inches).
FS: Feasibility Study (CERCLA cleanup process)
FSOP: Field Standard Operating Procedures (Ohio EPA)

G

GC: Gas Chromatography
GDCSS: Generic Direct Contact Soil Standard (Ohio VAP)
GIS: Geographic Information System
Grab Sample: A single sample collected at a specific time and location, representing conditions at that point only.
Groundwater: Water found in the saturated zone below the water table. Under BUSTR, the saturated zone must yield at least 1.5 gallons within 8 hours and have an in situ hydraulic conductivity greater than 5.0 x 10-6 cm/sec to be classified as groundwater.

H

Hazardous Waste: Waste that exhibits one or more hazardous characteristics (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, toxicity) or is listed by EPA as hazardous under 40 CFR Part 261.
HAZWOPER: Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (OSHA standard at 29 CFR 1910.120 governing worker safety during hazardous waste site activities, emergency response, and remediation)
HDPE: High-Density Polyethylene
HEAST: Health Effects Assessment Summary Tables
HELP: Huron Erie Lake Plain (Ohio ecoregion)
HEPA: High-Efficiency Particulate Air
HFPO: Hexafluoropropylene Oxide
HFPO-DA: Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (also known as GenX)
HHMSSL: Human Health Medium-Specific Screening Level (EPA Region 6 legacy table)
HI: Hazard Index
Hollow-Stem Auger (HSA): A drilling method using hollow-centered auger flights that allow soil sampling and well installation through the center of the auger string. Common for monitoring well installation.
HREC: Historical Recognized Environmental Condition
HRS: Hazard Ranking System (EPA scoring methodology used to evaluate contaminated sites for NPL listing under CERCLA)
HSA: Hollow-Stem Auger (soil boring method for split-spoon sampling)
HUD: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HVAC: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
Hydraulic Conductivity: A measure of how easily water flows through a soil or rock formation. Expressed in units of length per time (typically cm/sec).
Hydraulic Gradient: The change in hydraulic head (groundwater elevation) over a given distance. Determines the direction and rate of groundwater flow.

I

IBC: Intermediate Bulk Container (tote; counts toward SPCC oil storage threshold at 55 gallons or more)
ICIS: Integrated Compliance Information System (EPA)
IDEM: Indiana Department of Environmental Management (Indiana state environmental regulatory agency; publishes the Remediation Closure Guide and PFAS published levels)
IDLH: Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (NIOSH concentration posing an immediate threat to life or health, or that would cause irreversible adverse health effects; used as a ceiling for respirator selection)
IDW: Investigation-Derived Waste (purge water, cuttings, and other waste generated during site investigation)
IH: Industrial Hygienist
IMZM: Inside Mixing Zone Maximum (Ohio aquatic life criterion)
In Situ: In place. Refers to treatment or measurement conducted in the subsurface without removing the material. Examples include in situ chemical oxidation and in situ bioremediation.
IP: Interior Plateau (Ohio ecoregion)
IRA: Interim Response Action (short-term BUSTR corrective action; soil excavation, EFR, or pump-and-treat not exceeding three months or 800 cy)
IRIS: Integrated Risk Information System (EPA)
ISCO: In Situ Chemical Oxidation
ISRA: Industrial Site Recovery Act
ITRC: Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
IUR: Inhalation Unit Risk (cancer toxicity value)

J

JD: Jurisdictional Determination (USACE determination of whether and which features on a project site are waters of the United States subject to CWA Section 404)

L

LBSV: Leach-Based Soil Value
LCR: Lead and Copper Rule
LDPE: Low-Density Polyethylene
LDR: Land Disposal Restrictions (RCRA, OAC 3745-270)
Leachate: Liquid that has percolated through contaminated soil, picking up dissolved contaminants as it migrates downward toward the water table.
LEDPA: Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (the project alternative required by EPA's Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines for individual CWA permits)
LEPC: Local Emergency Planning Committee
Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (LNAPL): A petroleum product or other liquid that is less dense than water and floats on the water table. Also called free product.
LNAPL: Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid
LOAEL: Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level
LQG: Large Quantity Generator (RCRA; 1,000 kg or more hazardous waste per month)
LRW: Limited Resource Water (Ohio aquatic life use designation)
LTTD: Low-Temperature Thermal Desorption (PCS treatment method; applies heat to volatilize COCs from excavated petroleum contaminated soil)

M

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest concentration of a contaminant allowed in public drinking water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Enforceable standards set by EPA.
MCA: Multiple Chemical Adjustment (BUSTR calculation required when 10 or more non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic COCs are present; Groups 4 and 5)
MCE: Mixed-Cellulose Ester (filter cassette material for air sampling)
MCL: Maximum Contaminant Level
MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal
Method Detection Limit (MDL): The lowest concentration of an analyte that a laboratory method can reliably detect and distinguish from zero.
MGP: Manufactured Gas Plant (historical industrial facility that produced gas from coal or oil; sites commonly associated with PAH, BTEX, cyanide, and heavy metal contamination)
MNA: Monitored Natural Attenuation
MOA: Memorandum of Agreement
Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA): A remediation approach that relies on natural processes (biodegradation, dispersion, dilution, volatilization) to reduce contaminant concentrations over time. Requires monitoring to verify effectiveness.
Monitoring Well: A well installed specifically to collect groundwater samples and measure water levels. Constructed with a screened interval that allows groundwater to enter the well.
MP: Measuring Point (reference point on a monitoring well casing from which depth-to-water is measured)
MRL: Minimal Risk Level (ATSDR)
MS: Mass Spectrometry
MS4: Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (publicly owned storm drain system that discharges to waters of the United States and requires NPDES permit coverage)
MSGP: Multi-Sector General Permit (NPDES general permit covering stormwater discharges from industrial facilities in designated sectors)
MTBE: Methyl tert-Butyl Ether
MWH: Modified Warmwater Habitat (Ohio aquatic life use designation)

N

NAAQS: National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NAD83: North American Datum of 1983 (horizontal coordinate reference system used for well location surveys)
NAPL: Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid
NAVD88: North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (vertical elevation datum used for surveyed well elevations)
NCP: National Contingency Plan
NEA: Negative Exposure Assessment (OSHA asbestos monitoring exemption)
NELAP: National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (laboratory certification standard for environmental analysis)
NEPA: National Environmental Policy Act (requires federal agencies to assess environmental impacts of major federal actions)
NESHAP: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
NFA: No Further Action
NIOSH: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
No Further Action (NFA): A determination by a regulatory agency that no additional investigation or remediation is required at a site. Under BUSTR, an NFA letter is issued when all COCs are below action levels or SSTLs.
NOA: Naturally Occurring Asbestos
NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOACA: Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency
NOAEL: No Observed Adverse Effect Level
NOB: Non-Organically Bound (sample type for asbestos analysis)
NOI: Notice of Intent (application for coverage under an NPDES general permit)
NOT: Notice of Termination (submitted when NPDES general permit coverage is no longer needed)
NOV: Notice of Violation (formal enforcement notice from Ohio EPA or other agency requiring corrective action within a specified timeframe)
NPDES: National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NPDWR: National Primary Drinking Water Regulation
NPL: National Priorities List (Superfund)
NRC: National Response Center (federal 24-hour spill reporting hotline; 800-424-8802)
NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit
NVLAP: National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
NWP: Nationwide Permit (general permit issued by USACE authorizing categories of minor dredge-and-fill activities under CWA Section 404)

O

OAC: Ohio Administrative Code
ODH: Ohio Department of Health
ODNR: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
ODOD: Ohio Department of Development
OEHHA: Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (California EPA)
OGIM: Ohio Geology Interactive Map
OMZA: Outside Mixing Zone Average (Ohio chronic aquatic life criterion)
OMZM: Outside Mixing Zone Maximum (Ohio aquatic life criterion)
OOS: Out-of-Service
OPP: Office of Pesticide Programs (EPA)
ORC: Ohio Revised Code
ORNL: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
ORP: Oxidation-Reduction Potential
OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OWDA: Ohio Water Development Authority

P

PA: Preliminary Assessment
PACM: Presumed Asbestos-Containing Material
PAH: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon
Part Per Billion (ppb): A unit of concentration equal to micrograms per liter (ug/L) for water or micrograms per kilogram (ug/kg) for soil. Used for trace-level contaminant measurements.
Part Per Million (ppm): A unit of concentration equal to milligrams per liter (mg/L) for water or milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) for soil.
PCB: Polychlorinated Biphenyl
PCE: Tetrachloroethylene
PCM: Phase Contrast Microscopy (air fiber counting method)
PCS: Petroleum Contaminated Soil (Ohio BUSTR designation for excavated backfill from UST sites; managed under OAC 1301:7-9-16 and 17)
PDHU: Professional Development Hour Unit (Ohio EPA VAP CP continuing education credit; 12 PDHUs required annually, at least 6 from Ohio EPA courses)
PE: Professional Engineer (required to certify full SPCC plans under 40 CFR 112)
PEC: Probable Effect Concentration
PEL: Permissible Exposure Limit
Petroleum Contaminated Soil (PCS): Under BUSTR, soil including pea gravel that contains COC concentrations exceeding one or more reuse action levels. Excludes soil classified as hazardous waste.
PFAS: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
PFBS: Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid
PFDA: Perfluorodecanoic acid
PFHpA: Perfluoroheptanoic acid
PFHxA: Perfluorohexanoic acid
PFHxS: Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid
PFNA: Perfluorononanoic acid
PFOA: Perfluorooctanoic acid
PFOS: Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (Ohio fish consumption criteria type)
Photoionization Detector (PID): A portable field instrument that measures volatile organic compound concentrations in air or soil headspace. Used for field screening during environmental investigations.
PID: Photoionization Detector
PLM: Polarized Light Microscopy (bulk asbestos analysis method)
POD: Point of Demonstration (monitoring location between source area and POE used to verify fate and transport model predictions under BUSTR Tier 2/3)
POE: Point of Exposure (location where a receptor may be exposed to COCs; used to set BUSTR Tier 2 and Tier 3 site-specific target levels)
Point of Exposure (POE): The location where a receptor (person or ecological target) may come into contact with contaminants. Used in risk assessment to determine which action levels apply.
Potentiometric Surface: The level to which groundwater rises in a well due to hydraulic pressure. Mapped using groundwater elevation measurements from multiple wells to determine flow direction.
POTW: Publicly Owned Treatment Works
PPE: Personal Protective Equipment
PPRTV: Provisional Peer-Reviewed Toxicity Values (EPA)
PRG: Preliminary Remediation Goal
PRP: Potentially Responsible Party (current or former owner, operator, generator, or transporter subject to CERCLA cleanup liability)
PSRA: Property-Specific Risk Assessment (Ohio VAP)
PTFE: Polytetrafluoroethylene
PUSTRCAF: Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Compensation Advisory Fund (Ohio)
PUSTRCB: Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Compensation Board
PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride
PVI: Petroleum Vapor Intrusion
PWS: Public Water System

Q

QAPP: Quality Assurance Project Plan
QC: Quality Control

R

RA: Remedial Action (CERCLA cleanup phase)
RACM: Regulated Asbestos-Containing Material
RAP: Remedial Action Plan (formal engineered remediation plan submitted to BUSTR for approval; required when IRA or tier evaluation targets are exceeded)
RBC: Risk-Based Concentration (EPA Region 3 legacy table)
RCRA: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
RD: Remedial Design (CERCLA cleanup phase)
REC: Recognized Environmental Condition
Receptor: A person, population, or ecological target that may be exposed to contaminants. Residential receptors (adults and children) require more protective cleanup standards than commercial workers.
Recognized Environmental Condition (REC): A condition identified during a Phase I ESA that indicates an existing release, past release, or material threat of release of hazardous substances or petroleum products.
Regional Screening Level (RSL): A risk-based screening concentration published by EPA for evaluating contamination at CERCLA sites. Not a cleanup standard - exceedance indicates further evaluation is warranted.
REL: Recommended Exposure Limit (NIOSH occupational exposure guideline; generally more protective than OSHA PELs and not legally enforceable)
Remedial Action Plan (RAP): A formal plan for engineered remediation submitted to BUSTR for approval. Must include system design, target levels, monitoring plan, and public notice.
RFA: RCRA Facility Assessment (preliminary RCRA corrective action review)
RfC: Reference Concentration (non-cancer inhalation toxicity value)
RfD: Reference Dose (non-cancer oral toxicity value)
RFI: RCRA Facility Investigation (detailed investigation phase of RCRA corrective action)
RI: Remedial Investigation (CERCLA site characterization)
RI/FS: Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study
RISKPRO: Risk-Based Corrective Action Model (Ohio VAP fate/transport software)
RLF: Revolving Loan Fund
RML: Regional Removal Management Level
RNPUS: Restricted Non-Potable Use Standards
ROD: Record of Decision
RPM: Remedial Project Manager (EPA project manager assigned to oversee cleanup at a CERCLA/Superfund site)
RPUS: Restricted Potable Use Standards
RQ: Reportable Quantity (threshold mass or volume of a regulated substance that triggers release reporting)
RRP: Remedial Response Program (Ohio EPA state-directed cleanup program); also Renovation, Repair, and Painting (EPA lead paint rule, 40 CFR 745)
RSL: Regional Screening Level
RTK: Real-Time Kinematic (GPS technique achieving survey-grade vertical accuracy; commonly 0.05-0.1 feet)

S

SABR: Site Assistance and Brownfield Revitalization (Ohio EPA section)
SARA: Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
Saturated Zone: The subsurface zone below the water table where all pore spaces in the soil or rock are filled with water.
SCEM: Site Conceptual Exposure Model (required during BUSTR Tier 2 evaluation; describes receptors, media, fate/transport pathways, and routes of exposure)
Screening Level: A concentration used to identify contaminants and sites that warrant further investigation. Less restrictive than cleanup standards. Examples include EPA RSLs and BUSTR delineation levels.
SDS: Safety Data Sheet (formerly MSDS)
SDWA: Safe Drinking Water Act
SEMS: Superfund Enterprise Management System
SERC: State Emergency Response Commission (Ohio emergency response coordination; receives initial spill notifications)
SESOIL: Seasonal Soil Compartment Model (Ohio VAP fate/transport software)
SFO: Oral Slope Factor (cancer toxicity value)
SIM: Selected Ion Monitoring (mass spectrometry scan mode)
Site Conceptual Exposure Model (SCEM): A description of all sources, transport mechanisms, exposure pathways, and receptors at a contaminated site. Developed during BUSTR Tier 2 evaluations.
Site-Specific Target Level (SSTL): A cleanup level calculated using site-specific data rather than default assumptions. Developed during BUSTR Tier 2 or Tier 3 evaluations using BUSTR spreadsheets or approved fate and transport models.
SNUR: Significant New Use Rule (EPA rule under TSCA Section 5 requiring notification before manufacture or import of a chemical substance for a new use)
Soil Boring: A hole advanced into the subsurface to collect soil samples and evaluate geologic and hydrogeologic conditions. May be converted into a monitoring well.
Soil Class: Under BUSTR, a classification of soil type based on grain size distribution. Class 1 (fine-grained/bedrock), Class 2 (medium-grained), Class 3 (coarse-grained). Affects which action levels apply.
Sole Source Aquifer: An aquifer designated by EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act as the sole or principal source of drinking water for an area. Sites in sole source aquifers face more restrictive groundwater requirements.
SOP: Standard Operating Procedure (written protocol specifying how a task must be performed to ensure consistent, reproducible results; required for sampling, analysis, and chain of custody)
Source Area: The location of the highest concentrations of contaminants at a site. May include the area directly beneath a former UST, spill location, or other release point.
SPCC: Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (federal oil spill prevention plan under 40 CFR 112)
SPE: Solid Phase Extraction
SPT: Standard Penetration Test (soil boring method; blow counts per ASTM D1586)
SQG: Small Quantity Generator (RCRA; more than 100 kg but less than 1,000 kg per month)
SRV: Sediment Reference Value
SSD: Species Sensitivity Distribution
SSH: Seasonal Salmonid Habitat (Ohio aquatic life use designation)
SSTL: Site-Specific Target Level (BUSTR Tier 2/3 cleanup target developed using site-specific data to replace default Tier 1 action levels)
STI: Steel Tank Institute (industry standards organization; STI SP001 governs aboveground tank inspection)
Stockpile: Excavated soil stored temporarily on-site in a pile or containers. Under BUSTR PCS rules, stockpiles must be characterized within 48 hours and stored no longer than 120 days (stockpiles) or 180 days (containers).
SVE: Soil Vapor Extraction
SVOCs: Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds
SWMU: Solid Waste Management Unit (any unit at a RCRA-regulated facility where solid waste has been placed, regardless of whether the unit was designed for waste management)
SWPPP: Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (also written SWP3 in Ohio; required under NPDES for construction and industrial sites)

T

TAL: Target Analyte List (EPA metals analysis group used in RCRA and CERCLA investigations; includes RCRA 8 metals plus additional target metals)
Target Hazard Quotient (THQ): A ratio used in risk assessment comparing the expected exposure level to a reference dose. A THQ of 1.0 or less indicates non-cancer health effects are unlikely. Used in RSL calculations.
Target Risk (TR): The acceptable cancer risk level used in risk-based screening calculations. A TR of 1E-06 (one in one million) is the standard for residential RSLs.
TBA: Targeted Brownfield Assessment
TCA: 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (chlorinated solvent; common groundwater contaminant associated with degreasing operations)
TCDD: Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
TCE: Trichloroethylene
TCLP: Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (SW-846 Method 1311)
TDS: Total Dissolved Solids
TEC: Threshold Effect Concentration
TEF: Toxicity Equivalency Factor (factor used to express the carcinogenic potency of individual PAH compounds relative to benzo(a)pyrene; used in risk-based PAH soil screening calculations)
TEM: Transmission Electron Microscopy (asbestos fiber identification method)
TGM: Technical Guidance Manual (Ohio EPA)
THQ: Target Hazard Quotient
TMB: 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene (petroleum hydrocarbon constituent; chemical of concern for BUSTR Groups 1 and 2)
TMDL: Total Maximum Daily Load
TOC: Top of Casing (reference elevation for groundwater level measurements)
Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH): A bulk measurement of all petroleum-based hydrocarbons in a sample, typically reported by carbon fraction range (C6-C12, C10-C20, C20-C34). Not compound-specific.
TPH: Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons
TR: Target Risk
TRI: Toxic Release Inventory
TSCA: Toxic Substances Control Act
TSDF: Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility (RCRA)
TSI: Thermal System Insulation
TSS: Total Suspended Solids (a measure of undissolved solid particles in water; common effluent limit in NPDES permits for wastewater and construction stormwater)
TWA: Time-Weighted Average

U

UHC: Underlying Hazardous Constituent (RCRA land disposal restrictions)
UPUS: Unrestricted Potable Use Standard
Urban Setting Designation (USD): A designation under Ohio's VAP that eliminates the requirement to clean up groundwater to drinking water standards in urbanized areas where municipal water is the sole supply.
USACE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (federal agency that issues Section 404 dredge-and-fill permits under the Clean Water Act)
USCS: Unified Soil Classification System (ASTM D2487 soil classification)
USD: Urban Setting Designation
USGS: U.S. Geological Survey
UST: Underground Storage Tank

V

Vadose Zone: The unsaturated zone between the ground surface and the water table. Soil pores contain both air and water.
VAP: Voluntary Action Program
Vapor Intrusion: The migration of volatile contaminants from subsurface soil or groundwater into the indoor air of overlying buildings through cracks in foundations, utility penetrations, or permeable materials.
VISL: Vapor Intrusion Screening Level
VOA: Volatile Organic Analysis (vial type and analytical method)
VOC: Volatile Organic Compound
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC): An organic chemical that evaporates readily at room temperature. Common environmental VOCs include benzene, TCE, PCE, and vinyl chloride.
VSQG: Very Small Quantity Generator (RCRA; 100 kg or less per month)

W

WAP: Western Allegheny Plateau (Ohio ecoregion)
Water Table: The upper surface of the saturated zone in an unconfined aquifer, where water pressure equals atmospheric pressure.
Well Development: The process of removing fine sediment and drilling fluids from a newly installed monitoring well to restore natural hydraulic properties around the screen. Methods include surging and pumping.
Well Screen: The slotted or perforated section of a monitoring well casing that allows groundwater to enter the well. Slot size is selected based on the grain size of the surrounding formation.
WWH: Warmwater Habitat (Ohio aquatic life use designation)

X

XRF: X-Ray Fluorescence (lead paint measurement instrument; results in mg/cm2)

Z

ZPP: Zinc Protoporphyrin (medical surveillance test for lead exposure)